HORSEMENS
ADULT RIDING CLUB
July 2025 NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the July newsletter, wow how the time is flying by
with lots of great rallies and events being enjoyed by all.
This coming Friday, 11th July, we have Dwight Pedlow’s Lunch and Learn at Whistlers café.
Freestyle can be so much fun and can be done in teams, so this is a great opportunity to find out more and get some get tips. Don’t forget about all the delicious chocolate available at Whistles too.
Details on the flyer below.
WINTER ACRA Challenge
The weekend of the 7-8th June was the Winter ARCA challenge with Avon Valley Riding Club Hunter Trials. The club put on a super event, with classes to suit all levels. There were 12 riders entered but unfortunately due to injuries not all could ride. There were lots of supporters to cheer the Horsemans riders on and everyone had a super time and there were also some sashes won. Well done everyone.
Below are some pictures and feedback from some of our riders.
Ashlyn Farrington - Rode on Sunday
I had so much fun at the ARCA Winter Challenge on 8th of June at the hunter trials in Northam. With little preparation I was a bit nervous about how the day would pan out for me and Athena, however we both had so much fun giving the challenge a go and going outside of our (but mainly my!) comfort zone.
The atmosphere was so supportive, and everyone was super encouraging regardless of riding level or adult riders club – it was really lovely to have so many people I didn't know offering words of encouragement as I went out for our round. They had a range of heights so everyone could participate in the weekend, and it was so nice to see a range of horses and riders out there giving it a crack! I found that by the end of the day I had made so many new friends from all around Perth!
Overall, it was such a special event and was a great opportunity to get out and try something a bit different that I don't usually do, in a controlled and encouraging environment. If you want to make some new friends while having fun with your horse, the ARCA challenges are perfect!
ARCA WINTER CHALLENGE - SATURDAY REPORT
By Michelle Bassola
Joanna Booker
This year’s ARCA Winter Challenge was a Hunter Trials competition, hosted by Avon Valley Adult Riders Club in Northam. The competition catered for every type of horse and rider combination, consisting of two different rings, one for green horses or riders, and those with a stronger survival instinct, and the “big course” for the bold and brave adrenaline seekers who were confident to navigate a course of x-country jumps and obstacles out in the open field. Horsemen’s ARC had members represented in both rings and competing on both days. It was obvious that Avon ARC had put a huge amount of effort into the design and preparation of both courses, and they looked great! There were many achievements for our members over the weekend, including me!
I arrived early on the Saturday morning, with my daughter’s green pony, Gloria, in tow. We competed in ring 1 and my goals were to successfully and calmly attempt all of the obstacles and also achieve a nice, controlled canter somewhere on course. I felt very proud of Gloria, even when she needed extra time to believe me that the tarp was safe to cross. She wasn’t convinced about the rubber ducks in the kiddy pool either and eyed them very suspiciously as we navigated through that obstacle!
Mary and Sonia rode amazingly out in ring 2. Mary’s horse was the only one that I saw canter across the bridge…very impressive indeed!
It was great to have a few of our members there to support and cheer for us and video our rounds :-) It was also super fun to hang out with and cheer for friends from other clubs. The whole atmosphere of the event was very friendly and encouraging. At the end of the day there were plenty of rosettes to go around, which was the icing on the cake! Reflecting on a wonderful day at the Winter Challenge, I absolutely must also mention another highlight - the Chicken curry and rice soup from the Avon canteen!! It was so delicious that I requested the recipe and will share it with everyone. You’re welcome ;-)
Michele & Gloria in action
Michelle's Winter Challenge Soup Recipe
Sonia on Ted
Queen Mary on Alfie Trealor
Michelle & Sonia - Well done!
More News!
June was a busy month, and we also had another great “Lunch & Learn” on 20th June.
Emma Ciniti presented “Lets Talk Horse Massage”.
This was a very enjoyable and informative session and well attended.
DIARY DATES
The weather gods have been looking after us and our July Rally went well on a nice day. Good rains have everywhere looking beautifully green and lush.
Our next Rally is 1st August and there is a poll on the Facebook page to get an idea of numbers attending so please let the committee know if you can make it or not.
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There is only one more challenge left for this year so if you want to have a great fun weekend with all your Horseman’s friends make sure and save the date for Magenup.
More updates and pre -event practices will be notified on the FaceBook page
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DIARY DATES
We are running another trial day to encourage new members to our great club, please invite all your horsey friends to our trial day so they can come and have some fun with us.
All the details are below, make sure and save the date. The more the merrier ☺
Helmet Update
New Helmet standards
EA is updating its helmet standards in light of the recent changes to the FEI standards.
EN1384:2023 with a quality testing label is now an approved standard and will be added to the list of approved standards and published on the website.
VG1 remains approved by the FEI but only with a quality testing label (eg BSI Kitemark).
The BSI kitemark (or other similar quality testing labels) indicate that as well as having originally met thespecified standard the product must have passed quality testing (quality testing monitors the ongoingquality of the product according to the original standard).
EA recognises that members may have recently purchased products allowable under the previous EAstandards list which accepted VG1 without a quality testing label. As lack of ongoing quality testing doesnot necessarily mean that a product will not meet the original standard, EA will continue to accept existing yellow-tagged helmets and will yellow-tag any as yet untagged helmets with this standard up until 31 December 2026.
From 1 January 2027 a new tag (of a different colour) will be required to indicate compliance with theupdated standards and a progressive system of retagging existing helmets that meet the updatedstandards will be introduced during 2026. More information will be provided prior to the roll out of thenew tags.
The tag is to assist event officials in identifying helmets that are manufactured to the correct standard.
The updated list of standards are available on the EA website.
Where can I get my helmet tagged?
To find out where you can get your helmet tagged, please check in with your State Equestrian Branch for the details of tagging dates and locations. In addition, when you are going to an event, check the schedule as there will be block times available for helmet tagging. If you need your helmet tagged and cannot find a date or time, please email your relevant State Equestrian Branch and they will endeavour to put you in touch with a helmet tagger near you.
Please note: Helmet taggers are volunteers, so please be patient with them.
RECIPE
We are all very busy during the cold winter months and there is nothing better than coming in from a long day after feeding up horses to a delicious dinner.
The recipe below is a winter warmer slow cooker delight, I hope you all enjoy it.
SLOW COOKER SPICY ORANGE CHICKEN
Prep Time 10 Mins / Cook Time 4 hrs / Servings 4
Ingredients
4boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoon cornstarch
8dried chili peppers add 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the sauce if you don't have dried chili peppers
2tablespoonsesame oil
3cupsbroccoli florets
Sauce
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
1tablespoonrice vinegar
1cuporange marmalade
¼teaspoonground ginger
½teaspoongarlic powder
2teaspoonsesame seeds
Serving Suggestion
1cup white rice
Instructions
Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Coat the chicken pieces in cornstarch.
Add 2 tablespoon sesame oil to the slow cooker, followed by the chicken, sauce, and dried chili peppers.
Cook on low for about 4 hours.(Slow cookers vary, so check to confirm it's cooked through before eating.)
Cook the broccoli (saute or steam). Stir broccoli in with chicken and sauce.
If serving with rice, make rice according to package instructions.
See You At The Next Rally!
