Round Two - Elite Class

Heat One

Like before in Round One, Round Two was set to be on a very wet and gloomy bank holiday weekend at the Thame showground. But the weather had yet again to defeat the spirit of all the teams competing in the National Horsebaording Championships 2014, and seven Elite teams strode out onto the ground ready to battle it out.

As beautiful as the Thame showground was, it also came with some problems. The long grass that covered it caused the boarders some difficulty as it increased the friction between the board and the ground which inevitably slowed them down. The ground itself was also hard for the horses, but at the same time the long grass made it slippery, so most teams opted for studs to ensure a firmer grip on the ground.

As the morning session of Heat One commenced, all teams seemed to have the same idea in their heads and wanted to set the fastest time possible as quickly as possible. We at Horseboarder Magazine can only speculate, but we presume flashbacks of Round One’s terribly muddy ground continued to stay fresh in everyone’s minds! As fun as it was rolling around in the mud, it seemed no one wanted to wait until the ground got that bad again.

Do or Die were first out and set a great time of 85.84s, but Icandy, clearly making use of the path carved out by Do or Die in the grass, managed to set an even faster time of 83.11s. Then, for the rest of the morning, no other team seemed able to match it, not even Icandy themselves. Mad ’Atters weren’t too far behind though; their fastest time being 85.80s, beating Do or Die. Ihorse came trotting in behind them with 90.72s. And our reigning National Champs, Dead Pigeon, failed to even complete a run.

There were two teams, Norfolk ‘n’ Good and Designated Drinkers, who faced a change to their line up and both teams seemed to be finding it difficult to gel at first. Norfolk ‘n’ Good, in the absence of their usual boarder Allen Hare, used stand-in boarder Aiden Beamish and although the team set times for each run, they weren’t as fast as normal. Their fastest came in at 107.59s. Designated Drinkers, however, were a little faster with their boarder Luca Grillo who had never entered a competition before and who had never raced the Elite course before. Hats off to you, Luca, for your valiant effort! Designated Drinkers managed to score a time of 101.66s.

So at the end of the morning session of Heat One, the rankings were as follows: Icandy, Mad ’Atters, Do or Die, Ihorse, Designated Drinkers, Norfolk ‘n’ Good and Dead Pigeon.

Onto the afternoon session of Heat One and the long grass had been flattened over the duration of the morning session, so our teams were fired up and determined to beat their set times. Unfortunately there had been some light drizzle, making the ground slicker to race on. Would this hinder or help our teams? Let’s find out.

Do or Die raced first again and, going for glory, they smashed Icandy’s morning time and set a new fastest time of 81.46s. Then Icandy, perhaps a little too unsettled by Do or Die’s new time, unfortunately failed to set a time in the afternoon session and were unable to beat Do or Die. The majority of the other teams, however, managed to improve on their times. The most successful at beating their own time was Norfolk ‘n’ Good, who were clearly beginning to gel quite well now and managed to shave 9.59s by scoring a new time of 98.00s. Still, this wasn’t enough to come in the top three. Ihorse also improved greatly on their morning session by 7.9s and getting a score of 82.82s. Designated Drinkers kept up their pace they had set before and scored a respectable 91.75s but Mad ’Atters were still way out ahead of them with 83.50s.

The last team to race, with no completed runs in the morning session, were Dead Pigeons. When they loaded themselves up in the pits, most thought they would have a conservative run, because if they had no score for Heat One, they would not be able to gain an average score for the Round (as it is made from the best score on Heat One and best score of Heat Two). However, no conservative run came from the pigeons as they rocketed out of the starting pits, not holding anything back. As they made it through the cross over section of the course, they past the commentary box with a split time of 70.03 seconds - exactly the same as Do or Die.

Charlie Buss let the throttle out on Nabo as they flew round the last corner and as they turned on to the straight, only 30 meters away from the finish line, Ross got taken on to his toes. The crowd let out a gasp of horror as Ross was thrown to the floor and Charlie and Nabo crossed the finish line with no boarder and no recorded time. This left Dead Pigeon in 7^th place and out of the race for Round Two.

With Heat One all wound up, the leader board showed Do or Die in 1^st place, Ihorse in 2^nd and Mad I’Atters in 3^rd. But with another Heat left in Round Two, and only 2 seconds between the top three positions, it could all change. So let’s see what happened.

Heat Two

The morning session didn’t start off too well for our current leaders, Do or Die, as they missed a gate and only manage to register 110.38s. Icandy took full advantage of this, gaining 82.29s and once again taking the top spot whereas Mad ’Atters and Ihorse, who had both done so well in Heat One, didn’t register a time at all for their morning session. Designated Drinkers, however, continued at a steady pace and got 94.50s with their new boarder Luca looking extremely comfortable on his board. But Norfolk ‘n’ Good seemed to be having troubles once again and only managed 107.83. Dead Pigeon appeared to be back on form again and registered one of the fastest times of the weekend at 81.36s but it still couldn’t put them in the running. It just goes to show, though, what a formidable force they still can be.

