NTU Equestrian Handbook

Contents page
About & Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wednesday Riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Horseball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Socials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kurkri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5 7 8 9 10 12 13

About NTU Equestrian

The Nottingham Trent University Equestrian Club caters for all abilities; ranging from those who have never ridden a horse before, to those who have ridden all of their lives. We have an excellent committee who are dedicated to running the club and being there for all of our members. There are three branches to NTU Equestrian. These are, recreational riding, horseball and our team. We hold recreational riding lessons every Wednesday through Fairview Farm Equestrian Centre. At the start of the year we hold a taster session to allocate all new riders into a suitable class depending on their ability. We compete in the BUCS League for which the competitions include two disciplines; show jumping and dressage. At the start of the year we hold trials so anyone at the required ability can have the chance to try out for the team. We also provide the option for members to have the opportunity to play horseball an exciting and fast paced game. Our horseball team competes against other universities throughout the year. Taster sessions for this are also held at the start of the year. We also hold day and residential trips yearly for all our members. This take place throughout the year and are an opportunity for everyone to get involved. The club has an exciting social side with weekly Wednesday socials, termly meals, a Christmas boat party and NTUs annual sporting excellence ball.
There is no fee to join the club you just need to ensure you have the full University gym membership (only 99 if you purchase it at the start of the year!). This covers students for insurance; it also gives full access to our gyms across our three campuses, with the chance to attend classes that NTU provide. It is COMPLUSORY that any student wanting to join a sports club has this. Every week our President and Vice president send out a weekly email. This will include a round up of the previous week, what will be going on in the current week, any up and coming events you need to know about and the riding list for that Wednesday. This is a like a newsletter for the club!

Contacts
If you ever have any questions or just want to get in touch please feel free!

Email;
equestrianntu@hotmail.co.uk

NTU Equi FB;

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2218995012/

NTU Horseball FB;

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125515280811656

Twitter;
@NTUEquestrian

Website;
www.ntuequestrian.co.uk If you have queries about our team, please get into contact with our team captain: Charlotte Ballard. And if you have any queries about Horseball, please get into contact with our horseball team captain: Tamsin Thorn.

Look forward to hearing from you soon!

Committee 2013/14
Our committee are incredibly dedicated to running the club, this way we can progress and go from strength to strength. All the committee members are very friendly and would love to hear from you if you have any questions or just to chat! Kirsty Manley, President Hi I'm Kirsty and I'm your president this year! I'm studying law with criminology but in my spare time, you'll find me chilling with friends or of course, doing something related to horses! I love being an equestrian because its like being one big family and my time at Trent wouldn't be the same without my lovely Equi's!

Tegan McCormack, Vice Pesident Hi Im Tegan and Im your vice president for this year! I study law but when Im not busy with that Im probably out on an equi social or chilling with friends. I love being part of equestrian because everyone is so friendly and there is always something going on, I couldnt imagine uni without being an equi now!

Shannon Skeels, Secretary Hi, I'm Shannon, i'm your secretary this year. I study English & Creative Writing, and generally my life revolves around riding, competing and going out on Equi socials. I couldn't imagine uni without Equi, without it I wouldn't have made such amazing friends, or be so well acquainted with the Ocean dance floor!

Jess Stobart, Treasurer Hey there, i'm Jess and I'm treasurer for equi this year! I study business management with marketing, and in my spare time I can usually be found somewhere with ponies, chilling with my friends or recovering from a hideous ocean hangover! Equestrian made my first year at uni the best it could have been and really kept me going through the tough times! I can honestly say that I have made some proper friends for life with equi! Lauren Russell, Social Secretary Hey I'm Lauren and I'll be one of your social secs this year I'm studying law and have just come back off placement. In my spare time I'm usually back home breaking my youngster in, competing my show jumper, helping out on my aunts yard or out partying/planning fancy dress ready for the next wednesday social! Equi has been a huge part of my uni experience and through the club I have met some of my now closest friends. If I'm not doing uni work I will be doing something equi related 5

Rosie Carter, Social Secretary I'm Rosie and this year I will be one of your social secs. I'm in my second year at trent studying Fashion Marketing and Branding and my favourite hobbies are drinking, sleeping and eating - which I hope will make me a decent social sec for you this year! I just LOVE to ride and being part of equi as I have met my best friends since joining in freshers ....and I look forward to seeing some new faces out on Wednesday nights!

Charlotte Ballard, Team Captain Neigh!!! I'm Charlotte/Barbie/Ballard and I'm your team captain. I study early years and education. In my free hours I'm working with horses or children or competing the horses but mostly getting together with the wonderful equestrians. For me I most love being part of equestrian as it really makes my uni experience, everyone is so genuine and I now class these people as my best friends.

