Shirts, badges, banners and bits

This week I will mostly be blogging about shirts, badges, banners and bits.

Team clothing for day to day wear at events is very kindly provided by BEF who have a sponsorship deal with clothing manufacture Toggi. Whilst BR reiners are very grateful for all clothing received the items are very limited, consisting of polo shirts, waist coats, caps and coats all in Navy blue. The Olympic Disciplines seem to have long sleeve shirts, gilets, sweatshirts, all in different colours ie Pink, Light Blue and Red. We have high hopes that as BR Reiners won a medal we will now get a little more in the clothing stakes.

We have always bought the team shirts close to the event and until very recently the shirts were paid for by Individuals and sponsors. BR have bought shirts for the last two events. In the past, Carol and Mike Gatt bought shirts as did Roseanne Sternberg and Naomi Wilks along with Adam and I. We have also had a couple of sponsors including Western Haulier and ZOK.

The shirts have been many different shades of blue, we have also had red and white.
We have done the trot up in BR Navy shirts the last couple of times and everyone does look very smart.

The team have ridden in white shirts since the last WEG with Red as the second choice. We have very strict rules at WEG as to what we can have on the shirts and also how big things can be. When we were at the BEF team training event Will Connell offered to provide the team shirts.. They are going to provide white light cotton shirts in an Oxford style for the men and slightly more fitted for the ladies. We have been asked to send a western show shirt for them to work from.

Not knowing who will be on the team means we will have to have several sizes and sexes made but hopefully the shirts will be excellent and we will have more than one per rider ( I may tell the story of Doug warming up other team members shirts in Germany one day). If any of you saw the last WEG you will remember the Swiss Team in the Red and Black lycra. No matter how hard past team ladies tried to get the guy’s to wear it, the boys have always said no. We are hoping to jazz the ladies collars and cuffs up a bit if possible, if indeed there are ladies on the team. Like wise if there are no men on the team, Lycra here we come.

At Aachen anyone who entered the show ground had a pass on a lanyard. It has become a culture thing to get as many pin badges as you can from all the different countries around your neck. We arrived without one pin between us and only an SOS to John Calder and Louise Tallintyer saved the day. John and Lou were just about to board the plane to fly out to Aarchen when I called them and they rushed around the Airport buying all the badges and key rings they could, we were so grateful for their help.

This time I am hopeful we will have plenty of pin badges for all the people who want a GBR memento as it seems to be cheaper to buy these things by the thousand. I am not sure we need a thousand but I am sure BR will use them up over time.

We had a stall curtain made with the BR logo on it by Lester Wilson, one of BR’s Rookie Riders last year. It really is wonderful and we had it on display at Kreuth. We want to take it out to WEG so we have to get it packed up with all the other things we are having shipped out. The shipping is quite expensive so we have to be careful how much we pack but it is rather important that we not only have BR on show but that the female members of the squad can get changed behind something other than a horse rug being held up by a fellow female. The debate has been how we roll/fold it. Rolled means it has no creases. Folded means in can be packed flat which means less room taken up. A small matter in the grand scheme I know but yet it is one we have to decide on soon.

The bits I have got this week are as follows. A Union Jack ashtray for the people who smoke and the one’s who may start smoking due to the stress and a very nice LARGE Union Jack Piggy Bank. This will be used as a swear box for the duration of the event and will be emptied on the last day which if previous team events are to go by will go a long way to paying for the meal everyone goes to after the event is over. If anyone has any knowledge of further Union Jack items please let me know. At the moment we have underwear to wear over our jeans (a Will Connell joke about Americans wearing their pants on the outside). We also have a Tea set for afternoon tea and the usual mountain of bunting and flags. Deck chairs in Union Jack pattern are proving difficult to get so if anyone is in the know please tell as we need to get these things packed up ready for shipping in 16 weeks.

Thank you for reading and hopefully we will see lots of you at the AGM on Saturday.

Best Wishes.

Dawn Heaton.