In April 2020 and in the interest of legacy I wrote a Wikipedia entry recording the thoughts and notable works of Harveywetdog. I admit I was ignorant of the rules concerning self promotion on Wikipedia and consequently my entry was correctly deleted and my account expunged from the system. As a result my original words and links were sadly lost but nevertheless here is a rewrite. Perhaps when I'm gone someone will be able to enter it onto Wikipedia as a fitting epitaph for my time on the Harveywetdog Project.
I first published my draft videoing schedule for 2018 at Christmas 2017. At the time I received a suggestion from Laura De Wesselow that I should come to Belsay which, for those who don't know, is held north of Hadrian's Wall. At the time I said it was too far and too close (time wise) to Bramham (which I really wanted to revisit in 2018) but said I'd think about it for 2019. However as we moved into 2018 I began to think about a Belsay-Bramham road trip which would feature a short break in Northumberland and a chance for #GraceGSP to sample the beaches of the North East.
And so it came to pass we spent two days at Belsay Horse Trails at the start of June 2018 after basing ourselves in a holiday let just two miles away. I took the Laptop with me and I uploaded a couple of Facebook videos from the holiday cottage but did the majority of editing on my return to Gloucestershire.
I found Belsay well laid out and organised, very friendly, a little cold, damp and grey at times but a typical "hunt" horse trials, not dissimilar to Portman, and set against the marvellous back drop of the castle. Hospitality was bustling as the event is really well supported by a number of top sponsors and I wish Laura and her team all the best in her ambition to ultimately make this an International competition.
I videoed the Novice and the Intermediate on Saturday and the 90 and the 100 (including the Prize giving) together with a bit of Novice Show Jumping on Sunday. Intermediate entries were a little down so I would strongly encourage riders at this level to include the Belsay track in their plans in future.
When I was a young student apprentice working for the CEGB Midland Region we were the first intake to pass through the Plant Training Centre at Drakelow Power Station. Because of course in the 1970s it was ok to treat apprentices as basically slave labour we were put to work painting anything that was fixed down (and a few things that weren't!). The colour chosen was NORTHUMBERLAND GREY.
I can see where the Paint Manufacturer got his inspiration from now!
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