Tamsin Thorn, Horseball Captain Hello my name is Tamsin and i am your horseball captain! I am currently studying Geography. In my spare time i enjoy training horses, chilling with friends and of course taking part in various equestrian antics! Being part of equestrian has allowed me to meet loads of new amazing people and take part in lots of activities that have made my uni experience even better.

Charlotte Morris, Trips Organiser

Hi, I'm Charlotte and I'm the trips organiser this year. I study biochemistry. In my spare time I'm usually riding, with friends or on an ocean Equi social :) Being part or the equestrian club has made my time at NTU amazing. I have made the best friends and memories through the club and would recommend it to anyone!

Sophie Britten, Kit Organiser

Hi, I'm Sophie and I'm your kit organiser this year! I am studying law and generally in my spare time I am either with friends, riding or fancy dress shopping for an equi social. Equestrian has introduced me to some amazing people and I have made some great friends!! Equestrian has made my time at uni so far and some of the best memories I'll have when i leave uni will be from equi

Wednesday Riding
We hold recreational riding lessons through Fairview Farm Equestrian Centre; the yard is about a 30 minute drive away in Ravens head. These are held every Wednesday come rain or shine.
Fairview Farm Equestrian Ltd Fairview farm Stud Main Road Ravenshead Notts NG15 9GS http://www.fairviewequestrian.com/

We operate a carpooling system so that everyone can get there together. Members that are drivers and are available to drive are the backbone to recreational riding. It is organised so that members riding at the same time will be in the same car. There are pick up points for each campus. City: Gill Street Clifton: Outside Peverell Brackenhurst: Main Front car park. Pick ups are exactly an hour before your ride. This gives you time to get there, pay, and get on your horse before the lesson begins on the next hour. (All of this is explained clearly in our weekly email.) The lessons are divided into ability, ranging from absolute beginners to advanced riders. We do our best to fit these around lectures and any time restraints that members have. We pride ourselves on the fact that we cater for all abilities! Over the years, we have seen many riders come to us and have never ridden before and then leave NTU as amazing extremely capable riders. In lessons you can have the chance to work on your basic riding skills, developing your dressage skills and we frequently hold jumping lessons. The rider can go at the own pace and nothing is forced upon them, this is something that we love about Fairview. At the end of every term we hold either a pony games session or a mini jumping competition, which is always just for fun and everyone can join in of course, with prizes to be won! To ride with us you just need to make sure you have the full gym membership, and then email equestrianntu@hotmail.co.uk before 10am on Sunday, with the date you would like to ride in the subject line. E.g. Riding 2nd October 2013. The following needs to be included; Name, N number, phone number, campus, ability, driver and time restraints. Our cancellation policy states that if a lesson is cancelled less than 24 hours in advanced, we will still require full payment, this is Fairviews policy so it is adhered to year round.

Team
Our team is divided into Championship league (A) and Trophy league (B) more commonly know as A team and B team. On each team there are 4 riders with 2 reserves. Our teams compete in the BUCS League for which the competitions include two disciplines; show jumping and dressage. We have previously claimed the title of National Student Champions 2008/2009 beating over 70 teams from all over the country in the finals, which we're extremely proud of! And in 2010-2011, we had both our A and B team qualify for nationals for the first time ever. Unfortunately in 2012/13 year both teams just missed out on qualifying for regionals but we hope to get there this year! Team training takes place weekly at Fairview Equestrian Farm; again we operate a carpooling system so that everyone can get there. At training on alternate weeks team will practice their jumping and their dressage skills. There is a small fee for training; this goes towards the hire of the venue and of course the trainer. This year our new captain, Charlotte Ballard will be running team try outs, if you fancy your chance team trials are held the first week back, keep your eye out on our website and at the freshers fair for the try out sheets. It is important to bear in mind however that being part of our team is a big commitment and we take it very seriously. You will be required at training every week; Charlotte will be exercising a tight disciplinary system in order that can excel in all our competitions this year. This year the team have managed to get training sessions from a show jumper ranked in the top 60 in the UK, Holly Gillot and dressage trainer Vicky Heyton, so weve got our fingers crossed that well be doing the best that weve ever done this year!

