The second of the Summer Regional Championships, hosted by Kingston Maurward College in Dorset (18-20 July 2016), provided scorching competition under bright skies. And with coveted places at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships for the taking, the competition was even hotter than the July heatwave.
Dorset rider, 25-year-old Charlie Sawyer, from Blandford Forum had much to smile about as he enjoyed two clear victories with Chico Too (pictured), Sarah Sawyer’s 12-year-old son of Contendro. The super-consistent pair, who has only ever once dipped below the 70% mark, won both the Dodson & Horrell Novice Silver and the Childéric Saddles Elementary Silver section B.
They won the Dodson & Horrell Novice Silver with a grand personal best score of 80%, achieving not only a plus-4% lead but also the highest score of the show. And the Childéric Saddles Elementary Silver section B they owned too, with a plus-78% score setting them more than 5% in advance of the rest of the field.
This success is all the more impressive as ‘Chico’ has come through a long period of rehabilitation due to kissing spines and degeneration of the facet joints, and only started competing again last December.
“He couldn’t bend to do a half pass so I suggested to his then owner that we investigate it. He’s such a genuine and kind horse that I knew it was a physical issue,” said Charlie. “The rehab is an ongoing thing but he’s now really fit and healthy. He’s like a changed horse.”
Charlie, who’s a UKCC Level 3 Accredited Coach, and runs his own competition yard at home in Dorset, has already qualified Chico for the Winter Regionals at Elementary and Medium - both straight and freestyle.
Male riders were on form at the Dorset venue, and coincidentally, it was another 25-year-old man, Dannie Morgan, who won section A of the Childéric Saddles Elementary Silver. Event rider Dannie, who’s based at Bow Lake Equestrian in Eastleigh, took the class with 74.38% aboard Georgina Hall-Raine’s Southern Cross Braemar, a six-year-old son of Breitling W who’s affectionately known as ‘Barry’.
The ladies were on form too, and one, was UKCC Level Coach, international rider and List 2 Dressage Judge, Lizzie Murray. Lizzie topped the leader board in the Childéric Saddles Elementary Gold riding Ian McRobbie’s Ulyssa, a five-year-old daughter of Uthopia. The pair impressed the judges – Sue MacMahon, Sandra Bartholomew and Heather Ashley – to earn a strong score of 73.02%.
The winners:
BackinAction Preliminary Silver
Darren Hicks with Blakes Fable,74.94%
Dodon & Horrell Novice Silver
Charlie Sawyer with Chico Too, 80.00%
Dodson & Horrell Novice Gold
James Burtwell with Serendipitous, 74.94%
Childéric Saddles Elementary Silver – section A
Dannie Morgan with Southern Cross Braemar, 74.38%
Childéric Saddles Elementary Silver – section B
Charlie Sawyer with Chico Too, 78.07%
Childéric Saddles Elementary Gold
Lizzie Murray with Ulyssa, 73.02%
TopSpec Medium Silver – section A
Daniel Bremner with Newton Domino, 71.41%
TopSpec Medium Silver – section B
Laura Summers with Extasia, 71.21%
TopSpec Medium Gold
Anna Lawson with Carentino Z, 73.03%
Equine Construction Advanced Medium Silver
Devan Woodgate with Distaulgold, 69.56%
Equine Construction Advanced Medium Gold
Matt Frost with Leandro, 73.86%
Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges Gold
Kate Cowell with Samba Dancer, 69.96%
Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I Gold
Claire Moir with Davonport Bewes, 70.48%