Powys Carriage Driving Group

HUGE congratulations to your young drivers Rebecca Jones and Jack Kedward,14 who drove brilliantly at the national indoor finals to become the Novice Junior National Champions. They came up the field with fast and fluid obstacle driving that put them at the top of all the junior novice drivers in the UK and saw Rebecca claiming the National Champion title and Jack the Reserve National Champion with only 2 pens separating them after a nail biting final round.

Rebecca had a very busy championships – not only driving Alison Dascombe’s Section A pony Honeybee but also backstepping for Alison and for tandem driver Jacqui Pillinger. Jack drove his homebred Section C pony Howell – Gurnos Welsh Replica.

The club had fantastic results with all its drivers finishing in the top 6 in these highly competitive national classes. Jonathan Rees was 3rd in Open Horse, young driver Amy Stone who qualified three turnouts was 4th in Open Pony with her Section A and 5th in Small Pony with one of her Shetland pair, Alison Dascombe was 6th in Intermediate Pony with Honeybee and turned in the fastest times in 3 of the 4 obstacles in a big class of 18!

Emily Ham also qualified for the finals but was unable to attend. She would however like to thank Jack Kedward for the loan this season of Eyecatcher, his Section C stallion, after the tragic loss of Mr J her own beloved and talented pony at the start of the season. Mr J was always in the top ten in Open Pony at the championships and but for a ball knocked down by Emily’s whip would have been Reserve Open Pony Champion last year.

 

 

The Mid Wales region has now held four of its indoor events with classes affiliated to the Indoor Driving Championships league as well as club classes and a special short class of just dressage and cones. While entries aren’t huge they are most definitely of high quality with drivers competing who finish in the top ten at Keysoe.Jonarthan Rees, Emily Ham, Alison Dascombe, Jack Kedward and Rebecca Jones are all competing superbly in their affiliated classes.

Jonathan Rees is on top form in Open Horse winning each time out in Mid Wales with very consistent dressage, three times Best Dressage Score of the Day, and cones and superb fast obstacles. He has recently started competing in the Wales and Gloucester region and is already leading the points there too with his willing warmblood KWNP Bob and experienced back up crew of Janice and Peter Sidebottom. Peter, who backsteps, was the BC National Intermediate champion with his own young trotter cross in 2015.

Emily Ham missed the first two events due to the devastating loss of her wonderful Section C pony Mr J who took her to the top nationally and internationally in driving trials as well as in Private driving. Thanks to the amazing generosity of other drivers she has been offered ponies to compete indoors – something she has done unfailingly every year since 2005 when she first started driving with Sherry the 8 hand Shetland. At the December and January events Victoria Kedward loaned Emily her show stallion Gurnos Welsh Eyecatcher. For their first time together, after fifteen minutes of warm up to get to know the pony, the duo were over the moon to put in the Best dressage of the day- impressing the affiliated judge who awarded them just 16.5 pens! The responsive little Section C didn’t put a foot wrong all day – although Emily knocked a couple of cones in style with blurry vision having torn her eyeball on a bridle hook at the stables two days before! They had a short warm up canter before the obstacles and Eyecatcher proved willing and responsive giving her a great score for their first partnering. Their partnership is coming on well with the second highest dressage of the day at the recent January event, just 4 penalties in cones and good obstacles at their second time driving together.

Alison Dascombe has a fun new drive in Section A Honeybee who is one of her riding school ponies who she broke to drive herself. This whizzy little pony loves to canter and gallop and turns on a sixpence. Alison is top of the points in the Intermediate Pony class with her,and has achieved the magica double clear in the cones! 

Rebecca Jones, Alison’s backstepper, is also doing very well in Novice Pony with Honeybee in her first season of affiliated three phase competition. Rebecca has won the rosette for the Best Novice dressage three times with this great little all rounder pony. Jack Kedward, 14, is heading the Novice Pony class with his versatile homebred Howell and is always one to watch in the obstacles with extremely fast times and good lines. At the last two events he has had the fastest obstacles and the coveted 100% score. Last time out he romped home with the best score of the day!