Horseball
Unlike many other universities, Nottingham Trent Equestrian offers advanced riders the opportunity to try horseball. Its a tough game; many say a mixture between rugby and basketball but on horseback! Horseball, is a bit like catch, but fast paced and on horses. Your feet are still in stirrups, but there is a belt running between the stirrups securing them. This allows you to bend down and pick up the ball. The majority of the time you are standing whilst steering mostly without reins, catching and passing a ball! Sessions are held every Monday or Tuesday evening at Trent Valley Equestrian Centre. Trentvalley Equestrian Centre Limited Occupation Lane Fiskerton Nottinghamshire NG25 0TR http://www.tvequestrian.co.uk/Welcome/tabid/54/language/en-US/Default.aspx Our horseball team captain, Tamsin Thorn, runs and organises horseball. If you have any questions please feel free to contact her. We will be having a taster session on the 4th October for those of you who want to give it a shot! Please only attend if you are a confident rider, its something that will really test your riding skills! We operate a carpooling system for those who wish to ride as its quite a way out from the city and dont expect you to get transport all that way! This as all other car pooling systems, operates from all campuses. This year was the first year that we had a team and a successful team at that! We organised a match against the University of Nottingham and won! This is a great success for horseball and we hope that the same can happen again this year.

Socials
At NTU Equestrian we have a very busy social calendar! We have two social secretaries (Lauren Russell & Rosie Carter) that are in charge of this and they do an excellent job. There are lots of different aspects to the social side of equestrian, these are:

Wednesday socials
Every Wednesday after our riding there is a social. Our social secs set us a fancy dress theme, then we partake in a bar crawl through Nottingham city centre, and then we all meet in Ocean. This is something that all clubs and societies take part in and is great fun. Every week, our social secs will put up an event explaining our social for the following week; this gives you all the chance to get an outfit together! Our 2013/2014 bar crawl will consist of; The SU, Bla Bla Bar, Walkabout and Ocean. At the start of this crawl, our social secs will be selling tickets to get into Ocean, these are 3.50 each.

Meals
At the start of every term, we have group meals. In first term this is a welcome meal, welcoming new members to the club and welcoming current members back. This is a great way to initially meet everyone and get to know our committee a little better. Then in term two and three we will have them in Clifton and Brackenhurst, this way everyone can get a chance to meet each other! Over the year our social secretaries will organise these meals, members will be notified by Facebook and by our weekly email.

Christmas Meal
Every year we have our annual Christmas boat party. Equestrian rent out a boat, and take a trip up the river Trent. Food and alcohol are included and then we head into town afterwards to see where the night takes us! Toward the end of first term, our trips organiser will inform all members of costing and dates.

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 Tour
Every year all of Trents clubs and societies go on tour. Everyone descends by coach to mainland Europe for a week of madness. Not much can be said as obviously, what happens on tour stays on tour! Attendance is not compulsory, but those who decide to come must be well prepared!

Annual Sporting Excellence Ball

Every year Nottingham Trent hold their annual sports ball at Goosedale Conference and Banqueting centre. Every sporting club dress up to the nines and attends, with plenty of awards up for grabs. Its a great event and lovely to spend time with all of the clubs!

Equestrian Awards
These awards are also held annually towards the end of term three. Its a great chance for us all to look back at the year weve had together, dress up and give out even more awards! These awards are a little more personal to the club, involving our trainers and teachers and members of the club voting and nominating each other.

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Trips
At NTU Equestrian we also hold trips throughout the year. These are organised by Charlotte Morris. Trips are a great way to ride new horses and have new experiences at different yards. We hold several throughout the year. Everyone will be notified of these nearer the time.

X Country hack
At Trent Valley equestrian, it is possible for us to go on a two hour mock hunt x country hack. This year was the first time that it was held, and was great fun! For 2013-14 it will be much more regular throughout the year, at least once every term. NB: This is for advanced riders.

Peak District
This is an amazing day trip to the peak district! You can take in the breathtaking views while cantering across the moores and the countryside!

Lake District
The Lakes trip is a two night residential trip. Everyone is transported there by minibus (with any extra drivers if necessary). Theres the opportunity to have a beautiful two hour hack along the beach and country side, taking in all the scenery, with the chance to gallop for those more experienced riders!

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Kukri
Kukri are Nottingham Trents affiliated kit supplier. They provide university apparel for unis across the country. Unfortunately at Equestrian we do not have any kit but this doesnt mean we cant get the classic NTU apparel with NTU EQUESTRIAN on our backs.

Squirrel
www.squirrelsports.co.uk provides all of NTUs sports teams with clothing. You can order as much or as little as you want, ranging from tees to polos to hoodies and jackets.

Our shop
Once a year for a limited amount of time its possible for us to open our own shop! This means we can purchase some items that arent on the squirrel website, for example jogging bottoms and waterproof jackets (perfect for riding in!) This is only open for a certain amount of time, but Sophie our kit organiser will inform everyone of this!

Social Shirts
At the beginning of the year, our kit organiser will update everyone with regards to our social shirt orders. The shirts are a different colour each year with all of ours sponsors logos featuring on the shirts and NTU Equestrian on the back. Every term we have a number of social shirt socials, where we can all go out matching in our big equi force! Theyre also great to ride in or just as equestrian attire!

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