Worcestershire-based rider Michael Eilberg has won a national title today at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. Michael rode the crowd-pulling mare Woodlander Farouche (Fuerst Heinrich x Dimaggio) to win the Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges Championship with a substantial 76.42%.
The high class line-up promised an exciting afternoon of competition and it didn’t disappoint. Midway leader Becky Moody and Carinsio scored a whopping 73.53% but even that wasn’t enough to fend off Michael and the eight-year-old Woodlander Farouche – one of the most talked about young horses worldwide.
“She’s looking great. She was trying hard today and did some stunning work,” said Michael after their lap of honour. “She made a couple of mistakes but that was from trying a bit too much so I cannot fault her. In the medium I felt I’d left the ground it was that good, then in the extended she went for maximum, tried too hard so made an error. And in the three-times, she popped in a one, because that’s what’s she’s learning at home,” he added.
“Looking at the quality of her work, her baseline is around 80%, give or take for errors. She’s a mark higher than most horses who run around 70%. She amazing, with great range in all three gaits.”
Talking about the horse’s development, Michael said: “At home we’re playing with everything for grand prix. She does one-times and piaffe-passage, which has really built up her muscle development and she has an understanding for collection.”
Though it’s not just her ability that sets her apart - “She’s like a magnet,” said Michael. “She has a special aura. Today we even had a visitor in the stables. It was a lady’s 60th birthday and they asked if she could meet Farouche as a birthday present!”
Oxfordshire rider Rebecca Cowderoy (26) was the first name on the winners’ roster at the National Championships in taking the SureGrow Advanced Medium Restricted Championship. Riding her own Florencio-sired seven year old chestnut Celicia, Rebecca put up a strong performance with the mare she’s produced from a baby to score 69.92% from a mid-class draw.
Her family owned the dam of ‘Lisci’ who was kept in the Netherlands at the time of her birth and then they brought her to Britain aged two. Rebecca has produced her every step of the way and this is their third trip to the Nationals.
A delighted Rebecca said of her equine partner; “She’s still developing but has found everything quite easy so far. As a youngster she did all the age classes and has flown through the levels – she’s ready for PSG and small tour next year already! Keeping her constant is the tricky bit as she has so many gears to her trot. Today her canter work was amazing; I was really happy with that. We had a blip in the trot where a loss of rhythm lead to a break into canter but she coped so well with the atmosphere.”
Sponsored by Global Herbs, Rebecca works for Dan Greenwood and was quick to thank her boss; “I owe it to Dan that I’m in this position plus the support of the yard staff, my family, friends a sponsors; it’s a real team effort,” she said.
Second spot went to Jezz Palmer with Richard Healey’s Ultimo Hit (s. Welt Hit II) with 69.13% and Craig Millard was third with Worldly Wise, (s. Welt Hit) owned by SA Hoyle, on 68.47%.
17-year-old A-level student Lucy Jane Amy, who travelled to the ultimate domestic dressage championship all the way from her home on Jersey, won the BackinAction Preliminary Championship with her five-year-old German gelding Rudy. The youthful pair scored 75.38%
A delighted Lucy, who bought the attractive bay as a two-year-old potential showjumper from the Brightwells auction said: “I’m so proud, especially as we’ve done everything with him [Rudy] from the start. Winning has not yet sunk in. We went early in the class and it was full of well-presented horses so it was a long wait to the end!”
2014 is the first year in competitive dressage for the partnership which has also enjoyed success in the showjumping arena. “We train with Roland Tong who visits Jersey each month for two or three days at a time. Roland suggested we try to qualify for the nationals and here we are – I think we have to stick at dressage now!” smiled Lucy.
Talking about their build-up to the nationals, Lucy said: “We travelled over for the regionals at Sparsholt, and also jumped at Hickstead, before heading back to Jersey. Rudy then had a week’s holiday before our preparation for here. I’m so pleased with him. He’s an honest horse and always tries his heart out, plus he’s a very flexible, supple horse so finds the work easy.”
Ali Fernyhough made a name for herself in the showing world by winning most of the titles on offer at Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International Horse Show but today at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships, she proved that she’s equally at home between the white boards. With her own Dutch-bred gelding Chateau she was the clear winner of the Equilibrium Products Elementary Restricted Championships.
The leggy Dayano-sired seven year-old has been with Ali since he was two after she sourced him in Holland from a regular dealer that she and husband Rowland use for their internationally renowned business supplying and producing horses near Gloucester. Ali said that they’ve taken him with him owing to his size; he stands at 17.2hh but today he came into his own to score 73.54%
“He’s been an absolute pleasure the whole way along. His temperament is his main attribute; he’s just amazing to train. I was so pleased with him today; when I came out I thought if someone asked if I’d like to do the test again, I’d have said ‘no, I’ll take that’. It was one of those tests where everything went to plan and he was so relaxed and I could ride every movement.”
He’s nearly qualified at Medium for the winter regionals but we’ve backed off that level in the run up to the Nationals but next year she’ll be medium/advanced medium. Every horse in our yard has a price tag but I’ll keep on training him as it’s such a pleasure for as long as we have him.”
Tara Kusch took the runners up rosette with Regrette (s. Riccio) with a score of 70.68% while Caroline Szewczyk was third with Zandokan (s. Rousseau) on 68.80%.
Gloucestershire-based Lara Griffith, 25, rode Dr Bechtolsheimer’s athletic 12-year-old Rubin Al Asad, a German-bred gelding by Rubin Royale, to secure the TopSpec Intermediate II with 71.95%.
“I can’t get the smile off my face,” said a clearly delighted Lara, “I’m so proud of him - it feels almost as good as being reserve National Champion last year.”
Lara works as a rider for the world-renowned Bechtolsheimer family and has partnered ‘Rufus’, an elegant bay, for two years. “He’s not easy but we have a great partnership,” explained Lara. “He’s low-mileage competition-wise having competed at small tour just a couple of times last year, and this is only his third ever test at intermediate II. He’s a little shy in the arena so I have to coax him out but he’s gaining in confidence and is a fantastic talent for the future.”
Lara’s talent is recognised by her inclusion on the UK Sport lottery-funded Equestrian World Class Development Programme. As is that of the second and third-placed riders, Zoe Sleigh and Alex Hardwick.