Wales came out on top at this year’s Para Home International with their team ‘Wales Snowdonia’ taking home the prestigious title … but only just!
Held at Vale View Equestrian Centre (31 May – 1 June), regional teams consisted of up to four riders – all of whom rode their respective graded test twice; once on Saturday and then again on Sunday with the scores, minus the lowest score from each day, combining to create the overall total.
After Saturday’s competition, wins from Deena Webster on her own 12-year-old KWPN gelding in the Grade IV Novice test (68.51%) and Val Fisher on Deena’s 17-year-old Irish gelding, Matesi, in the Grade IV Novice test (69.04%) put the North West Diamonds into first place on an overall score of 202.791.
However, all was still to play for as Saturday’s second place team, Wales Snowdonia, attacked the competition with a vengeance, pulling some fantastic scores out of their bag to achieve a Sunday team mark of 202.013 leap frogging the North West Diamonds and stealing the title by just three marks!
Speaking from their Facebook page, the Wales region expressed their delight over becoming champions “Fantastic news Wales has just won the Para Home International. Julia Horton, Lorna Lee, Georgia Wilson and Denise Smith all rode brilliantly and came from 2nd place overnight to a great victory”
Posting her team’s – Wales Snowdonia – highest score (69.20%), Lorna Lee was ecstatic at what herself and her team had achieved over the weekend, “It’s my fourth year of competing at the Para Home International, I absolutely love doing the team stuff – it’s so different to competing at normal competitions. We [Wales Snowdonia] get on really well and have so much fun together.”
“Tony [Touch and Go] went amazingly,” Lorna continued. “I’ve only had him three months so I was a little unsure about how he’d be, but he used to show when he was younger so he was used to the championship atmosphere and really showed himself off.”
The Leicestershire-based competition was also host to qualifying classes for September’s 2014 KBIS Para Dressage Championship (held at BD National Championships, Stoneleigh). Roberta Sheffield took the Elvin & Co. Solicitors grade III individual class, posting a score of 69.81% with Frances Sheffield’s seven-year-old Donnersohn mare, Double Agent. Topping the Claybrooke Animal Feeds grade II individual class with a score of 67.64% was 28-year-old Emma Douglas on her own 9-year-old Dutch gelding, Apart, whilst Lorna Lee and Tony took the Home Farm Equine grade 1b individual class with 67.41%. The final KBIS win went to Kent-based Fiona Maynard and her ride, her own 11-year-old gelding, WS Legolas, with 65.92%
For the full weekend’s results, click here.
Team Results
1st– Wales Snowdonia
402.059 points
Lorna Lee, Julia Horton, Denise Smith, Georgia Wilson
2nd– North West Diamonds
398.973 points
Val Fisher, Deena Webster, Lydia Aucott, Nicole Blythe
3rd– Northern Stars
397.778 points
Natasha Adkinson, Izzy Palmer, Katherine Smith, Charlotte Clundall
Grade 1a Novice 2010
Saturday: Emma Wells with Bloxham Sparticus, Northern Angels, 70.00%
Sunday: Emma Wells with Bloxham Sparticus, Northern Angels, 66.44%
Grade 1b Novice 2010
Saturday: Val Fisher with Matesi, North West Diamonds, 69.04%
Sunday: Val Fisher with Matesi, North West Diamonds, 67.26%
Grade II Novice 2010
Saturday: Jane Lishman with Lily Delight, Northern Lights, 68.45%
Sunday: Jane Lishman with Lily Delight, Northern Lights, 70.11%
Grade III Novice 2010
Saturday: Katherine Smith with Aimbry Caramba, Northern Stars, 67.27%
Sunday: Izzy Palmer with Gregonne Coco Chanel, Northern Stars, 67.95%
Grade IV Novice 2010
Saturday: Deena Webster with Valentino H, North West Diamonds, 68.51%
Sunday: Julie Payne with Little Lewis, Central Red Kites, 64.76%
Grade 1b Team test 2013
Saturday: Lorna Lee with Touch and Go, Wales Snowdonia, 69.20%
Sunday: Lorna Lee with Touch and Go, Wales Snowdonia, 67.90%
Grade III Team test 2013
Saturday: Krissy Hammond Parker with Evito, Southern, 68.75%
Sunday: Krissy Hammond Parker with Evito, Southern, 65.00%
Grade IV Team test 2013
Saturday: Charlotte Cundall with Looks Similar, Northern Stars, 65.71%
Sunday: Fiona Maynard with WS Legolas, Southern, 63.69%
Home Farm Equine Grade 1a Test 3 2006
Emma Wells with Bloxham Sparticus, Northern Angels, 66.25%
Home Farm Equine Grade II Test 21 2006
Rowan Crosby with Thirkleby Blue Moon, Wales & West, 67.77%
Claybrooke Animal Feeds Grade IV Test 41 2006
Charlotte Clundall with Looks Similar, Northern Stars, 68.12%
KBIS qualifier classes
Home Farm Equine Grade 1b Individual Championship 2013
Lorna Lee with Touch and Go, Wales Snowdonia, 67.41%
Claybrooke Animal Feeds Grade II Individual Championship 2013
Emma Douglas with Apart, 67.64%
Elvin & Co Solicitors Grade III Individual Championship 2013
Roberta Sheffield with Double Agent, 69.87%
Elvin & Co Solicitors Grade IV Individual Championship 2013
Fiona Maynard with WS Legolas, Southern, 65.95%
Music
Music Freestyle – All grades
Emma Douglas with Cartoon Topcat, 72.00%