In the afternoon session, neither Dead Pigeon nor Norfolk ‘n’ Good nor Icandy managed to secure a time. Ihorse managed to put in a time of 85.06s this time, but it still wasn’t enough to match Icandy’s morning time. Designated Drinkers built steadily on their times and managed 93.45s but it still wasn’t enough for the top three. Do or Die registered a time on their last run of 85.53s which placed them in second but, at the last minute, Mad ’Atters gained a 82.56s run, knocking Do or Die into third.

So, at the end of Heats One and Two, and to sum up the weekend, the positions were as follows:

1^st – Icandy

2^nd – Mad ’Atters

3^rd – Do or Die

4^th – Ihorse

5^th – Designated Drinkers

6^th – Norfolk ‘n’ Good

7^th – Dead Pigeon

With less than 4 seconds between the top three teams, there’s still everything to play for in the coming Rounds. Who have you got your bets on?

Round Four is on its way to the Hampshire County Fair on the 4^th and 5^th May. Be there to see it all live in action and check back here for a blow-by-blow account of the highlights. 

Round Two - Novice Class

Heat One

The novice class kicked off with a fast paced start. Seven teams entered this round and Blur of the Moment looked to be the favourite to win after their convincing win at Fonmon Castle in Round One.

With a stand-in horse rider, Blur of the Moment were fist to hit the track and did so at a very

conservative pace with Dan Hallam even getting the chance to mime reading a book as he went round. They managed to set a steady time of 67.59s. Predator also had a good morning session, using Dan Hallam from Blur of the Moment as a stand-in for their boarder. They managed to set a time of 57.92s.

Ambush, however, seemed to be struggling as a unit and were unable to complete a run in the morning due to some issues with their horse. Despite their communication issue, there were some very convincing shows of speed from this team.

                                                                                                                           

Consider it Dun were up next and as this was their first competition as a full team, Rosie Barber and her horse Levi felt they had something to prove. They shot out of the starting area and flew around the course, not acting like a Novice team at all. Their horse, Levi, is a similar build to that of Amba from Do or Die in the Elite class – i.e. they both like speed! It was an amazing sight to see this little 14’1 power house run and they managed to set a time of 58.67s in the morning session.

Halter Ego were next with Tom Kilroy (from Do or Die) as boarder, and they looked up for the challenge of this course and rider Laura Rose felt safe in the knowledge that they could hit the track at any speed with an Elite boarder behind them. And they did just that! Tom looked unusually unsteady behind the team but at the end of the morning session, they had set a time of 54.51s.

Sunny side Up were back and it was brilliant to see this all-girl team back in action. They were unable to practice much over the winter and the team struggled to get round the course because of this. But improvements in Sarah Hill’s board riding could definitely be seen, and both audience and competitors spurred them on around the course. Unfortunately though, no time was recorded in the morning session.

UK Boarder Force were last to run and, shooting out in their purple colours, this team showed a real fast-paced attack on the course, but unfortunately they missed a couple of gates and were only able to score a 88.49s.

In the afternoon session of Heat One, the novice teams faced the same issues that the Elite did with a drizzle of rain on the grass making the ground more slippery, dwindling the amount of grip in the arena. But all the teams pushed hard, as all of them wanted to take home the trophy.

Ambush managed to set down a good paced time and kept themselves in the fight with a 61.89s run, but they still looked like they were holding back and having some slight issues. We at Horseboarder Magazine definitely think this is a team to keep your eyes on because when things click for them, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Blur of the Moment changed their stand-in rider and despite a big crash on their first run after boarder Dan Hallam got more speed than he bargained for, they managed to set a 59.73s time. They all hoped that they had done enough until Katie Bourn, Blurs usual rider, returned for the second day.

Next to race was Predator, with Dan Hallam standing in as boarder. He managed to beat his own team’s time and set a 55.93s for Predator. Straight after them, Consider it Dun came flying out with horse Levi attacking the ground and boarder Rich showing some real skill around the course. They managed to sneak just in front of Predator with 55.62s.

Halter Ego also had a fantastic run, setting a 53.30s time with Laura Rose seemingly paying no attention to her boarder at all and just going as fast as she could, hoping Tom would simply stay on. Not a bad tactic, it seems!

Sunny Side Up fought valiantly and it was clear that they were improving with each with run, but unfortunately no time was recorded for them in the afternoon of Heat One either. Apparently someone’s eggs were scrambled, not fried.

Last to run were UK Boarder Force, and what a run it was! They showed their physical prowess and smashed all the previous times with 52.72s. Natalie Free and horse Cabbage, seemed to storm around the course and not once did she look back to see if her boarder was ok. Olli showed some intense boarding skill and the team earned themselves the top spot for the end of day one. They even left some Elite teams worrying about how fast this team would be when they qualify for their class.

So, the end of Heat One the rankings were as follows: UK Boarder Force, Halter Ego, Consider it Dun, Predator, Blur of the Moment and Ambush.

