Trec event is a family affair

A DELPH mother and daughter teamed up to win first place in an annual contest which tests the skills of riders and their mounts.

Samantha Bentley and Gemma Woolley came out as the top pair entry, and Gemma was the overall individual winner in a Trec competition.

Trec is a discipline which tests horse and rider partnerships in orienteering, control of pace, and tackling natural obstacles.

Organised by Friezland User Group, this year’s contest was over a 13km trail, and competitors travelled from as far afield as Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire to take part.

Samantha (43) entered with her horse Rosie, an 11-year-old piebald mare, and Gemma rode Simply B, her 10-year-old grey.

It was the second individual win for 19-year-old Gemma, who first took the title in 2003.

Samantha said: “We really enjoyed it. The camaraderie is great.”

Competition organiser Liane Robinson added: “Everyone enjoyed the event, and we managed to get all back from the orienteering phase safely with varying degrees of success in maintaining the accuracy on the route.”

The success was due in no small part to a band of volunteers.