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Christmas Pub Quiz – Tuesday 3rd December 2024 – just £3

Please join us at the White Hart pub in Chalfont St Giles from 7 pm for dinner and quiz night social. £3 per person for the quiz to raise funds for maintaining the trail in Hodgemoor Woods. Up to 6 per team. If you are a small group and would like to be grouped with another please let us know. Dinner and drinks can be individually ordered at the bar.

We need to start getting an idea of numbers by 15th November so as not to mess the White Hart around . Please let us know ASAP if you want to attend and pay via PayPal on the website or correct cash on the day. Please give at least 48 hours notice to cancel as the White Hart been great not charging us a deposit.

The White Hart Inn,Three Households, Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont Saint Giles HP8 4LP. Mini roundabout at the junction of Threehouseholds, Narcot Lane and Deanway. When you use their parking remember to check in your car registration on the machine in the pub.

Many members of the Hodgemoor Riding Association have enjoyed crossing the A355 at Coleshill and continuing by road or through the notorious Witheridge Wood to Common Wood and the estate round Penn House. They publish the relevant map at https://www.pennhouse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Public-and-Permissive-Bridleways-and-Rides-on-and-near-the-Penn-Estate.pdf

We have been in touch with them recently as part of research into rides for cyclists. Penn House Estate has confirmed that the permissive trails are for horse-riders only (dotted lines on this map). Bridleways are available to cyclists (solid green lines on this map).

Marcus Bicknell 28 May 2024

The results of the Hodgemoor Trec today show that any competent rider on a willing and quiet horse can excel… and we all enjoyed watching them doing the obstacles before about half the competitors departed for a couple of hours orienteering in the woods.

The field was divided into 4 classes…

Class 1 was for Beginners doing just two phases, the Obstacles and Control of Gaits. Winner was Monique Millington on Laika, an experienced rider trying Trec for the first time. Her Obstacles (she was 2nd) and her Control of Paces (3rd) were so good that she was placed first in those two phases, better than any rider in any class. Sheila Grimshaw and Kayleigh Dear made up the podium.

Class 2, Open, was for riders who have done Trec before, those choosing to do just two phases, Obstacles and Control of Gaits. Georgina Wright on her regular favorite horse John won from Francesca Jones and Caroline King.

Class 3 was for beginners doing all three phases. The winner was Sara Caley on Jack by just one point from Sienna Chambers with Olivia Warner close behind. All three scored better than any of the class 4 open riders.

Class 4, Open, was our blue riband class for riders who have done Trec before and chose to do all three phases. Alison Cheetham won from Katherine Wall and Vicki Baber.

Some comments on the individual Phases… Katherine Wall was the best round the obastacles scoring 140 points out of 150 available, remarkable. Well done. Monique Millington was 2nd and Alison Cheetham 3rd. Control of Paces? Vicki Baber was best with 60 points out of 60! Can’t do better than that. Francesca Jones was 2nd and Monique 3rd. In the Phase 3 Orineteering, four riders found all the clues and were within 10% of the target time and would have scored 240 out of 240 but for 10% deductions for riding in pairs rather than solo. They were Sara Caley, Sienna Chambers, Olivia Warner and Laura Newton. Well done.

The complete results are in the spreadsheet in this link: Today’s results – click here

Don’t miss the detail you can find by clicking the tabs at the bottom of the page. Please email marcus@bicknell.com with any queries or omissions.

We have pleasure in providing you the times for each competitor in this Sunday’s dressage event, 6th March 2022 at Oldefields, issued by The Hodgemoor Riding Association and Oldefields on 3rd March.

Click below to download. If it does not open directly please click on the downloads icon of your browser.

dressage_times_oldefields_6mar2022

1) In order to protect our community and the short-staffed livery yards, no-one should come to the event if they are testing positive or have covid-like symptoms.

2) There is an outdoor warm-up arena. We will be sticking strictly to allotted times so you will need to present yourself to the steward, all ready to go, a few minutes before your start time.