Heat Two

Both Ambush and Halter Ego failed to record a time in either the morning or afternoon sessions of Heat Two. But Blur of the Moment continued to improve on their times set in Heat One. They scored 56.39s in the morning and 53.94 in the afternoon.

Predator continued their steady streak, recording a time for each run. The fastest in the morning was 57.47s and even better in the afternoon with 55.34s. Consider it Dun also continued to make progress, recording 58.77s in the morning and 55.95s in the afternoon.

Sunny Side Up started to find their stride and only missed one run out of the four. Their fastest was in the afternoon with 88.18s which was a great improvement on their morning time of 93.66s. It was really great to see this team’s hard work and perseverance pay off for them, so well done guys – great job!

But out in front, completely smashing not only their own time but everyone else’s as well was UK Boarder Force. They had a great time of 57.03s in the morning but annihilated that in the afternoon with 52.28s. Clearly this is a team to watch out for. The Elite’s definitely better look out!

So, as I’m sure it’s not surprising, here are the results after the end of Heat Two and the winners of Round Two:

1^st – UK Boarder Force

2^nd – Predator

3^rd – Consider it Dun

4^th – Blur of the Moment

5^th – Halter Ego

6^th – Ambush

7^th – Sunny Side Up

Our Novice teams are doing absolutely brilliantly so far this season, so make sure you catch them in action this bank holiday weekend for Round Four at the Hampshire Country Fair on the 4^th and 5^th May. Good luck to you all!

Interview with two-time National Champions, Dead Pigeon

I’m here with Ross Towner, boarder from Dead Pigeon, unfortunately Charlie Buss, rider for Dead Pigeon, couldn’t make it to chat to us today, but as the two of them are also a couple, as well as team mates, I’m sure Charlie won’t mind Ross speaking for her. So Ross, how are you feeling about the season ahead?

-      I can’t wait! There’s a lot of horseboarding coming up now so it should be pretty good. Pretty Knackering, but good.

Well that’s good to hear. So Dead Pigeon are the two-time National Champions for the Horseboarding Championships, it must feel good hearing that. I’m guessing you’re hoping to be three-time National Champions too?

-       Yeah of course! For me, I’ve only really done it once seeing as I was pretty much out for the first season, apart from a couple of races, due to a dislocated knee. But, yeah, we definitely want to do it all again.

So, getting down to it, what went through your minds last year when you realised you had won for the second time?

-      We sort of realised it on the last race so that meant that we were really relaxed, which made it all a lot more enjoyable because the pressure wasn’t really on any more.

How did it feel when it was announced then?

-      For me personally it was wicked because it was the first time I’d done slalom and because I had to just watch it the year before because of my injury.

How would you say you achieved such an impressive feat?

-      For me personally, I think Charlie is the best rider and that we have the fastest horse. Charlie and I are together so I think as a team it helps because we can sort of say anything to each other! I wouldn’t say I was the best boarder in the competition by a mile, but I suppose my best attributes are that I’m up for going fast.

Have you been doing anything different in training this year? We haven’t heard much from you since the end of last season. Keeping things hush-hush?

-       Err no, we just haven’t been training! The ground has been so bad we just haven’t had a chance. I’ve got a new board now but I used it for the first time at Round One and I hadn't really trained on it beforehand. We generally train on season, I know that sounds a bit daft, but we sort of hang in there a bit at the beginning and then in the second half of the season we’re stronger.

Well that seems to be working for you, so maybe that’s where everyone else is going wrong!

-      Ha, maybe. I think we’re just lazy.

I suppose you could call it that too… Now moving on to this year. You've just come out of Round One - heard about the state of the grounds there. One word – mud! How did you find that?

-      Well the pressure came off to be honest because it was a matter of just getting round and getting a time. Nobody could really show their skills.

I suppose you were all on pretty even pegging because of it then?

-      Exactly, yeah. In a weird way it was more of a laugh than a proper comp!

How did you find the cross-over part of the course? It’s new this year to the Elite course and looks pretty tricky if you ask me!

-      I really like it actually. I’m not sure what everyone else thinks but, personally, I really like it. Obviously it’s a bit more technical, being right in the middle. But yeah I think it makes it a bit different for us.

So now that Round One is over, Dead Pigeon are in 2^nd position. How do you feel about that guys?

-      Pretty good really. Last year at this stage we only got one point and came in last so it’s an improvement! We were glad to just finish in the top three. We brought our second team, Mad ’Atters, with us as well so we were quite happy with second and third.

That is pretty impressive! But it does seem like Do or Die are holding firm on their promise of taking that title away from you.

-      Ha, yeah. They’ve been saying that for the last three years though. I’m sure one of these years they probably will. Tom’s a great boarder and he’s in a relationship with Millie (Do or Die’s rider) so they probably have a pretty similar team chemistry as us. It’s definitely going to be close though because we have a faster horse overall, but they have a quicker horse over a shorter distance. I’d say that Tom is one of the best boarders out there as well so it’s going to be tough.

