Winter Regionals: Myerscough

Becky Moody took two titles back to her Sheffield base winning the NAF Magic PSG freestyle and the Equitop Myoplast elementary open, both with impressive scores. 76.63% won her superstar Carinsio (pictured) the former whilst Eaimbry Eleonora posted 73.28% in the latter. Both horses are owned by Julie Lockey who also had the pleasure of watching her homebred mare Ella win Blue Chipnovice open section A with Kelly Oxtoby in the saddle.

 

Lucy Pincus was the only other rider to score two wins with the added bonus of two second places as well.

 

First up was Sheepcote Don Calisto who won the Charles Owenadvanced medium open. The eight-year-old is being aimed at Young Riders this year (Lucy’s first year at the level) and is a half brother to Sheepcote Suncrest who won the PDS Saddles elementary open freestyle. The two horses are both out of Calista, a mare that Lucy’s mum Serena bought as a two-year-old. Never broken in she has also bred Sheepcote Delight who won up at Bishop Burton, is the grand mother of Sheepctoe Dream Lover who won at Addington as well as a host of other successful dressage horses including Barrister who competed up to inter II level.

 

Sara Branch’s Floreston Valentino went from zero to hero in less than 24 hours as having cantered his way through much of the trot work in the elementary he wowed the judges to win the Blue Chipnovice open section B.

 

“He’s an unique individual,” said his delighted rider, Chinese eventing Olympian Alex Hua Tian. “His outlook in life is quite peculiar to him and he was quite insistent in the elementary that the leg yield should be in canter and nothing I could do could persuade him otherwise!”

 

Alex’s week went the other way as within 24 hours of his win he’d been struck down by the norovirus. “I think it must be a reaction to doing so much dressage,” he quipped, having ridden girlfriend Sarah’s dressage horses all through the winter after she broke her foot.

 

For Emily Howard, a win in the PDS Saddleselementary restricted freestyle with Dondersteen was hugely satisfying as having bought the horse as an unbacked three-year-old she is the only one to have sat on him. “He was the first horse I looked at and he just fitted,” explained Emily who bought the horse from Ryan Shannon.

 

Brightwells Auction purchase Sundancer III owned by Amanda Wilson and ridden by Tor Smith scored a 10 for a halt on the way to winning the Spillersmedium open freestyle.   “We bought him at the sale four years ago,” said Tor who went and rode the horse at the trial day. “My only worry was that he was huge at 17.1hh and he’s never stopped growing - he must be 18hh now!”

 

Zoe Sleigh’s smart prospect Dark Legend won the Albion medium open. The Duino son was bought as a two-year-old in Germany after the first glimpse of the horse convinced Zoe he had the wow factor.

“We brought him home and then sent him back to Germany whilst I was at uni and he finished fourth in the Bundeschampionat,” said Zoe. “He’s not done a lot since then as he is a hot horse but it was good experience for him. I’d like to think we will do a prix st georges by the end of the year but he is a horse for the future and I’ll compete him when he needs to.”

 

Jaime Sanderson bought her Baileys novice restricted freestyle winner Amaretto S as a just-backed youngster from Louise Whitaker (of show jumping fame). The son of Numero Uno was in a barn full of youngsters but pushed his way to the front and came to say hello. Watching the youngster loose schooling over a fence proved he had the ability so Jaime brought him home.

 

The massive KBIS prelim took over the whole of Sunday with the 103 in total being split into three sections starting at 7.30am and finishing at 10pm. Paula Holden was a model of consistency winning sec A with Ontarion Gold, finishing second in sec B with Falco II and third in sec C with Eberhard. The latter won a section of the prelim restricted at the summer regionals and Ontarion Gold was placed in a four-year-old young horse eventing qualifier last year, Paula having competed up to novice level in the eventing ranks.

 

Joseph Hughes-Jones, her conqueror in sec B riding Moelwynn Gerallt, has also been successfully eventing, Gerallt competing at last year’s Badminton Grassroots Championship.

 

Sec C winner Conrhenny President was a lucky find for Lynn Thompson saw him advertised on the internet. The horse was for sale in Somerset, Lynn who lives in Lancashire was heading off to Devon on holiday and so she rang up and went to see him. “His owner Camille Ellis was moving abroad through work and I got lucky,” said Lynn.

