The majestic setting of the Dawnay estate was the venue for the Derwent hunt point to point on Sunday 4th march.




The old turf was set to take a beating with horse boxes being towed on to the ground from the very start.  After continuous drizzle interrupted only by the occasional snow shower the going was officially branded soft by the end of the third race. The mud was such that by the end of the day, those hardy individuals left standing were even wearing this seasons must have accessory 'mud ' and probably need towing around even on foot!



In true Yorkshire style the hospitality was exceptional. Never have we seen such a splendid hospitality tent, lined out in silk, with tables groaning under the weight of plates of home made baking. Seasonal blooms and twinkling candles graced the dining area (As the afternoon got darker we needed the candles just to read the race card.)

The big race of the day for us saw mixed fortunes for the lady riders.
With Jacqueline Coward lying in fifth place in the national AGA total control Lady Riders Points Championship it was all to play for. The other Easterby descendant, Joanne Mason was having a great day, and was sure to put the pressure on her blood relative. In the end it was the diminutive Sam Drake on her own Optimistic Harry that put in a very polished performance to take the 10 points, with Joanne second and Jacqui having to be content with  a third place on this occasion.



Lucy Bell survived a tumble from 'whispering Death' (an ominous name?) and shivered on to our stand for a warming cup of soup. We even persuaded her to have a photo taken proving not only was she still in one piece but not even her mascara had moved, apparently Lancome' s finest for those that need to know!  

We had some added fun provided for by 2 tips from fellow race goers. Just smudge was heavily fancied in the third race and duly ran his socks off under Oliver Pimlott but after 2 laps on what was fast resembling a quagmire he had to settle for a respectable third. His stable mate Pear Charles in the fifth race proved his unknown quality is still an unknown quantity . . !



Two weekends ago we  were lucky enough to enjoy a day at the Races on the Costa Del Sol, courtesy of Sarah and Peter Haley at Sunshine Racing. This week end we felt privileged to enjoy a day out courtesy of the Derwent Hunt, we deemed it 'snowstorm point to pointing'. Thank goodness we have the AGA on which to dry all our wet gear and thaw out our frozen hands and bottoms on!




Lets hope everybody else  dries out in time for our next Aga Ladies Open Race at Dalton Park on 11th March.        

We had a great cooking demonstration at Country Warmth last week.

Here are a few snaps...

The Yorkshire area Point to Point club successfully ran on Sunday 29th January having been postponed due to Frozen ground earlier in the month. Sighs of relief all round on Sunday morning when despite a wintry scene the course was passed fit to run. And boy did they run! The horses coped with the chilly weather admirably, however the bystanders were left hopping from foot to foot in an attempt to warm up. Of course no problem for us on the AGA stand, this was truly AGA weather!



We had baked chocolate brownies, home made cookies, flapjack and something which Michael said resembled birdseed (homemade energy bars sprinkled with sesame seeds!) All of which went down a treat. Along with hot soup and coffee we weren't going to be put of by a few degrees of chill.

We were warmly welcomed by Charlotte and Emma, the most glamorous double act I have seen - and I had to ask, yes they are twins. They helped with advice such as judging best turned out, introducing us to the owners of the runners  (to whom we gave £25 vouchers each, gratefully received and soon to be spent!) and helped us with the presentation of the prizes.





Mrs Tinkler and son Andrew explained about the form and what the race card denotes about the runners, so we were all set to pick a winner. Except that's not necessarily how it works in point to pointing - which is why it is such fun.

The AGA ladies race was a hard one to predict with some strong contenders, including recent winner Sea Scout, however that did not allow for the fact we were on Easterby turf. Jacqueline Coward was on her own stamping ground and was in sparkling form holding off all challenges on Amicelli. Sea Scout and Claire Metcalfe had to be content with second place. Sam Drake on Optimistic Harry added a third place to her points tally keeping her on the Aga Total Control score board and Joanna Mason bought in Impact zone for a very respectable 4th. Thus giving Mick Easterby 2 places for 2 granddaughters. There must be something in the genes, or maybe the water around Sheriff Hutton?




The lovely ladies bounced on to our stand after the race to receive their prizes and were delighted to try on their new AGA polo shirts and pose for the camera. Michael was heard to comment 'who wants to share a picture with Jeremy Clarkson when you can be in a photo with all these lovely ladies'.   We take his point!



Thank you all at Yorkshire point to point club we had a brilliant time, met some super folks and put AGA firmly on the map in Yorkshire.

We've got some lovely pink polo shirts ready for this Sunday's Point 2 Point. Let's hope the weather holds out!!

Sunday's Point 2 Point at Sheriff Hutton was unfortunately canceled due to -6 degree temperatures!

The all-white scenery and solid ground was too much for the horses to cope with so the event ground to a halt before it even begun!

However, we are delighted to announce Country Warmth will be sponsoring the next meet on Sunday 29th January (weather permitting!).

Call us for more info and tickets 01653 694 699.