Mum  Vicky Kedward is competing very successfully winning the club class and dressage and cones class driving different homebred ponies. The Gurnos stud produce lovely registered Welsh ponies for performance and are regular winners in the WPCS Performance awards in many ridden categories as well as driving ones!

Tracey Jones has also competed at every event in the dressage and cones class with her coloured cob Vegas put to a four wheeler – a bit of a change after driving a two wheeler for so long but Tracey is enjoying the challenge and each event sees her improve her personal best score which is always so satisfying and one of the great challenges of competing indoors!

Indoor driving gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy a day out with dressage, cones and obstacles…our most adventurous competitor has been Jane Logan driving Tristar’s coach horse Tango as a first timer in Novice Horse. This being a totally different experience to being out with a team on a coaching run, they were delighted to compete every phase and especially to go clear through a very competitive cones course.

 

 

Our first event of the new year will be held at LLwynon Saddlery, Trecastle. All spectators most welcome

Dressage will be complerted by 11.30, followwed by cones completed by 12 and then obstacle driving.

Dressage times for Sunday. If you can help with setting up please aim to arrive just after 9.30.

10.15 Rebecca Karen Jones - Novice Pony , Junior

10.25 Alison Dascombe - Intermediate Pony

10.35 Jonathan Gwyn Rees - Open Horse

10.45 Jack Kedward ( Victoria Kedward ) - Novice Pony, Junior

10.55 Tracey Jones - short class of dressage and cones

11.10 Emily Ham - Open Pony

Details are on the event page for our Christmas evening meal at The Usk & Railway on December  8th 7pm for 7.30pm

Although down on entries the quality was excellent especially in the obstacle driving. Young Jack Kedward was on fire and flew round with no hesitation to get the best obstacles of the day and only 4 pens off the Best score of the day as well, getting 10 points for his qualifying in Novice Junior.

Jonathan Rees was also on superb form in spite of being so busy with work his horse hadn’t been driven since the Nationals at Cirencester. His dressage was calm and accomplished with 25 pens for paces and also for precision meaning he had a 75% score – the Best dressage of the day. Bob is a big horse to do the tighter options and Jonathan drove really well to be just 2 pens off the Best score of the Day and get his 10 points in Open Horse.

Backstepper Peter Sidebottom enjoyed a drive in the cones with Bob along with Alison’s backstepper Rebecca with Honeybee.

Vicky Kedward driving stallion Eyecatcher, new to indoor trials, in the Club class had the best novice dressage of the day on 29.5 pens and was pleased with how the pony coped with the cones and obstacles. Jack is now `14 so was able to backstep for his mum for the first time.

Alison Dascombe brought along Honeybee, a sweet Section A pony who gives rides at Rockwood. Alison has broken her to drive and she was very sporty! She drove twice with Honeybee – in Intermediate Pony for 10 points - and again ….. hoping she will be able to qualify as a small pony (dependant on height certificate). There’s no doubt that she reaped the benefit of a second go and improved scores in all three phases to take the Best cones (clear with just two time penalties) and Best score of the Day. The pony loved it!

It was lovely to have interested spectators – generally keen to see what was involved with the intention of entering next time. Again many thanks to everyone for helping and to Lynn and Graham Butt for the use of the wonderful facilities at Llwynon Saddlery.

 

 

The club enjoyed a day at a new venue _ Vaynor Show – with three drivers Vicky Kedward in her two wheeler with stallion Welsh Jo Jo and two young speed machines in competition carriages – Emily Curnock with Dollar and Jack Kedward with Howell. Kathryn Curnock kindly helped to steward. It was a really competitive competition with Jack Kedward securing victory with amazing clear rounds to take the overall victory from Emily and Top Dollar. The crowds were very impressed!