3) No spectators

Don’t forget to pick up your rosette(s). Have fun!

I was so impressed by the leather work by Malcolm Sage; my riding boots were too tight round the calf so he let in a new piece of leather. They fit beautifully, there is less stress on the zip and the work looks like new. Thank you. Bridles, saddles, boots and bags. Highly recommended, private and artisanal service. Farnham Royal direction. 07979 535067. More suppliers to equestrian royalty at https://hodgemoor.org.uk/equestrian-businesses/

At the suggestions of a couple of members, we invite each of you to spend an hour or two doing regular jobs in the woods. Call Marcus on 07748 111444 of Susie 07876 581144 or email chairman@hodgemoor.org.uk or susie@hodgemoor.org.uk to say when you can come and what you’d like to work on. We will not only be socially distanced but also socially time-slotted, i.e. you will NOT work alongside and at the same time as other volunteers (unless you bring others in your family/bubble). Please do not break government health guidelines for Tier 4.

You can choose from
1) Cutting back growth a metre each side of the horse trails anywhere in Hodgemoor Woods (hand clippers or long-arm clippers). Go deeper with holly which is pernicious because its shade prevents winter sunlight drying the trail off; mud and erosion is exacerbated.
2) Cutting off overhanging branches anywhere in Hodgemoor Woods (lopping saw). The height of horse and rider can reach well over 3 metres, so please reach high.
3) Clearing branches cut by someone else and lying on the ground (gloves)
4) Digging out the drainage channels (called “grips”) each side of the trails (spade). Dig to a full spade depth and discard the earth as far as possible away from the trail.

UPDATE 18h15 Saturday 19th December

UPDATE 17h40 Saturday 19th December.

Spectators are not permitted, apologies. Each competitor may bring just one other person as a helper or companion. Therefore, if you are not involved, please do not come.

Competitors: Susie has already emailed you, but do please make sure you have read the Covid-19 Measures, which we attach here in case you do not have them to hand. Most important:

1.    Ensure the NHS Covid-19 app is loaded on your smart phone and that of your companion.
2.    Check in with the Covid-19 marshal on arrival (Kay Miklausic till 10h45, then Geoff Gudgion, in the car park before mounting, armed with your smart phone and wearing a mask (not required when on horseback).
3.    When mounted. do not leave the car park until called forward by a marshal (max 3 horses in the warm-up arena).

Covid-19 Measures_20dec2020

We also await (at 16h45 on Saturday) news of the imposition of Tier 4 in Buckinghamshire and what that means for the event.

There have been three criminal motorised vehicle incidents in Hodgemoor Woods in the last two weeks. It is timely to remind everyone of the law and what action you should take. We have put together with the help of Forestry England the wording of the applicable laws, four of them, and you can download the pdf here: off_road_motorcycling_the_law.pdf

It also tells walkers and riders whom to call in each case.

Announcing a fund raiser with some fun for two winning donations… be the guests of the Thames Valley Air Ambulance at their event in Thame on Friday 24th April from 14h-16h. Meet the crew and see the helicopter/critical car response vehicle. Two tickets are available to the two highest donations from Hodgemoor Riding Association members received by the end of March 2020. Donation bids are expected to be in the range of £50 to £250… what a good cause it is, especially if you have a fall sometime.

The background is… The Hodgemoor Riding Association decided in its AGM of November 2019 to donate £250 to Thames Valley Air Ambulance www.tvairambulance.org.uk and £250 to The Brooke Hospital for Animals https://www.thebrooke.org. Both have expressed their gratitude and the Air Ambulance people have extended the invitation to two people to represent us at their event. The idea to raise further donations for them and auction off the two tickets is our idea not theirs.

Place your bid by replying to our Facebook posting as a reply (if you are happy for it to be public) or by Facebook Messenger / email info@hodgemoor.org.uk. Winning donations will be payable in the first week of March, preferably with gift aid. If your bid is for two tickets then please say so, knowing that your competitive bid would be half the total.

Thank you for participating and for helping such a good cause