Quadrille impresario

Clare Chapman on masterminding a daring reveal for last year’s quadrille champions’ costumes, and her patient equine mannequin

- Helen Triggs

Cornwall Trec Group (CTG) have entered the quadrille championships every year since 2012 and have qualified for the finals seven times out of eight.

Each year we raise funds for the quadrille at our gala night to pay for the costs of transporting four horses and riders to Bedfordshire for the weekend. I was inspired by watching the 2015 team and put my name down to participate with my supercob Cokey.

I’ve been to riding club dressage championships at novice level, but this was something different which required huge imagination and, most importantly, teamwork. Each team has to choose a theme and “act out” a story with a music soundtrack and appropriate programme, with matching costumes for the riders and horses.

In 2017 I was a member of the Mary Poppins team which landed a first-ever win for CTG. I took on the role of producer and costume maker last year for the first time, to the amazement of my family who knew I had no previous crafting skills at all.