I’m sure he’ll be pleased to hear you say that Ross! We know how much Tom likes to hear how good he is.

-     Oh yeah, he loves it. Probably best not to tell him that then!

Now I heard that Do or Die’s horse Amba had some pretty big talk pre-season. Something about eating dead pigeon for breakfast?

-     Oh yeah! [laughs] It’s sort of funny because me and Charlie are fairly chilled and find it more fun than anything. Since Tom’s come back into the sport, after his bad ankle, he just gives us stick all the time! But it is all part of the fun and we take it in our stride.

Does Nabo have anything to say back to that?

-      Ha! No, no. We do our talking on the track. Although, saying that, we’re using a different pony called Cookie for the next round and she would probably be a good horse for Tom seeing as she’s the size of a matchbox car. And so is he.

Oooh, burn! So it’s Round Two this bank holiday weekend at Thame, are you nervous at all?

-      We've had a slight issue with our main horse, Nabo, as he’s a little injured. It’s going to be a bit like riding in the unknown for this one. We have a different pony, Cookie, who is tiny and is a bit slow one handed, but we’re hoping she’ll be quick off the mark with Charlie’s using two hands on her.

So how do you think it will go?

-      Hopefully good because I think the weather’s going to be good but it all depends on if it’s going to be a big or small course.

Do you know what the size is?

-      Err no. It’s often small, which doesn’t normally suit us because we tend to go at a higher speed on a bigger course. But seeing as we have Cookie, who is much slower, we need a smaller course to compete.

I see. Well fingers crossed for a smaller course. Any fighting words for the other teams?

-      Err no, not really. It’s a bit too early to say. There’s a lot of new teams so I wouldn’t want to come across all war-like. I’d probably say Do or Die are our main competitors though. And after that? Probably Ihorse or Icandy but it’s early days yet so it’s really hard to call.

Well, it’s been lovely chatting with you Ross, thank you very much. We hope the weather’s a bit better for you next time around and we wish you lots of luck!

Can Dead Pigeon hold onto their title for a third year running? Find out for yourselves! The next round is coming soon to Thame Showground on the 20^th and 21^st April. To get your ticket, click here. 

Highlights of Round 1 2014

Round 1 Living Heritage National Horseboarding Championship

The Horseboarding UK Championships began with a muddy start with weather conditions causing drama for all the teams. As they came together for the first time this season, there was an air of excitement throughout the camp. All were anxious to hit the course but when the forecast of rain fell, it made the soft, sticky clay ground instantly water logged, making the track difficult for every team.

The Novice Class

Despite the weather, our Novice Class teams dived in with all four hooves in the morning of Heat One and tried their hardest to record times. Blur of the Moment had some great runs and dominated from the start. Daniel Hallam (boarder) seemed extremely comfortable behind his new horse who clearly had a ton of speed, which I am sure we will see in its full glory at the first dry event. Dan did have one fall, however, and fully tested the new bendy poles that mark the gates of the course, when he rolled over it with no damage to the pole or himself.

Blur of the Moment were in the lead with a time of 53.05s and it was clear that boarder Daniel Hallam’s riding had come on tenfold since last season (when he rode with Three's a Crowd) and the team have said that they are keen to compete in the Elite Class soon. First-time competitors, Predators, also progressed quickly and worked particularly hard to put down a time.

Only Ambush and UK Boarder Force had yet to set down a time at the end of the morning of Heat One. But they certainly made up for it in the afternoon session. UK Boarder Force showed a lot of potential and their boarder looked pretty confident on the slippery mud and they managed to put down a fastest time of 63.82s. Ambush also did particularly well, coming in second place with an average time of 69.82s. Their rider, Aiden, a MBS boarder, had this to say about the sport: “[It’s hard to describe] how difficult it actually is, even as an experienced boarder, to keep control when being tugged around the arena.” Despite their gallant effort, Blur of the Moment was still in the lead with a best time of 49.51s.

As for Heat Two, the weather had become considerably worse making the course almost impossible, even for the Elite teams. Our Novice teams gave it a mighty effort but a lot teams fell on the opening straight or the very first bend and eventually the arena took them all. Only Ambush and Blur of the Moment managed to record a single time. This meant that Blur of the Moment finished in 1^st position with a time of 65.01s and Ambush was 2^nd with 68.36s.

Not to be forgotten though, Designated Drinkers decided to race as a non-competitive team in the Novice class with stand-in boarder Richard and rider Laura. They managed an average time of 53.02s for Course A and 69.14s for Course B. After pulling out of Heat Two after the first run, they managed an average time of 61.08s which, if they had entered competitively, would have given them second place.

We would like to thank each of our Novice teams who continued to try their luck with a near-impossible course. You all demonstrated wonderful determination and love of the, somewhat muddy, sport of horseboarding. Congratulations to you all for completing the first round, but you should know, the best is yet to come!

