Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 69

UK Riders
Championships
17th August 2013
Photos by G Thompstone
Held at Arena UK on Saturday
17th August with competitors
enjoying a range of dressage
and showjumping classes.
Aimed at the true amateur, UK
Riders has continued with a
strong following of competitors
across the UK.
The dressage consisted of 9
classes ranging from Prelim to
Elementary. Open to both juniors
and seniors, the entries were
good across all the classes.
In the dressage, 1st place in Intro
A Seniors went to Faye Davis
and Echo’s Little Elephant with
69.56%. Faye had travelled from
Norfolk for the Championships
where she works as an Equine
Nurse. Echo’s Little Elephant came
to Faye from the Newmarket
Foster Mare Company when
she was just three-months old.
Second place went to Samantha
Wells on Latina with a score of
61.75%. Latina is what Samantha
would describe as an enthusiastic
Andalusian who can, on occasion,
be quite challenging to ride. In
third place was Kelly Dearne
riding Mr Magico with a score of
61.30%.
The Junior Intro B produced some
very high scores. First place was
awarded to Jessica McConkey
riding Maggie Mae with a score of
76.08%. 2nd place went to Hilin
David Prince and Daisy Kiddy with
70% and 3rd was Lily Payne and
Westhills Fiddlesticks on 62.17%.

Isabel Kerrigan and
Honey Bunny

In Prelim 1 Juniors Lily and
Westhills Fiddlesticks took joint
first with Jessica McConley and
Brieryhill Bossman on a score of
67.89%. 2nd and joint 3rd places
went to Jessica, this time riding
Maggie Mae with a score of
67.36% and Ella Eadon riding My
Centrefold.
Rebecca Golland & Mutarafaa
won Prelim 13 (Ex Racehorse
class) with a score of 70.83%.
Amy Khan and Spanish Oak were
second on 66.66% with Becky
Thomas and Run Free scoring
60.83% to come third. Run Free
(Frankie) has only been in training
a matter of months after a highly
successful racing career, to then
be allowed to chill in a field of
mares for two years. Despite a
reluctance to come back into
work, he has shown natural talent
for dressage and is a pleasure to
own.
Section A Seniors was won by
Nancy Plant riding Starwalk with
a score of 69.58%. Starwalk has
only learned to canter in the last
12 months and it took some time
to perfect. He did his first Walk/
Trot test last September, had a
bit of time off and started with
Prelim only in May this year. 2nd
place was awarded to Hilary
Bowerman and Tudor Minstral
with a score of 69.16%. Only a
5-year-old, Tudor Minstral (Trio) is
at the beginning of the ladder but
show ing great promise. Hilary
herself is still recovering from an

accident over a year ago, so all
things considered an excellent
score. 3rd place went to Rebecca
Woodthorpe and Andorra du ri
D’Asse with 67.5%. Andorra is a
Belgian Warmblood that Rebecca
has owned for 7 years and
dressage is a new discipline for
them both.
Novice 24 Junior winners were
Holly Roseby and Bright Business
with a score of 65.92%, travelling
all the way from Newcastle, they
definitely made the journey
worthwhile. 2nd place was Jamie
Pulling and Coolmoyne Allstar
and 3rd was Alice Orange and
Eclipse, also from Newcastle, with
a score of 58.84%.
Novice 34 Seniors was won by
Casilda Courtier-Dutton and
Flicka in Clover with an impressive
70.41%. Equal 2nd with a score
of 68.75% went to Helen Griffith
and Galway Foxy, Esher Paull and
Leonardo TS and Michelle Henson
and Chorleys Devotion.
The second Ex-Racehorse class
of the day, Novice 34 was won by
Rebecca Golland and Mutarafaa
on 62.08%, their second win of
the day, just squeezing Louise
Lamping and Raven Rascall into
2nd with 61.25% and Megan
McKeary and Touch of Class into
3rd with 57.91%.
The Elementary classes were not
as well supported as others and
just the one result in Elementary
42 Junior for Felicity Spencer
and Starlight (score not available
at time of going to press). The
Senior class was won by Jody
Lewis on Las Vegas with a score
of 73.12%, 2nd place was Krystina
Fish and Leudo with 69.68% and
3rd was Michelle Davison on Neuz
with 69.37%.
The showjumping classes had
good entries from the 70cms
through to the 90cms –the
1 metre classes just missing
bumper entries. The jumping
was run as a two-phase so
competitors were able to go
straight into their timed sections
enabling the classes to run very
smoothly.
In the 70cms Junior Restricted,
Isabel Kerrigan got off to a flying
start taking 1st on Hunny Bunny
and 2nd on Mr Marple. She
would have probably got 3rd
on her other pony but he lost a
shoe on course which lost them
valuable seconds! Isabel suffers
with Dyspraxia and her Mum
said riding the ponies has been
fantastic, she has just clicked with
them. 3rd was Heidi Whitbread
and Warleigh Damasque. Heidi
taught her pony to jump herself,
having previously been a show
pony – clearly she has trained her
very well!

1st place in the Senior Restricted
70cms went to Frankie Jervis
riding May, ahead of Tabitha
Bennett on Penncloud and Sally
Mackie and Miss Gino. May is
only 4 years old and home-bred,
she was jumping at the Finals
with her Mum! Frankie says that
May is currently up for sale. Sally
and Miss Gino (Zoe) live close
to Arena UK. Despite riding as a
child, Sally has won more rosettes
with Zoe in the last 15 months
than her whole riding career
previously. They have formed a
very strong bond together and
are rarely out of the ribbons.
The Junior 80cms competitors
were flying round. 1st place went
to Ella Marshall riding Maverick,
2nd place to Hannah Walker and
Ashes Cool Dude and 3rd place
to Issy Agar and Robe Mac. Issy
and Robe have been together
just over a year now and are
loving jumping together. In the
Senior 80cms class, 1st place
was awarded to Nikki Higins and
Valentino. Nikki had qualified for
the Dressage Championships last
year but two weeks before, broke
her foot so had to withdraw, so
to come back and win this year
was a dream come true. In 2nd
place was Frankie Bowes Hall
and Ballymena Rose and 3rd
place went to Laura Smith and
Cyclelogical.
The fences were raised again
for the Junior and Senior
Intermediate 90cms classes.
Hannah Walker and Ashes Cool
Dude managed to beat their
previous placing by taking 1st
place in the Junior section ahead
of Ella Eadon riding My Centrefold
and Jerrie Vipond on Mourus
Mayfly.
In the Senior Intermediate 90cms
class, Frankie Jervis and second
ride Bella (May’s Mum) took
the top spot. Bella is a great
show-jumper and has previously
competed at SCOPE. 2nd place
when to Charlotte Leighton and
Rare Coincidence and 3rd was
Amy Stacey riding Vindaloo.
The final class of the day, was
the Open 1 metre junior and
senior classes. Not many were
forward in the Junior section
but first place went to Robyn
Cumberland on Monty. This
pair has only been together for
a year but are forming a really
great partnership. 2nd place was
Ella Eadon and My Centrefold.
A consistent pair, they enjoy all
riding disciplines especially Pony
Club Tetrathlon. 3rd place went
to Serena Leighton on Keko H. In
the Seniors, Frankie Jervis and
Bella took first place with Julia
Green and Into the Party in 2nd
and Charlotte Leighton and Rare
Coincidence in 3rd.

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