One of British Dressage’s best-supported competition series, the Petplan Equine Area Festivals, will now include classes at Intermediate I in 2014.
The Area Festivals started in 1999 and Petplan Equine has proudly supported them ever since. In the early years, they featured Prelim to Advanced Medium before Prix St. Georges was introduced in 2004. The standards across British Dressage are on the up and, in recognition of this, the Rules and Fixtures Committee has decided to add Intermediate I (Inter I) now giving more riders access to a Championship.
All 19 of the 2014 Petplan Equine Area Festivals, or the Petplans as they have become known, will be hosting Inter I competitions and successful riders will be in contention for a place at the Area Festival Championships held in April 2015 alongside the British Dressage Winter Championships. In order to qualify, horse and rider combinations must achieve 60% in two BD affiliated competitions and can qualify as many times as they wish. The qualification period started on 01 January 2014 and runs up to the closing date of the Area Festival the rider wishes to attend.
“We applaud British Dressage for listening to its members and taking this important step of giving amateur dressage riders a new level to aspire to. We understand that there are many combinations out there who compete at this level but, until now, simply have not had something to aim for; now they can go to their local Petplan Equine Area Festival with the aim of qualifying for the Championships the following April. This is a clear indication of the growth in popularity in and standard of competition at the Petplans”, says Charlotte Collyer, Senior Marketing Executive for Petplan Equine.
The Petplans present an attainable goal for many amateur British Dressage riders with over 19,500 riders taking part at an Area Festival in the last decade. The growth and popularity of the series has been tremendous with numbers increasing each year. In 2013, over 14,000 qualification notifications were sent to around 4,200 riders, which resulted in 2,800 starters across 18 Petplan Equine Area Festivals country-wide.
BD Sports Operations Manager Paul Graham explained; “Over the past few years it has become evident that there are a number of riders who reach a fairly high level in the sport but narrowly miss out on qualifying for a hotly contested place at the National Championships and, until now, have not had an alternative goal for the season. Due to a change in the selection requirements for the British Para Squad, they will no longer be competing at the Winter Championships alongside which the Petplan Championships are held. So this gave us a place in the busy timetable allowing for the Petplan Equine Area Festival Inter I Championship to be accommodated at this important fixture on the British Dressage calendar. In addition to providing a new upper level for our amateur competitors to aspire to, hopefully it will also provide a stepping stone to those new to this level trying to qualify for the National Championships.”
North Yorkshire rider Natalie Widdowson welcomes the news and is excited to have a new focus. She’s ridden her distinctive chestnut gelding Gorgeous George IV since 2009 and has taken him from a novice with no points to winning their Petplan Equine Area Festival at Holmside Hall last October at Prix St. Georges level. She explains; “I’m over the moon about this decision as I’m ready to compete at Inter I. Just getting there is an achievement but to know that I have something to aim for really helps. There are more and more amateurs at this level and it’s hard to match the professionals. Thanks BD and Petplan!”