The Elite Class

Despite the weather conditions and the new Elite course to contend with, Dead Pigeon set the bar high with a time of 75.94s which no other Elite team could match. Mad ’Atters were in second place, with a time that was only 2.05s behind Dead Pigeon. Norfolk ‘n’ Good and Icandy both put down times in the morning of Heat One but Norfolk 'n' Good's was much slower than the rest. The horseboarding Battle for Beachy Head, it seemed, had begun and the top spot would be fought over by three teams - Dead Pigeon, Icandy and Mad 'Atters.

Even though Norfolk’n’Good had set a time, it was very conservative and lacked any speed. This was clearly a tactical move on their behalf because we all know how fast they can really go.

Despite the general consensus that setting a time that could be improved on later was the most important thing to do, two teams failed to even score at all during the morning of Heat One. Ihorse and Do or Die both had teething problems. Ihorse’s new horse, Dave, started a little nervous out of the arena but quickly settled. However, when it came to racing, he napped towards the exit gate over to where the other horses were in the pits. This made the challenging course even harder for the team and they ended up losing two runs completely and severely damaging the time on another.

Do or Die’s pre-season grudge against Dead Pigeon seemed to be all talk as they failed to complete a run at all in the first half of Heat One. Clearly their horse Amba wasn’t in the mood for her usual hearty breakfast of dead pigeon that morning. The team seemed to struggle with the new element but fortunately for them, they were not the only ones to find it particularly trying. 

As the afternoon session of Heat One began at Fonmon Castle, Do or Die managed to set a steady time on their second run with 81.25s which put them in to 3rd place overall for the first day. They were still trailing behind Dead Pigeon, Mad ’Atters and Icandy, but at least they were now in the fight, which is more than can be said for Ihorse who failed to set a time at all that day.

The night brought in another 4-6mm of rain and with the carriage driving and the MGA Games using the arena before the horseboarding, it was starting to look more like Glastonbury than South Wales Game and Country Fair. The arena was littered with ruts, horse tracks, skid marks and mud of various consistencies. The mud completely clogged up the tyres of the boards, eliminating what little grip they might have had left. This did not deter the teams, however, who pushed on regardless after every fall. They were our muddy heroes.

Course B had to be moved slightly so as to avoid the worst of the mud but despite this, and the best efforts made by all teams, they only managed 27% completion rate across the board. The range of times for the Elite Class varied from around 90 seconds to 125 seconds, some of the slowest we have seen for a while.

Icandy had some inconsistent starts, one of which saw Dan Fowler-Prime (boarder) crash very hard on the start line. Then, despite a clear improvement from Dan’s second team, Ihorse, they still failed to score a single time. The last to race in the morning of Heat Two was Do or Die. They previously set a very steady time of 102.19s on their first run but needed to beat Dead Pigeon’s time of 90.5s to be in with a chance of taking home the trophy.

With ground conditions worsening it was not looking hopeful for them. Nevertheless, in true Do or Die style, Melissa and Amba pushed on at a rocketing pace in the hope that their boarder would just cling on. None of the other teams could believe their eyes as boarder, Tom Kilroy, stopped looking for grip and instead skidded his board from the start to finish. The pits fell silent with only the odd whisper of “what the hell is he doing?” heard between the boarders. Nobody had attempted to run the course at such a speed and no one could figure out how on earth he was managing to stay on the board. Pot luck, or pure skill? We’ll let you decide.

After slipping and sliding around the course, and with some of their riding getting dangerously close to the edge, they managed to all hold on and crossed the finish line at 80.53 seconds. This time was a whopping 11 seconds in front of Dead Pigeon which put them 1^st overall for Round 1. The whole pits, audience and commentator alike, erupted in excitement as the team lived up to their name in a very real ‘Do or Die’ moment of glory.

Speaking with Thomas after, he humbly said “to be honest, I think I had 20% skill and 80% luck not to hit a rut.” Despite new tucks and wheels from Trampa, he said that he believed he had never been so unsteady on his board!

By the afternoon of the last Heat of the weekend, after the carriage drivers and the mounted games had been in again, the arena looked awful form a boarder’s point of view. All the marks had been completely scrubbed out and even the arena crew struggled to walk in the slippery, claggy mud, let alone board it. It was clear from the beginning that this Heat was not going to be about racing speed but about whether or not you could survive the course.

Daniel Fowler-Prime, Horseboarding UK founder, began the last half of Heat Two by taking to the mic and reciting a slightly altered part of Shakespeare’s Henry V -  “once more into the breach dear friends”. This was quickly followed by a partial rendition of the Charge of the Light Brigade, voiced by our commentator, Hew Alun Whitney.   

After this inspirational opener, on our teams charged for a chance at victory. Ihorse decided that they would rather face the M4 than the arena, leaving five teams still in the fight for the Elite Class. However they were no longer fighting each other but together they fought the arena itself. And, boy, did the arena fight back. A comment was made that it had become a horseboarder’s version of the Battle of the Somme.

Teams struggled to get out of the pits and if they did make it, their boards were normally sideways.  A lot teams fell on the opening straight or the first bend. Some managed to make it further round the course but eventually the arena took them as well. It started to become less like a race than a very elaborate way of getting muddy as team after team tried and failed to beat the arena.