 

The win at Myerscough was a huge surprise for Lynn.“I was so shocked as there were so many gorgeous horses and we beat them,” she said. “I did say to my mum when I came out that I didn’t care about the score as he’d put his heart and soul into it. We finished 6^th in Friday’s novice freestyle and that was beyond my wildest dreams so to win today is just beyond dreams!”

 

Beth Nuttall is another to combine eventing and dressage winning the Blue Chip novice restricted riding her Stedinger mare Bianka II. The nine-year-old competed in BE80’s last year winning at Breckenborough on her final outing of the season with an impressive score of 18.5.

 

Dawn Grundy and Jackie Fisher’s homebreds Rough Lee So Schufro and Fitlings Mirabelle won the Equitop Myoplastelementary restricted and Albion medium restricted respectively.

 

Jackie’s win with Mirabelle was a last hurrah at the level for the Yorkshire rider.

“I’ve struggled with getting the changes but I really wanted to have a go at the Nationals,” said Jackie who trains with the help of her husband Martin attached to a video camera. “I’ve too many horse and too many vets bills to afford lessons!”

Local rider Rachel Taylor won the Charles Owenadvanced medium restricted with Bangalore C. The gelding was bought as a two-year-old. “I was pregnant at the time and decided I might as well buy a nice youngster and then when I was ready to ride again the horse would be ready to break,” said Rachel. “It’s half-term this week so I can concentrate on the kids now I’ve got the regionals out of the way.”

The Sport Horse Centre’s Sport Horse Centre Carilla having finished second in the medium open went one better in the Nupafeed advanced medium freestyle in the capable hands of Louise Davison. The mare combines the best of dressage breeding being by Flemmingh out of Jazz mare, competing at the Pavo World Cup Final in Holland in 2012.

 

ROH Classica, winner of the Spillers medium restricted freestyle, proved that a kissing spines diagnosis is not the end of the line. In fact Zoe Taylor who runs Taylored Equestrian, a rehab centre in Shropshire got the ride on Louise Baker’s gelding because of his problem.

 

“She didn’t want to go down the operation route so we manage him with good physio and careful exercise including lungeing over raised poles,” said Rachel.

 

Sarah Payne’s ‘gap filler’ Box of Tricks belied his experience with a win in the Baileysnovice open freestyle scoring 80% from one of the three judges. The British bred son of Longdean Westminster was bought just over eighteen months ago.

 

“I liked the look of him and had a gap to fill and he has filled it nicely,” said Sarah. “He’s giving me now what I felt when I tried him but he is on the market as I need to fund a horse for my daughter Lily and at 17hh he is too big for her. It’s a shame as he’s a real fun horse with good paces – he’s has even got me out jumping and hacking which is an extraordinary achievement!” 

 

For full results – click here

 

Photo: © www.kevinsparrow.co.uk  

 

Title winners:

 

sec A Paula Holden riding Ontarion Gold 72.24

sec B Joseph Hughes-Jones riding Moelwynn Gerallt 71.35

sec C Lynn Thompson riding Camille Ellis’s Conrhenny President 73.33

sec A Kelly Oxtoby riding Julie Lockey’s Ella 71.21

sec B Alex Hua Tian riding Sara Branch’s Florestan Valentino 73.33

Beth Nuttall riding her own Bianka 69.02

Becky Moody riding her own and Julie Lockey’s Eaimbry Eleanora 73.28

Dawn Grundy riding her own Rough Lee So Schufro 69.84

Zoe Sleigh riding her own Dark Legend 71.76

Jackie Fisher riding her own Fitling’s Mirabelle 69.37

Lucy Pincus riding Sheepcote Don Calisto 69.61

Rachel Taylor riding her own Bangalore C 68.51

Sarah Payne riding her own Box Of Tricks 75.56

Jaime Sanderson riding her own Amaretto S 74.44

PDS Saddles elementary open freestyle   

Lucy Pincus riding Sheepcote Suncrest 73.78

 

Emily Howard riding her own Dondersteen 73.01

Tor Smith riding Amanda Wilson’s Sundancer II 75.83

Zoe Taylor riding Louise Baker’s ROH Classica 72.33

Nupafeed advanced medium freestyle 

Louise Davison riding the Sport Horse Centre’s Sport Horse Centre Carilla 71.78

Becky Moody riding Julie Lockey’s Carinsio 76.63