The Southern Winter Regionals held at Merrist Wood College in Surrey provided great facilities, great dressage and great scores (10 – 15 February 2017).
20-year-old Joshua Hill proved to be in flying form placing in no less than six classes. Taking to the arena for Don Cara M’s first outing of 2017 Josh placed second in the Blue Chip Novice Gold and fifth in the Equi-Trek Elementary Gold; the pair went on to produce a stellar performance in the Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Gold freestyle scoring 80% to win their final Regional Championship class. Rowland Kinch’s striking black gelding (pictured) secured the highest score of the show with his freestyle created by Paul Guiver.
In the Equi-Trek Elementary Silver Section A Josh scored another win, this time with Suzi Hawes’ Sonnermann who was awarded 72.031% from judges Nereide Goodman, Sue Rowlands and Fiona Wilson. Reflecting on his win Josh told British Dressage, ‘Sonnermann produced a near perfect test, we were over the moon with him. The horse has just grown in confidence since I started riding him back in March last year’. Rounding off a great week Josh placed fourth in the Spillers Medium Silver Freestyle with Sam Holland’s Double Check and seventh in the Charles Owen Advanced Medium with his own Bewunder, at only his fourth attempt at the level.
Southampton based rider Dannie Morgan continued his successful dressage career taking home a hat-trick of titles. Danny, who combines dressage with eventing, won with the Oppenheimers’ stunning home-bred Headmore Davina; the elegant duo won the Equi-Trek Elementary Silver Section B with 75.67% and the PDS Saddles Elementary Silver Music Freestyle with 74.875. Dannie’s third win came in the Spillers Medium Silver Music Freestyle aboard his own Southern Cross Braemar, a tall chestnut gelding by Breitling.
Andrew Gould enjoyed a successful Regional Championships with Cara Cheeseman’s seven-year-old Femme Fatale. With the Jazz mare Andrew won the Albion Medium Gold ahead of Daniel Timson who placed second aboard Elgar and third with Bellagio – the pair were separated by only three and a half marks. Femme Fatale scored again in the Spillers Medium Gold Freestyle gaining 73.16%, Andrew also placed third with Dancing Girl.
The Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle proved to be a hot class with the win going to Sara-Jane Lanning with Mi Amigo who scored a fantastic 76.61%. Taking to Facebook to celebrate her win Sara-Jane enthused ‘what a horse, I just love him, he just won his ninth Regional title and my 24th!” Junior squad rider Isobel Berrington filled second spot on the podium with Melize Witkin’s bay gelding Bing followed by Jane Lavington and the delightful Boston Deluxe in third.
Congratulations to all competitors who took part at Merrist Wood, we look forward to seeing all those who qualified at the NAF Five Star Winter Championships in April.
Regional Champions:
KBIS Preliminary
Melissa Joannides with Silken Cream – 73.57%
Blue Chip Novice Silver
Denise Fryer with Keystone Starstruck - 74.16%
Blue Chip Novice Gold
Mandy Day with Giomf – 71.96%
Equi-Trek Elementary Silver A
Joshua Hill with Sonnermann – 72.03%
Equi-Trek Elementary Silver B
Dannie Morgan with Headmore Davina – 75.67%
Equi-Trek Elementary Gold
Katharine Lewis with Jos K – 73.07%
Albion Medium Silver
Imogen Byers with Fassbinder – 72.92%
Albion Medium Gold
Andrew Gould with Femme Fatale – 71.41%
Charles Owen Advanced Medium Silver
Molly Key with Absinth W – 70.04%
Charles Owen Advanced Medium Gold
Debbie Poynter with Keystone For Real – 71.62%
Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Silver Music Freestyle
Jade Vale with Prinzessin K – 74.25%
Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Gold Music Freestyle
Joshua Hill with Don Cara M – 80.09%
PDS Saddles Elementary Silver Music Freestyle
Dannie Morgan with Headmore Davina – 74.87%
PDS Saddles Elementary Gold Music Freestyle
Kim Seaby with Dutch Class – 75.51%
Spillers Medium Silver Music Freestyle
Dannie Morgan with Southern Cross Braemar – 72.72%
Spillers Medium Gold Music Freestyle
Andrew Gould with Femme Fatale – 73.16%
Nupafeed Advanced Medium Music Freestyle
Sara-Jane Lanning with Mi Amigo – 76.61%
Magic Prix St Georges Music Freestyle
Hannah Biggs with Don Caledonia – 75.20%
For full results click here