Trec China International Report 2019 by Mairead Moynihan

Our China adventure began on 3rd October when the official invitation came from the Chinese government to Trec Ireland to send their chosen riders to China International Trec Competition! This is their second year to hold this competition, last year Judi Pheysey, Niamh O’Huid and I represented Ireland and Trec Ireland! Once this year’s riders were chosen, Elaine Dolan Crowley and I, the countdown started!! Flights booked, time off work arranged, minders arranged for the horses, kids and dogs and a quick chat with a wonderful sponsors Kellihers Mills Tralee about some fancy gear to help us look the part!! And we did!!

A change in venue from Weifang beach to China horse town, near Inner Mongolia, corresponding extra flights to Beijing, followed by a mad dash for visas and we were on our way to China!! Only when we arrived in Beijing airport did the reality of an international competition kick in –met by Deborah, our Chinese tour guide, and competitors Amanti from France, Alex from Singapore and Kim from USA!!!

Off we headed for China Horse town 4 hours’ drive northwards. Stopped for some Chinese takeaway on the way! Weather was bad with heavy snowfall and freezing roads so we stayed overnight in a hotel halfway and finally met up with the rest of our fellow competitors early next morning. A quick breakfast, bag drop and off to the stables to meet our horses for the competition!

Ground still covered in snow and temperature about -4 degrees!! A draw took place to allocate horses to riders. We grabbed some tack, saddled up and off we went!! Quick photo first and then a 10km fun ride to the competition venue!! What a way to check out horses!! And competitors!! Mine was a nice handy 15hh chestnut gelding.

Dropped our horses into corrals, quick bit to eat and it was vet check time. A few minutes to teach horses to trot up, with encouraging words from fellow competitors and onlookers, some passed and others had to be substituted! Straight into a sand arena to teach them all about trec obstacles in approximately 2 hours while our PTV course was being built around us!! Just like you do at home!! It was interesting to watch riders realise that these were neck reined horses firstly and that they had never jumped before. As for low branches and S- bend, they thought we were crazy!! Reinback proved impossible for most of us, except for Amanti, who used his long legs wrapped around the horse’s chest as encouragement! And it worked!! Not one to try at home, though!!

Horses put away and a quick change for opening ceremony and food!! Amazing ceremony and main course was lamb on a spit ceremonially presented to us!!

Day 1 started with PTV, course walk already started when Elaine and I arrived, so we joined in! An amalgamation of Chinese riders and judges, French Technical delegate, Irish, Russian, Austrian, American, UK and French riders all chatting at the same time!! Saddled up and watched the Chinese national riders competing, had photos taken by amused spectators while we waited. Next it was our turn and each horse and rider was vocally encouraged around the course in several languages! That over, we dined in style, in the royal stables in the company of their royal horses. Totally surreal experience!!

A tough MA followed lunch; start line was surrounded by photographers and horses not too enthusiastic about entering corridor. We were all there encouraging each other, as true treccies, we wanted to win but on a level playing field!

Days competition over, we headed to the amphitheatre to see an amazing show with fire eaters, acrobats, trapeze artists, dancing horses and Mongolians stunt riders!! Out of this world!!

Dinner and an early night, for the next day was POR!!

First challenge was a black and white aerial photo as our master map, then photographers and drones to get by at the start of our POR!! Once we were off and travelling it was wild open plains with frozen rivers and streams, rough tracks through little villages and specular views from hilltops of skyscrapers of the city behind us and miles of countryside in front of us!! And our cute horses knew the way mostly, seems we were travelling on some of their trekking routes!! Home after a 6 hour adventure, crispy cold start but a clear sunny day!! We all headed to hotel for a quick shower and back for closing ceremony and results!!! Top table for us, no less!! Riders called out in reverse order, and next thing we knew there are 5 on the table including Elaine and I!! Two weeks later and we are still on a high!! I came third and Elaine came second!! Chinese TV interview, local paper and radio interviews, a new and exciting experience for us!!

Both of us stayed on for a tour organised for the riders which included a snow blizzard 30km ride to Inner Mongolia ,a two hour personally escorted tour of a state-of-the art expo charting the role the horse has played in the history of China. A walk on the Great Wall of China with spectacular views and VIP access!! Finally Beijing and the Forbidden City in 25 degrees heat. Flew home to a marvellous reception at Cork airport!! Doesn’t get better that this!!

