Every year RDA holds a Photographic Competition to raise the profile of the organisation and help extend our library of internal and external publications. The competition is open to everyone annually. Volunteers, riders and drivers can all take part and we also encourage professional photographers and students to get snapping.

Well done to everyone who took part in this year's competition. Below are the details of all the 2011 winners:

Category 1 - Horse/Pony and Rider, Driver or Vaulter, portraying the interaction between an RDA horse/pony and an individual rider, carriage driver or vaulter.

1st: "Bridle" by Mrs P Aston at Epsom Group
2nd: "Two Friends Meet Again" by Julie Hulland at Lowlands Farm
3rd: "Happy Rider" by Jennifer Hoggarth at NW Region
Highly Commended: Barbara Pickford, Jennifer Hoggarth, Audrey Peebles and Margaret Bentley

Category 2 - Our Environment, capturing the atmosphere, activities and surroundings of an RDA Group session, with more than one participant.

There are no winners for this category.
Highly Commended: Caroline Payne (x2), Barbara Pickford, Richard Phipps and Sarah Buttenshaw

Category 3 - Behind the Scenes, highlighting the hard work undertaken by the volunteers

1st:  "Becky Sweeping" by Sarah Hamilton at Throstlenest Group 
2nd: "Organisation at Regionals" by Sheila Jones at Nottingham
3rd: "Nearly Done" by Barbara Pickford at Garioch Carriage Driving Group 
Highly Commended: Mrs P Aston, Pauline Edge, Sarah Hamilton and Jenny Greaves

Category 4 - An RDA Event, showing the enjoyment and activity of taking part in, or after, an event.

1st:  "Winning Smile" by Audrey Peebles at Carrick Group
2nd: "Pretty in Pink" by Margaret Bentley at Leatherhead Group
3rd: "Bliss" by Audrey Peebles at Bannockburn Group
Highly Commended: Caroline Payne, Audrey Peebles, Barbara Pickford, Margaret Bentley and Lorna Williams

This year, the National Office Team have also awarded a "Sheer Joy" Award to Caroline Payne at the Hannah Payne Group.

Below is the Judge's Report:-  

"Once again, the judges were delighted to see all the entries for the photographic competition this year.  The competition was well supported, for which we thank you all very much, and gives us a marvellous overview of all the activities being undertaken and practised in our Groups Nationwide.  We would like to make particular comment on the much improved attention to Health and Safety and good practice throughout.

There were some worthy winners and lovely photographs in three of the classes.  However, although there were some photographs which were judged to be Highly Commended, there were no clear winning entries for the Class entitled: OUR ENVIRONMENT.  Perhaps this is a difficult subject to capture, but most of the entries submitted to this section were just happy snapshots - lovely for us to see, but not really worthy of a formal photographic competition where composition and resolution are also to be considered by the judges.

We are already looking forward to seeing all your photographs next year, so keep snapping!"

 S.C-G (November, 2011)