IRISH HHOers - How's the ground Necarne direction??

[AnShanDan]

Seeing Blenheim has pulled the plug - just wondering what the weather's been doing over in Northern Ireland, sort of hoping Necarne's not going to go the same way!

 

[CastleMouse]

It's pretty bad...

The organisers have decided to run all the dressage in the all weather arenas so they'll now have to start the CCI** and CCI* dressage on Wednesday.

 

[TableDancer]

Not Irish but am frequent Necarne visitor

Great thing about this place is they expect it to be wet, it always is (except one extraordinary year where we were having barbecues

) So dressage and SJ are on a good surface, XC has an all-weather track all the way round (it doesn't look like it but its under the grass - you can just see it as grass looks slightly different but you can certainly feel it if you go off the track by mistake

THis means it gets wet but never bottomless - there are a couple of places where it doesn't work properly though - the steep hill at the beginning/end of the course depending on which way they are running being one. There is an indoor school and a second outdoor for exercising, most of the stabling is permanent as are the restaurant, showers etc and all the lorries are on hard-standing. So all in all it works - that's why so many of us keep going back

Having said that, seriously ground can be deep in places and I've broken a horse down there as have quite a few other people - they do need to be super-fit and proper sound. Have a good trip

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Loughanmore was great ground today despite the wet week , couldn't have been better, there were of course small parts where it was abit slippy but ground was good .

So if the weather holds out , it shouldnt be too bad .

Like tabledancer said , The actual parking and exercise arenas are fine .

 

[Rowreach]

Since nobody is allowed to set foot on the xc course any other day of the year, it shouldn't be too bad. We have had a lot of rain over the past few weeks (I am very local) but it's been mostly dry and breezy this week, and if it stays like this it will be fine. I'd say no different to last year when it wasn't too bad at all.

Horses do need to be fit as the course is very undulating and can tire an unfit horse easily, which is why I think there were so many problems towards the end of the course last year.

Did anyone notice that Horse & Hound mag thinks Necarne is this weekend?!

 

[AnShanDan]

Thanks everyone.
Just keep looking at the weather forecast...

We have taken on board the need for super-fitness, mare is 7/8 tb and is looking lean and mean!!.