Dead Pigeon had a second problem as they were still trying to race and beat Do or Die’s time set in the morning session of the Heat. This led to a massive crash on the start line, similar to Icandy’s on day one. However, this knocked the wind out of Ross Towner (boarder), who took a couple of minutes to recover. It came as a reminder to the teams that even though the mud was soft, you could still get hurt.

At this stage, it seemed clear that the competition was over, the only question was would anybody manage to get around the course? Then came Norfolk ‘n’ Good. Christie Webb, Allan Hare and horse Alfie, stepped forward with the steely determination of a soldier that would not be beaten. 

Through constant communication and near perfect teamwork, they slowly fought their way out of the pits and down the opening straight, which was littered with the imprints of their fallen comrades. Around the first bend, past the commentary box and then through the mine field of particularly soft mud that had claimed so many teams already. Down the back straight and into the first really tight bend, which Aiden of Ambush had said was impassable, then up the centre line to the weave which had - at some point or other - claimed the scalp of every Elite team over the course of the weekend. This did not faze them, however, and they pushed bravely on.

Back to the commentary corner they went, and into the mine field of really slippery mud.  By now all the activity in the pits had ceased as the teams started to think the unthinkable - they might make it!? Through the centre and 90 degree turn, this team struggled on. As they came past the pits a second time, the fellow competitors did not know what to do - cheer them on? Or just carry on holding their breath in fear that any movement or sound could ruin what was shaping up to be the best chance they had at beating this arena.

They passed through the double gates which had previously seen Daniel Hallam, Daniel Fowler-Prime and Allan, himself, fall. Then they were on to the diagonal which was probably the best bit of ground left in the field, but it held a tight bend at the end of it that opened up past the commentary box and through yet another mine field.

Slowly, steady, this team searched for the best ground. Christie Webb tried to avoid the worst of it and put her boarder in the best possible place, meanwhile Allan passed on the speed and direction instructions constantly. As they came on to the final straight, all those that had been holding their breath inhaled even deeper. For a few brief moments the rest of the showground faded out of existence and the only things left in the field were Norfolk’n’Good, 50 meters of mud and the ever-elusive finish line. Norfolk’s patience was waning and to the dismay of the onlookers, they accelerated towards the finish! 

In an historic heat, in historic conditions, after twenty seven planned races, spread across nine teams, one team stood out from the mud. In the afternoon of Heat Two, one team managed one race that succeeded where all others had failed. This team is Norfolk ‘n’ Good. As they crossed the finish line, everybody erupted in celebration. They truly are the heroes of Fonmon Castle and demonstrated the teamwork needed to succeed in this sport. Congratulations, boys (and girl) in blue – we salute you!

Despite the weather, it really was a great weekend at Fonmon Castle and the teams were certainly keen on displaying some great skill and bravery on the tracks. Teams will now be preparing for the next round at Thame Showground for the Easter Thame Country Fair on the 20^th and 21^st April. We hope to see you there!

Introduction to the 2014 National Championship

As you can see, Horseboarder Magazine is now coming to you from an entirely new platform. Welcome to the blogspot era!

There are many reasons we felt a change was needed; the magazine has been around now for a little over a year so we felt it would be a good time to shake things up a bit. Articles will now be much clearer to read and access, thanks to the archive to the left of the screen. We also have the chance to include a lot more information for you in our selection of tabs across the top of the screen. Please have a look around and let us know what you think in the comment section below.

But let’s get back to what this site is all about – the National Horseboarding Championships 2014! For the first time this year, we have split the teams into two separate classes that will compete within their own leagues, Novice and Elite. The Elite class features teams that have competed in the championships before and have extensive experience in horseboarding. The Novice class, however, gives teams who have little experience or who have never competed before, a chance to fight it out against those of a similar situation. There is also a different course for each class; you can view the diagrams here.

With this in mind, please let me introduce the teams registered so far in the Novice class for Round One. They are: Ambush, Blur of the Moment, Predator, Sunny Side Up, and UK Boarder Force. We’re really excited to have so many new teams entering for the first time this year and they have all been working really hard to build up their skills ready for Round One. Predators, in particular, have been using a very unique tool in their training in the form of a collapsible wheelbarrow (see picture to the right). Although this is not recommended by Horseboarding UK, it certainly raised a few eyebrows and helped their horse, Finni, to get used to towing. Top marks for creativity guys!

They’re not the only ones who had to get used to something new. Ambush have included a new boarder in their line-up and if their pictures are anything to go by, he is a pretty experienced boarder. But being attached to the back of a horse on that board is an entirely different ball game. We’ll have to wait and see how well they gel together.

Blur of the Moment is another team to watch out for as their boarder, Dan, is also very experienced (previously from Three’s a Crowd), although both horse and rider are fairly new to the sport.

