20th /21st April Spring Event and National Novice Qualifier, Ashfields

20^th/21^st  April Spring Event and National  Novice Qualifier was held at Ashfields enjoying the amazing Easter weekend sunshine,

  Thursday and Friday were training days with trainers Anna Grayston, Minta Winn, Sara Howe and Sonny Hillier, with 54 training sessions booked and some drivers using the opportunity of both days. More training days were requested last season so it’s been brilliant to see the uptake. If you’re interested in booking for the future please see additional dates on our events page.

  We had 55 entries for the 2 day event with 8 novice drivers entering for the National Qualifier, NQ Novice Horse Malcolm Brown scored 52.14 and NQ Novice Pony Christine McLeod scored 50.26 both achieving first place in their dressage class, Novice Pony Lucy Scott achieved the best dressage of the day with an amazing score of 30.52,

Fiona Powell’s cones course drove nicely seeing 17 drivers achieving a double clear. 

  Sunday brought the extreme warm weather forecast, so a decision was made to reduce section A of the marathon from 5 to 4 kilometres with no time change, enabling drivers a slower start reserving their energy for the obstacles.  Section B was 6.1 kilometres. The ground conditions were reasonably hard with the bridge obstacle displaying a slippery surface, studs certainly played a role.

 A handful of people worked unbelievably hard to complete the new EACDG  North American obstacle, which was introduced for the weekend.  General  comments indicated the obstacle drove smoothly although the squares seemed to come extremely fast, watch out for the arrival of the totem poles to complete the theme.

The horse teams gave the spectators a great competition with Wilf Bowman Ripley winning the dressage, followed my all teams going double clear in the cones, with Dan Naprous having the slight advantage in the marathon giving him overall first place. Please view full event outcome on our result page.

Congratulations to Sally Bullar and Malcolm Brown, both qualifying for the Nationals in their class. 

An enormous thank you to everybody who made the event possible, 

Please remember with kind permission of Louise the next 2 day event is at Blandings on May the 25th and 26th, be great to see you there whether you’re a spectator/volunteer/ driving, you’re all welcome to join us for another opportunity of a great weekend.

March Training and One Day Event

I hope you are all well and the winter months haven't been to hard on you, spring is here and with it comes the start of our 2019 season.

What a season it's going to be, lots of training as requested and a busy event calendar.

With this in in our thoughts can we take this opportunity to remind you that the 2019 memberships are now open, so please, if you haven't already, get your membership renewed.

Our first event is training on Saturday 30th march, this is proving very popular and we only have a very few spaces left. Also, immediately following this on Sunday 31st is our first one day event of the year, it's a short format, dressage and cones in the morning followed by a marathon of approximately 6km with just three hazards driven twice. Marathon dress for all phases. Both these events are held at the excellent facilities at Ashfields. Why not book both and stay over for the weekend, the clubhouse will be open for food and drink as usual.

Entries close this weekend so please don't delay and get those bookings in, to make it easy for you simply click Events at the top of the page

We look forward to seeing you all soon.

Passports and Vaccinations

With the recent equine flu outbreak and the onset of our 2019 season we have reviewed the safety precautions at EACDG events to minimise the risk of spread of this disease.

ALL horses/ponies attending EACDG events (training or competition) MUST be accompanied by their passports and be up to date with flu vaccination. Passports will be checked on arrival - please do not unload until your passports have been checked.
Passport details will be held on a secure database to enable EACDG to fast track your entry at future events.
If you do not have the passport with you or vaccination is not up to date, you will be asked to leave (no refund will be given). There will be no exceptions.

What are the vaccination requirements?
Horses must have completed their primary course (2 injections 21-92 days apart) before they may attend events.
A first booster must be given 150-215 days after the second injection. Subsequent boosters must be given at intervals of no more than one calendar year.
Horses may not attend events until 7 days after completion of the primary course or within 7 days of a booster.

Whilst we will not require horses to have a booster every 6 months, if it has been longer than 6 months since the last vaccination, we strongly recommend that you discuss a booster with your vet.

What are the signs of flu?
Signs include high temperature, cough, snotty nose, enlarged glands (under the lower jaw), swollen or sore eyes, depression, loss of appetite and swelling in the lower legs. If you see any of these signs, isolate the horse and call your vet immediately.
It is essential that any horses showing signs of possible equine flu, or horses that might have been in contact with possibly infected horses, do not travel to competitions or other events where there will be groups of horses. If your horse has been in contact with an infected horse please take immediate veterinary advice.

What else can I do to protect my horse/pony?
Flu virus is very contagious and is spread by air as well as on equipment and people. You can help to reduce the risk of spread by practising good biosecurity e.g. minimising contact between horses, not sharing equipment such as water buckets.

Where can I find more information?

Equiflunet: https://www.aht.org.uk/…/equifl…/equiflunet-for-horse-owners

We apologise for any inconvenience caused but feel strongly that we need to do all that is possible to stop this disease from spreading.
If you have any questions then please get in touch with any committee member.

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Best Regards
East Anglian Carriage Driving Group Committee

Training with Wilf Bowman Ripley

Hi All,

We are pleased to announce that after the success of the training sessions before Xmas, Wilf Bowman Ripley has released more dates for training, Indoors or Outdoors (subject to weather and ground conditions) at Ashfields.
Morning sessions flatwork, afternoon sessions hazards or cones. £40 for 1/2 hour session, £70 for full hour.
Saturday 19th Jan, Sunday 20th Jan.
Saturday 2nd Feb, Sunday 3rd Feb.
Saturday 16th Feb.
Saturday 2nd March, Sunday 3rd March.
Saturday 16th March, Sunday 17th March.
Please contact me on 07508724333 to book.

Best regards,

Malcolm Brown

Indoor Training with Wilf Bowman Ripley - Ashfields

We are excited to announce that Ashfields are offering the chance for Indoor Training for the 2018/2019 winter season.
Dates are as follows;
Sunday 21st October.
Sunday 25th November.
Sunday 2nd December.
Cost is £40 for 30 minutes or £70 per hour, the hour sessions can be shared by two turnouts if required.
Dressage and Cones Training in the morning sessions and Obstacle Training in the afternoons.
The majority of the training will be carried out by Wilf Bowman Ripley but Minta Winn will also be available if required.
These places will fill up quickly and are offered on a first come first served basis, so don't delay.
For available time slots and to book your preferred trainer please contact me on 07508724333

Best regards Malcolm Brown 

Ashfields Open Day 6th October

Ashfields open day!

Come and have a look around the facilities, view the carriage museum, new and secondhand harness for sale, master class with Wilf Bowman Ripley on the art of obstacle driving, leather workshop now open.
6th October 2018 2pm-6pm.

Refreshments and cake being served in the function room, that is available to hire for parties, weddings meetings and corporate events.
Ashfields Carriage and Polo Club, Great Canfield, Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1JU

One day event Sunday 30th September Cancelled

Due to a severe lack of entries for the fun day 1 day event on the 30th September, we unfortunately have been forced to cancel this event, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Please remember our AGM on Saturday 6th October 6.30 pm where we will be discussing the issues regarding cancellation of events.