British riders dominated during the CPEDI3* held over three days during the Hartpury Festival of Dressage, 3 – 5 July.
International competitors travelled from across the globe to take part in the first of two FEI para competitions held this year in the UK; the second takes place 18 – 21 July at Bishop Burton College Equestrian Centre.
Nine nations started, with combinations from as far away as Canada and Hong Kong, but nobody could touch the Brits who finished with wins in every single class across all grades over the three days of competition.
Para-Equestrian Dressage National Coach, Michel Assouline, said “ Hartpury produced some great reults and was a useful exercise being the final competition where selectors had to decide on the squad for the Europeans at Hernig in August.
“The selection element along with the well deserved winter break that some of the horses have had did increase pressure on the riders, but this was cetainly not apparent in their performances and they all came away with with reliable marks that reflected their progression.
“We are very lucky to have so many top class horses thanks to the generosity of our owners and sponsors (Henrietta Cheetham’s Lady Joseph Trust owns three horses currently, LJT Akilles, LJT Lucas and LJT Solitaire) and we couldn’t achieve any of this either without the continued support from World Class and Lottery funding.”
Grade 1a
It was nearly at total wipe out at Grade 1a when only one non-GBR rider made it into the top three of any of the classes.
Ireland’s bubbly Paralympian Geraldine Savage took third place in the Individual Championships test with her ride Blues Tip Top Too on a score of 66.522% but Brits Sophie Christiansen (Janeiro 6, pictured above) and Anne Dunham (LJT Lucas Normark) could not be knocked off their perch, producing a string of plus seventy scores to bag them first and second respectively in every single class.
Emma Sheardown joined her British team mates by taking third spot in the Freestyle on another whopping score of 72.450% with her 15 year old gelding Purdy’s Dream.
Grade 1b
Nobody could budge the top three at Grade 1b with Lee Pearson, Ricky Balshaw and Stinna Tange Kaastrup (DNK) taking first, second and third place respectively in each class.
Riding his ‘new’ horse Zion (Lee has actually been riding the 17hh KWPN since 2010, but has concentrated solely on him since the retirement of his Olympic horse Gentleman back in 2012), Pearson (pictured) posted his best score in Friday’s Freestyle finishing on 75.050%.
2013 has been a good year for former Paralympain Balshaw, 26, who suffered a broken back after a bad fall at home back in 2011. Since then he has fully recovered and had been searching for a new equestrian partner, whom he has now found with the help of the Lady Joseph Trust in the form of LJT Engaards Solitaire. The pair have been selected for this year’s European team and have been ear marked by fans as hopefuls for Rio.
Grade II
Three ladies stole the show at Grade II as Brits Natasha Baker (Cabral) and Erin Orford (Nirvana Morroko), along with Canadian Lauren Barwick, held on to the top three spots in every class.
Natasha took first place every time, never scoring below 73%, but it was in the Freestyle (video below) that she and the horse she co owns with her mum and Christian Landolt had most impact, when they scored a massive 78.250% - over four percent higher than second placed Brit Erin Orford and her ride who is co-owned by Diana Barley.
All the way from Canada, Lauren Barwick and her ride Off to Paris, beat Erin to second place in the Team Test, leaving them both with a blue and yellow rosette at the end of three days competition.
Grade III
There was only space for Britain, France and Canada in the Grade III tests, as riders from the three nations took the first three places in each class.
Paralympic gold medallist Deb Criddle (pictured) rode LJT Akilles to first place in every test, her highest score in the Freestyle at 74% while Frenchman Vladimir Vinchon and his ride Bo VB took second place across the board.
Louise Studer (FRA) wasn’t able to break the 60 barrier but managed to secure two of the third places with 64.415% in the Individual Championship Test and 69.900% in the Freestyle.
Canadian Roberta Anne Sheffield completed the Grade III quartet by riding for third place in the Team Test on Wednesday with a score of 65.474%.
Grade IV
Brit Sophie Wells (pictured) dominated at Grade IV, taking first place in each of the three classes with her 11 year old KWPN gelding Valerius.
Valerius is second in Sophie’s string to her Paralympic horse Pinocchio and she hopes to take him to the Europeans at Hernig in August.
Together they posted the highest score of the whole competition, with 80.200% in the Freestyle.
Alongside Sophie, Frenchwoman Nathalie Bizet and her ride Rubica 3 swept the board, taking second place in every class. Their highest score was in the Freestyle at 73.400%.