Thanks to China Institute of Horse culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Wutzala Wu Gang Fang and Justin Tseng, Deborah Wang and Bruce Leung, to Trec Ireland and all who made this possible for Elaine and I!!!

Congratulations to Fionnuala and her pony, Chester in coming 22nd at the Young Riders Championship and for representing Ireland so well in France. Behind every successful rider is a great team and many congratulations also to her chef d’Equipe, Adele Connor, and her support team of Megan and mum, Ruth and everyone who helped Fionnuala.

There are some super photographs posted to the TREC Ireland facebook page on Fionnuala and the whole competition. https://www.facebook.com/trec.ireland

Shouting out the best of luck to Fionnuala Solomon and her pony Chester from Ballydehob, West Cork. They are representing us in the TREC Young Riders European Championships which are taking place in France from 31 August to 2 September.

Fionnuala and Chester, her chef d’Equipe, Adele Connor, and her support team of Megan and mum, Ruth started their journey to France last weekend.

We wish them every success.

Many thanks to Helen McCormack for this report:

Midlands Trec and Ireland Young Riders panel member Kayleigh McCormack made the trip from Athlone to PCK Eersel in the Netherlands for the latest leg of The European Cup at the end of April. Riding a local Halfinger called Merlijn, she spent the days prior to the first stage of the competition getting used to her mount and familiar with the locality which forms part of a National Park.

As she had just turned 16, the local club organised a rider to shadow Kayleigh and Saturday 22nd April saw her face 32km cross country through the extensive woodlands where good use was made of the vast network of tracks and trails, both man made and left by the local deer and wild boar population. Having found every ticket and checkpoint she was very pleased with her performance on the day, particularly taking into account the fact that the local maps were very different in format to those found at home.

Day 2 saw almost 80 riders from 9 countries face firstly the MA section, followed almost immediately by the PTV at the riding centre where a very good selection of obstacles and tasks challenged both horse and rider.

Kayleigh finished in top sport in the Level 3 pairs category and the weekend will be long remembered for the bitter cold of the wind, and the genuine warmth of the welcome from the local riders and organisers (and in particular the Peters family and Vera De Boer). There were also many new friendships made with the other visiting competitors and this gave a taste of what can be expected at this summers Trec Young Riders European Championships being hosted by Trec Ireland in, Gurteen, Tipperary.

The schedule for this year's National Championships, hosted by West Cork TREC, is now available to view and download from the Downloads section HERE 

TREC Ireland is hosting the 2017 European Young Rider Championships at Gurteen Agricultural College from the 24th to 26th August 2017. We are now looking for volunteers in the organisation leading up to the event. As this is quite a large event, with a lot of International competitors, we have a lot of roles to fill! 

If you would like to help in the run up to the competition, please email Adrian Flynn, Chairman of TREC Ireland and Project Manager for the Championships, at [email protected] 

TREC Ireland is hosting the Young Riders European Championship in 2017 (you must be aged between 16 and 21 on the day of the competition, which is scheduled for the first weekend September-TBC).

Because it is on home ground and because we will be eligible to field more than one Team in 2017, we are asking everyone who has expressed an interest in the last year or two with regard to the TREC Ireland Young Riders Panel to get in touch.

TREC is quite a young sport in Ireland, but it is growing rapidly with lots of training days and competitions now being held across the country. As well as this, two new regions were formed in 2014 which will all help towards making training and competitions more accessible to our members.

Now that the brighter evenings are coming our way, it is time to start thinking about the coming year and making plans, but also keeping in mind that the next two years can act as training and schooling with the end goal being success for Ireland in 2017.

In order to do this, the committee would like to get an idea of how many young riders may be interested in training and competing between now and 2017.

If you are interested, please contact [email protected] or Helen McCormack at 3 Orwell Grove, Baylough, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. If you have any queries regarding the young riders panel, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

The Open Championships will take place in Quin, Co. Clare in May and they will be followed later in the year by the National Championship. Training dates and competitions details can be found on the TREC Ireland website www.trecireland.com.