Sitting high in the saddle, this riding club is going places (From Gazette Series)

Sitting high in the saddle, this riding club is going places

NO one could accuse a riding club which organises fancy dress Christmas shows and jumping to music of being stuffy. And creating a stuffy, cliquey organisation was something the founders of Kings Leaze Riding Club were at pains to avoid.

However, despite its friendly approach, the club can boost more than its fair share of national champions. Feature writer KIRSTY RAMSDEN spoke to founder Kathryn Vince to find out more.

SEASONED riders Kathryn Vince, Ian Adsetts and Angela Grunwell felt riding clubs were not providing what they wanted.

They believed there was a gap in the market, but rather than sit back and complain, they set about plugging the hole.

Two years ago they launched Kings Leaze Riding Club, which has grown to be an organisation more successful than even they could have imagined. The club now boosts in excess of 300 members.

Mrs Vince said: "At our first meeting we had about 20 people and we were thrilled to get that.

"We never imagined we would be this successful.

"And we get new members every week."

Although many of its members are South Gloucestershire-based, some travel from far and wide including Stroud, Bath, Oxfordshire, Bristol - and even London. The club is based at the Didmarton stud, Elmleaze, of co-founder Ian Adsetts. The group's first meeting was held at The Kings Arms, Didmarton, so it was agreed to combine the names of the pub and the stud to create the title Kings Leaze Riding Club.

The membership has a very varied interest and standard in riding.

Mrs Vince, now secretary of the club, said: "We have everything from the happy hackers to a rider who had five horses all placed at the Horse of the Year Show, Wembley."

The age of riders also varies - from 12 to 70 upwards.

Mrs Vince explained: "We try to cater for everyone."

The club, whose patron is the Duchess of Beaufort, organises a variety of activities including a summer camp.

Kings Leaze invites instructors on various aspects of riding to give lessons at the four-day camp.

The camaraderie of the camp and the instruction enables riders to gain confidence and achieve skills they never thought possible, explained Mrs Vince. The club also organises a winter dressage series, with a competition each month from October to April.

This year the club held a dressage to music competition.

At Christmas riders and horses sport festive fancy dress for the December dressage competition.

The club hosts a Christmas fun day include a gymkhana.

There is also an "in-hand" event in the spring when the horses are lead around the course rather than ridden.

This July Kings Leaze hosted the Worcester Lodge Show at the Badminton estate. There are more easy-going events such as social rides around beautiful parts of the countryside.

The club also organises horse-free socials such as skittles matches.

As well as the competitions and events organised by Kings Leaze, the club takes part in British Riding Clubs affiliated competitions - the club is affiliated to British Riding Clubs.

For such a new club, Kings Leaze has enjoyed considerable success both at regional and national level.

The junior under 16 team is national dressage champion and national horse trials champion.

Mrs Vince said proudly: "Some of the young riders will go to be professional riders."

She added the club sent three junior teams to the national competition at Lincoln to avoid being elitist.

Mrs Vince herself picked up sixth in dressage at the nationals.

She was also part of the senior team to come seventh out of 21 in the national dressage competition.

With its love of fun, the club's determination not to be cliquey has held fast. It even holds a galloping grannies competition.

Making friends with a shared interest and creating an outlet for both the competitive rider and the purely hobby rider is a goal.

Mrs Vince said: "Riding out on your own once in a while is all right but riding with someone else is so much nicer.

"We even have members who don't ride but want to come along and be part of it." She has been riding since she was three years old and eagerly extols the virtues of the sport.

She said: "It is a very healthy sport - it is good for your balance and your strength.

"Its great for children - makes them confident."