Vanessa Knight (GBR) and Ireland’s Rosemary Gaffney shared third place honours, Rosemary in both the Individual Championship and Team tests, and Vanessa in the Freestyle, riding her ten year old stallion Balistro 4.
Results as follows:
Wednesday 3 July
Para Team Test Grade IV
1st Sophie Wells and Valerius (GBR), 74.095%
2nd Nathalie Bizet and Rubica 3 (FRA), 68.833%
3rd Rosemary Gaffney and Ustero (IRL), 68.619%
Para Team Test Grade III
1st Deborah Criddle and LJT Akilles (GBR), 68.579%
2nd Vladimir Vinchon and Bo VB (FRA), 66.474%
3rd Roberta Anne Sheffield and Wonderboy (CAN), 65.474%
Para Team Test Grade II
1st Natasha Baker and Cabral (GBR), 73.588%
2nd Lauren Barwick and Off to Paris (CAN), 71.382%
3rd Erin Orford and Nirvana Morroko (GBR), 69.529%
Para Team Test Grade Ia
1st Sophie Christiansen and Janeiro 6 (GBR), 77.435%
2nd Anne Dunham and LJT Lucas Normark (GBR), 74.304%
3rd Emma Sheardown and Purdy's Dream (GBR), 70.391%
Para Team Test Grade Ib
1st Lee Pearson and Zion (GBR), 71.680%
2nd Ricky Balshaw and LJT Engaards Solitaire (GBR), 70.760%
3rd Stinna Tange Kaastrup and Steffi Graf (DNK), 69.760%
Thursday 4 July
Para Individual Championship Test Grade III
1st Deborah Criddle and LJT Akilles (GBR), 71.439%
2nd Vladimir Vinchon and Bo VB (FRA), 66.878%
3rd Louise Studer and Flint (FRA), 64.415%
Para Individual Championship Test Grade IV
1st Sophie Wells and Valerius (GBR), 72.976%
2nd Nathalie Bizet and Rubica 3 (FRA), 69.119%
3rd Rosemary Gaffney and Aldham Mill Dubloon (IRL), 67.167%
Para Individual Championship Test Grade Ia
1st Sophie Christiansen and Janeiro 6 (GBR), 76.783%
2nd Anne Dunham and LJT Lucas Normark (GBR), 73.870%
3rd Geraldine Savage and Blues Tip Top Too (IRL), 66.522%
Para Individual Championship Test Grade Ib
1st Lee Pearson and Zion (GBR), 69.966%
2nd Ricky Balshaw and LJT Engaards Solitaire (GBR), 69.655%
3rd Stinna Tange Kaastrup and Steffi Graf (DNK), 65.207%
Para Individual Championship Test Grade II
1st Natasha Baker and Cabral (GBR), 73.171%
2nd Erin Orford and Nirvana Morroko (GBR), 68.343%
3rd Lauren Barwick and Off to Paris (GBR), 66.857%
Friday 5 July
Para Freestyle Test Grade II
1st Natasha Baker and Cabral (GBR), 78.250%
2nd Erin Orford and Nirvana Morroko (GBR), 74.000%
3rd Lauren Barwick and Off to Paris (CAN), 72.500%
Para Freestyle Test Grade Ia
1st Sophie Christiansen and Janeiro 6 (GBR), 79.050%
2nd Anne Dunham and LJT Lucas Normark (GBR), 76.650%
3rd Emma Sheardown and Purdy's Dream (GBR), 72.450%
Para Freestyle Test Grade Ib
1ST Lee Pearson and Zion (GBR), 75.050%
2ND Ricky Balshaw and LJT Engaards Solitaire (GBR), 73.200%
3RD Stinna Tange Kaastrup and Steffi Graf (DNK), 71.350%
Para Freestyle Test Grade III
1st Deborah Criddle and LJT Akilles (GBR), 74.000%
2nd Vladimir Vinchon and Bo VB (FRA), 71.300%
3RD Louise Studer and Flint (FRA), 69.900%
Para Freestyle Test Grade IV
1ST Sophie and Wells and Valerius (GBR), 80.200%
2ND Nathalie Bizet and Rubica 3 (FRA), 73.400%
3rd Vanessa Knight and Balistro 4 (GBR), 69.350%
Images Kevin Sparrow 2013.