This weekend brings the Quest Championships for 2016, taking place from Friday 28 October with the first ever My Quest championships preceding a full weekend of Kent and Masters Team Quest competition which will culminate on Sunday 29 October. Never lacking in fun-filled atmosphere, this championship for grassroots dressage riders culminates a seven month season of Quest Club competition, where thousands of riders have joined the club and adorned bright colours down the centre line, either as an individual in My Quest or for their team in Team Quest. At the finals they will face their top contenders and three judges per arena to take home an array of fantastic prizes.
Over 200 combinations will descend on Bury Farm, Buckinghamshire this Friday hoping to be crowned the very first My Quest champions and take home some huge trophies! This new series for 2016 has had great success, with a whopping 1546 participants in only its first year. 610 combinations then went forward to the ten Regional Finals spanning the whole country – from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland to Dorset! Whittled down to the best combinations around, classes from Intro to Elementary and two sections – BYRDS (for riders 25 year old and under) and Open – will demonstrate the high standard of competition for what is bound to be a close-fought championship. Prizes on offer include gorgeous rugs for the winners, medals to third place and huge championship rosettes to tenth in each section.
In its third year and still going strong, the Team Quest Championships, generously sponsored by Kent and Masters, looks set to be another fun-filled and thrilling event. Taking place over two days each team member, of the 46 teams who have qualified for this National Final, will ride at their chosen level (from Intro to Elementary) on both the Saturday and Sunday. The top three percentages for each team on both days will be added together to rank these top teams on the podium. Teams are coming far and wide, including Team PIGG, The Cookie Monsters and the Hi-Ho Highlands team who are travelling all the way mid-Scotland and defending BYRDS team champions, the Pembrokeshire Lunachicks, who have over a 500-mile round trip to see if they can stay at the top for their final year at Team Quest before their team riders head to university. Other teams to note, BYRDS team Three To One, made up entirely of four siblings from Oxfordshire and an impressive three BYRDS teams from the West Midlands Dressage Group, all captained by Karen Bishop. Not only will the top teams be awarded some fantastic prizes from Kent and Masters but there are also special prizes for non-performance related criteria including best team selfie, best team spirit and, one for the fashionistas, best dressed team!
This jam-packed weekend will also include some stellar evening entertainment, incorporating a ‘Coaching for Grassroots’ demo, presented by BD Central Region Chairman and List 1 judge Harry Payne and UKCC Level 3 coach Teresa Edmonds on the Friday evening with demo riders going through the trickier movements the Team Quest riders can expect to face over the next two days. Welcomed back for another year is crowd-favourite, the Moet and Chandon Prix St Georges Freestyle to Music gala night including 12 top combinations who will battle it out for a sizeable £1000 prize pot and a bottle of bubbly. Both evenings’ action is welcome to all to enjoy with free grandstand seating and the restaurant will be open for delicious, hot food.
The combinations to contest the Moet and Chandon Prix St Georges freestyle to music:
Richard Barrett on Walid 4
Julie Hugo-Ross on Alivia II
Joanna Thurman-Baker on Highcliffe Apollo
Rachel Skeffington on Baker Gardens Monty
Becky Edwards on Don Archie and Ufano I
Anna Jesty on Aquiro
Lesley Peyton-Gilbert on Rob Roy II
Vicky Thompson-Winfield on Artist
Stef Eardley on Ruxton Pinacolada
Elder Klatzko on Woodlander Little Richard
Annie Staines on Royal Standard
For start lists, times and more information, visit the Bury Farm website.
To stay up to date on the action there will be regular updates on the Quest Club Facebook page and Twitter feed.