TDRC March 2026 News

Hello All! Welcome to your March newsletter. 

The newly elected committee are working hard to provide you with a variety of exciting events over the coming months. We welcome your input on upcoming events and any other ideas, so please don’t hesitate to contact us using our new email address (hello@tauntondistrict.co.uk). 

YOUR COMMITTEE

Chairman: Colleen Knox
Vice Chair and Treasurer: Amanda Gallacher
Secretary: Naomi Pattison

Membership Secretary: Sally Walker

Newsletter and Communications: Jennifer Elster

Dressage Competitions & Events: Ros Whisker & Jane Gurr
General support and Club Coach: Julie Chapman

Dressage Team Manager & Club Coach: Colleen Knox
Eventing & CT Team Manager: Rochelle Scears

SJ Team Manager: Rochelle Scears

Additionally, our new Facebook Members page is now live, and this is the best and most convenient way to share your news, photos and reviews! 

Here is the link to our Members page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1898354437487103/

Team Pages for different disciplines to help you get all the info you need:
Dressage Teams: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2321954671410530/
Showjumping Teams: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112895962925172/
Eventing Teams: https://www.facebook.com/groups/879294322173351/

Club Events Update

We had two teams compete for the BRC Area 12 Open Dressage qualifiers at Kings Sedgemoor Equestrian Centre on February 8^th.

Our TDRC Sapphire Q team placed 1st (!) out of 13 teams to qualify for the Winter Championships at Arena UK in April. Congratulations to team members:

Kate Smith – Prelim 3, 69.38%, 2nd/20 OA, 1st qualifying

Rochelle Scears – Novice 2, 67.5%, 2nd/17 OA, 1st qualifying

Nicola Nicholls – Novice 3, 66.4%, 4th/17 OA, 2nd qualifying

Carey Collett – Elem 1, 60.69%

And kudos to our other NQ team members that also did so well: Ros Whisker, Jane Gurr, and Ellie Wallace. 

(Sadly, no one took photos at this event! Only a screenshot of Rochelle and her rosettes – thank you Rochelle!)

Two club teams also competed at the Grassroots Area Dressage at Stretcholt EC on February 21st. We are so proud that everyone gave it a go, especially as many competitors were either first-timers or riding young/green horses. 

(Some of the competitors at Stretcholt)

Our two teams placed 4th and 5^th, which was amazing. Among the noteworthy individual results:

Jo Broadbent and Figi – 2nd of 10 in Intro 2 on 67.05%

Naomi Pattison and Pumpkin – 4th of 17 in Prelim A on 66.8%

Jane Gurr and Dylan – 1st place Novice 1

Jessica, Amanda, Ellie, Amy, Carey and Ros all rode very solid tests on 65% each. 

Next Area 12 Winter Dressage Qualifier :

Next Area 12 Qualifier to qualify for Nationals at Lincoln Showground to be held August 2026 will be on July 4, 2026 @ Chard.

If you are interested in being on a Team (NQ or Q) or seeking to qualify for Winter Champs, please contact Colleen. All bookings via equoevents.co.uk or direct to Colleen. 

In February, the club held its third evening in the series of winter lectures/social evenings with Nikki Routledge, ‘Physical Assessment’. This discussion followed ‘How Horses Learn’ and ‘Horse Behaviour’ lectures in January. See below for the next date in this series ‘Practical Behaviour and Training’ to be held at Cordings Farm. 

Along with the new Foundation to Flying jump series to help members who want to leave the ground and our regular year-round Dressage Training, we are continuing to work with local venues to develop and offer a wider variety of events to be held throughout the year, so please stay tuned!

Dates for your Diary: 

Sunday March 7^th (Cordings Farm)

Pole Clinic

Friday March 13^th (Bicton College)

EROS Riding simulator with Colleen Knox

Sunday March 15^th 

Area 12 Arena Eventing (Bicton College)

Friday March 20^th (Conquest Centre)

Foundation to Flying with Julie Chapman (fully booked) 

Saturday 28th Mar (Cordings Farm)

Clinic in practical applications and theories with Nikki Routledge and Colleen Knox. 

Saturday April 4th (Cordings Farm)

Showing Clinic and Social

Friday April 17^th (Bicton College)

Eros Rider Simulator Session with Colleen Knox

Thursday April 23^rd (Pontispool Equine Sports)

Evening Dressage League

Friday April 24^th (KSEC)

Foundation to Flying SJ Training with Julie Chapman

Please check out our website for a newly added diary of our upcoming events here (also via the menu), as well as on Facebook and Equoevents.co.uk for further details and alerts. We strongly advise that you book early for our clinics and training days to avoid disappointment, as these are very popular and places are limited.

Club Camps

Our first camp of the year will be held at Pontispool May 19-20 Tues/Wed, Monday night arrival) and will feature a combination of Dressage/flatwork, Polework, jumping and XC. In-hand options will also be available, so something for everyone! Save the dates, bookings will open shortly on Equoevents. 

And finally…

Please be assured that committee members are working hard on behalf of all club members during this transition period and that we are keen to launch lots of new events/socials over the year to ensure everyone is included in the fun! Of course, please do get in touch if you’re interested in contributing and getting involved and helping to make a difference in our local equestrian community. 

And remember we are always looking for your stories, reviews and images that we can share in our newsletters and socials (particularly the new members FB page). Please send us your non-members page updates by email to hello@tauntondistrict.co.uk 

Spring is around the corner! 

Best wishes, Jennifer