Moving onto the Elite class, there has been a lot going on here too. The teams registered so far for 2014 Round One are: Dead Pigeon, Designated Drinkers, Do or Die, Ihorse, ICandy, Mad ’Atters and Norfolk ‘n’ Good. As you can see from that list, unfortunately Kauldren are no longer racing. And although it may appear that Bucks Fizz is also missing, in fact they have just changed their name to ICandy. 

The Elite teams have been very busy with their pre-season training, especially considering the tricky new element added to the Elite course called "the cross-over", which Ihorse were the first to try out and master. Despite this, a lot of teams have still found the time and been generous enough to work with the newcomers in the Novice class to help them find their feet. We do love sportsmanship here at Horseboarder Magazine, so well done guys! A special mention should go to Norfolk ‘n’ Good who hosted the East Anglian Training Day where lots of teams, both Novice and Elite, got together to practise and exchange hints and tips. A truly wonderful display of teamwork and togetherness.

But, this is still a competition, and Do or Die have certainly been getting competitive with their training regime and are making serious claims that failure is not an option this year. Dead Pigeon better watch out because it looks as though Do or Die “are coming” and are planning to take the National Champions title for themselves. Do or Die’s horse, Amba, has even been joining in with the competitive talk and has been heard claiming that she “eats Dead Pigeons for breakfast”. Tough words Amba, tough words.

Speaking of Dead Pigeon, we haven’t heard a lot from these guys since last year, other than the fact that they are continuing to enter their second team, Mad ’Atters, for the entirety of this year. Clearly they have a tactic in mind and are planning on gaining as many points as possible. Their Facebook page, however, seems pretty quiet and doesn’t reveal much about their training. Much like the Designated Drinkers who have decided to keep things hush-hush so as not to reveal any of their hard-practised secrets.

On the other side of that we have Norfolk ‘n’ Good who have been chronicling their progress for months now. They came on in leaps and bounds during last year’s championship, and now that they have had the chance to really refine and master their techniques, we have no doubt that they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

But whatever the teams have in store for us, this year is certainly looking to be the most exciting ever! So who should you put your bets on? Well, to be perfectly honest, we at Horseboarder Magazine haven’t got a clue! Everyone has been working so hard and are so determined that it really is anyone’s game, especially with the introduction of the new Elite course which has proven to be a challenge for everyone.

Looks like you’ll just have to come along to the shows and find out for yourself. Round One is only a few days away, on the 5^th and 6^th of April in the South Wales Game and Country Fair at Fonmon Castle, so get your tickets ready. For more information, click here.

Well, we hope you enjoy our new blogspot set-up. We’re hoping to reach a much wider audience, so please get sharing, get subscribing, get liking and get involved!

Round Seven 2013

7^th and 8^th September at the Sandringham Show

Arena Boarding

What an amazing weekend full of twists and turns and I’m not just talking about the course. We went into the Sandringham Show with three teams all having the possibility to take top spot on the championships board. But, as they always do, things change.

With Kauldren, who were leading this year’s competition by five points, pulling out of the event, it meant that both Dead Pigeon and Do or Die could take the advantage and gain maximum points which would enable either team to take the top spot.

But it looked as though Dead Pigeon were taking full advantage of the situation by deciding to enter another team, Mad ‘Atters. Clearly these guys were playing the tactics of competition to perfection, because if both horses (Nabu and Lord Atterbury) performed as we all know they can, Dead Pigeon would be fighting for both first and second place. This of course would mean that Do or Die lay out of reach of the championships.

Do or Die themselves were clearly feeling the pressure of competition by their announcement that Amba would not be running in the event due to an old injury flaring up. This was obviously a major sting for them as Amba had run very well all season which was a testament to Mellissa Kaye, her rider and trainer. Amba’s amazing turns and consistent fast runs kept Do or Die at the business end of the leader board for most of the season. Luckily, with a last minute change to their line-up, Do or Die managed to secure Apache, Ihorse’s pony, to ride with them.

All this drama, plus the excitement of the up-and-coming team Norfolk ‘n’ Good - who were running the best progressive season in our history - and the new pairing of Daniel Fowler-Prime and Rachael Simington as Bucks Fizz, it was fair to say that there could be a major upset in the rankings. Add into the mix two new teams Halter Ego and Three’s a Crowd, who were having their first taste of competing in an arena, and we had a recipe for a great weekend of horseboarding!

A good sized arena was always going to push teams to their limits and test the endurance of horses, riders and boarders alike. With the rain that came on Friday night, it was a nervy night to see if the skies would clear and keep the ground in good condition for racing. 

Day One came and all teams were eager to go out and put down a good time to show the others that they meant business. The first round of course ‘A’ found Dead Pigeon nailing a 49.84s run which put them at the top of the leader board. The new formation of Dan and Rachael as Bucks Fizz ran close by in second position with a blistering 50.53s run that blatantly shocked everyone, including Bucks Fizz itself. Mad ’Atters (Dead Pigeon’s second team) came in third with 50.74s, only 200th of a second behind Bucks Fizz. This meant that all three teams only had one second between them and everything left to fight for.

