2026

2026 will be the second year of my second term – in other words my 7^th year as your President .

I always look forward to coming down to Witton Park for one of the RVRC Points Shows and this year I judged the SSADL with Ellena Thomas  – Ellena went on to win the Royal International Horse Show with her Highland Pony “ Ashleyvale Glen Duror” ( see photo)

I am always delighted with the feedback from our Accredited Panel of Judges who are invited to judge at our beloved Riding Club – it makes me really proud and is a testament to our hard working Committee plus of course you the Members too . One of those Judges who officiated at Witton Park last year said it was “the  best Riding Club she had ever judged at “

I am delighted to tell you that the Club has retained its qualifiers for the Royal International and London International Horse Shows . These are very important to our club as the qualifiers bring much needed extra revenue and help us towards our “ goal” of owning our own showground .

The Presentation Evening  was amazing  and our “Guest Presenters” had a wonderful time  . We were so lucky to have George and Michaela Whitaker plus their daughter , Gracie to join us and present the countless number of awards in record time . George is of course a most talented member of the famous Whitaker Show Jumping family and I was Michaela’s showing mentor for a number of years. Michaela was one of the best showing jockeys I have ever been with and together we won the HOYS 6 times as well at winning the Supreme at the Royal International .

The Stars Championships was the best yet and the standard just keeps getting higher and higher.  RVRC came a  creditable 9^th overall out of 60 Riding Clubs – an amazing feat with some excellent placings . I would like to personally thank every member of our Stars Team for representing our club with such dignity and excellent sportsmanship .

As  I have always mention in my past reports, a special thanks go to our Chairman and her working committee. It cannot be underestimated how hard these people work to make sure our points shows go ahead . I ask you all to help and support the Committee and I would hope to see more of you at this years AGM . Perhaps an evening  AGM may be more suitable for everyone so please let your Committee know if you think the same .

I often end by sharing some of my precious memories with you – I cannot quantify how much I owe to Ribble Valley Riding Club – the Club shaped my future and my career. I have shown and worked with the most beautiful Horse and Ponies and I have judged all over the world. Therefore it comes as no surprise  how much RVRC means to me .

I wish all of you a fantastic 2026 and no doubt see you all soon.

Nigel Hollings

President – Ribble Valley Riding Club