Another great run from Norfolk ‘n’ Good with a 51.20s lap kept them in the running for a possible podium position. Surprisingly, Do or Die, who rarely had a time over 50 seconds in the lead-up to the competition, only managed to run a fastest time of 57.08s, leaving them in fifth position which was a major blow to their team standings. Both the new teams completed three out of three successful runs with Halter Ego’s fastest time being 60.33s and Three’s a Crowd running a very respectable 68.33s. Every team went into the break on a high.

The second heat of Arena Boarding provided the teams with a chance to better their own times around course ‘A’. The teams seemed to have given it their all in the first heat as everyone apart from Halter Ego and Three’s a Crowd (the two new teams) recorded a time one second slower than their first run. Dead Pigeon were still leading the pack with a best run time of 50.75s. Mad ’Atters knocked Bucks Fizz back to third with a great run of 51.08s, however Bucks Fizz were the victims of their own circumstance when they ran an amazing 48.79s time but clipped two posts on the way and received a four second time penalty. Even the crowd gasped in desperation as the penalties were announced. Do or Die had a slightly slower run with a time of 58.10s and were being chased closely by Halter Ego with a better time of 58.35s. Three’s a Crowd upped their game shaving three seconds off time with a run of 65.62s. Norfolk ‘n’ Good had a disastrous heat and didn’t register a time at all with three spills from boarder Allan who was finding it hard to keep grip on the ground. Unfortunately the conditions of the arena got progressively worse with the wear and tear from other shows held in the same place and the baking heat of the sun leaving the track with ruts and loose surface dirt. The day finished with a mixed bag of emotions.

On Day Two of the competition, the teams were running course ‘B’ (the reverse of Saturday’s course ‘A’). All teams knew there was still everything to play for so out they came, thundering into the arena with a glint in their eye.

Not surprisingly, Dead Pigeon upped their game by registering an amazing 49.80s run to take them to the top of the leader board with only the afternoon session to go. Their second team, Mad ‘Atters, secured second place with another consistently good performance and a best time of 50.32s. Bucks Fizz kept strong in third position with a 51.07s run but seemed not to be running at full capacity as they weren’t on the same level as the flying Dead Pigeon. Do or Die registered a better time of 55.62s with Millie seeming to have found a better form on the borrowed Apache. Norfolk ‘n’ Good was still having issues with Allan’s balance and could only register a time of 56.85s and Halter Ego running close behind at 58.60s. Three’s a Crowd gained their first taste of dirt when boarder Dan hit the deck twice in a row, leaving them with a best time of only 69.23s - welcome to horseboarding Dan, welcome! 

By the final heat, the arena was scrubbed out by the previous 60+ races, with boarders reporting that “it was like riding on ball bearings”. Clouds of dust kicked up as they raced across causing prolonged power slides from the boards. This heat is where it all mattered for Dead Pigeon; if they registered a good, solid time they were certain of victory. But in true Dead Pigeon style they gave a nerve-racking end where Ross Towner hit the dirt in an epic fashion and developed a demon-like anger with the tunnel gates and the 90 degree left hand turn, failing with both Dead Pigeon and Mad ’Atters three times in a row. One of these falls saw him grounded for a worrying length of time where he could not get back on his feet. The fall had clearly shaken him. But then all of a sudden he broke the curse to an eruption of noise from the crowd as he not only finished a run but did so in 49.80s. Smooth as you like, Ross exited the arena doing what can only be described as a ‘funky robot pigeon’ dance to an onslaught of applause from the spectators. The dance may not have been attractive, but Dead Pigeon were sitting pretty on the top branch of not only the the event, but of the championship as well.

Mad ’Atters ran a quickest time of 50.32s, giving them an overall time of 50.53s, landing them with the second place spot on the podium. Bucks Fizz finished the competition with a time of 51.77s, securing third place, very impressive for a brand new pairing. Fourth place was given to a very deserving Norfolk ‘n’ Good who gave a solid performance and a best time of 52.51s. This team have been slowly creeping up the leader board consistently throughout this season and will clearly be a real contender for 2014. A surprising fifth place position was given to Do or Die who had a fair run with Apache but never really looked a danger to the top four. With a best time of 55.62s they have probably ended their hopes of the championship title. Halter Ego gave a very convincing run with a best time of 58.50s and awarded them their first championship point. And lastly, Three’s a Crowd ended proceedings with a run of 68.03s and finished their first competitive weekend with a wave to the crowd. 

The results from this weekend have left the championship hanging in the balance with two teams equally as likely to gain the top spot: Kauldren and Dead Pigeon. The Pigeons need to win at the final to take the championship with a two point lead. If, however, they take second and Kauldren win, then both teams will draw on points which will be a first for the National Horseboarding Championship. The winner will then be decided by the highest number of wins throughout the season.

So, the stage is set for the most exciting final ever with all the pressure on the Pigeons if they want to keep the championship title and take on the same legendary status as Ihorse, the only other team to win the championship twice in row. What will happen next?