Nicky Heale took time out from her full time job as a paramedic to win the Blue Chip novice open and the Albion medium restricted with Seramai and Retanich Request respectively.
Request is a purebred Welsh section D and he was bought after Nicky smashed her leg in a fall.
“The downside of an injury like that when you’re in my job is you know what’s coming,” said Nicky who is part of the Scottish Ambulance Service working out of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. “After that I decided I needed to be riding something that was a little closer to the ground. Request’s only about 14.2hh but he can out walk a big warmblood – in fact it was his walk that sold him to me.”
Seramai, Scolari/Rhodiamant, is owned by Verity Jenner and Nicky has had the ride for just over a year.
“The mare had done all the basic work and had a fantastic grounding and then had a foal,” said Nicky who trains with Hannah Biggs with the occasional lesson from Paul Hayler. “It has really been a question of strengthening up since she came into work and her original training has been a fantastic base on which to work. She found a new gear for me today, it was mind blowing and she was amazing!”
Jill Grant’s record at the Scottish regionals is pretty impressive and she added another three titles to her haul as Alan Tremlett’s Dizzy Heights (pictured) won the Spillers medium open freestyle, PDS Saddles elementary open freestyle and the Myoplast Equitop elementary open. The seven-year-old is a homebred by Voltaire out of Northern Mareska who Jill rode to win at both regional and premier league level.
Jill is now the resident trainer at Morris EC where the regionals are held.
“It isn’t always an advantage in these situations as all the horses were a bit star struck about what was going on in their backyard,” she said.
Charles Owen advanced medium open winner Jade Struthers is also based at Morris EC and it was Robert Morris’s stallion Lemiroff LS who she rode to the win.
“He’s the first stallion I have ridden but then most of Robert’s horses are stallions and they are all very easy,” said Jade who trains with Jill and with Stephen Clarke, the two riders taking a lorry load of horses on the five hour trip to Stephen’s Cheshire base whenever they can. “The plan is to move up to PSG level once Hartpury is out of the way.”
For Blue Chip novice restricted winner Anjisu Gleave, her win with Deeva was a real pick-me-up after the week from hell.
“For the first time in five years I went on a week’s holiday,” she explained. “I arrived home and I knew as soon as I saw my mum’s face that something was wrong.”
The ‘wrong’ was a burglary that had cleaned them out of saddles.
“It has taken me years to get a saddle that really fitted Deeva,” added Anjisu. “I’ve only had it since the end of last summer and I couldn’t see how I could get something sorted in time for the regionals.”
It was Saddles Direct based at Crow Wood in Lancashire who came to the rescue.
“They found an adjustable saddle for me, fitted it to the mare and lent it to me for the show,” said an extremely grateful Anjisu.
Morris EC has its own memories for Anjisu and her mother.
“The last time I came up here it was to jump a 148cm pony we had called Greenbank Dessie Dee,” she said. “It was her last show and she won and we put her in foal to our own stallion Costalot and Deeva is the result!”
Katie James won the Spillers medium restricted freestyle with Julie Elton’s Pauldary’s Zarla Blue. Katie rides the mare round managing Country Ways Equestrian and Country Retail store but this in itself is a problem.
“She has to be the best clothed horse in the country as it’s very difficult not to spend all my wages on the new stuff as it comes in,” quipped Katie who trains with Helen Brown and Harry Payne.
Hannah Guild doubled up in the Albion medium open and the Nupafeed advanced medium freestyle with Corienta. The Santana/Jet Set D eight-year-old was bought at three from his breeder in Holland.
“I saw and advert on British Dressage and rang up for more details,” explained Hannah. “That horse had been sold but Rebecca Dudley who was selling it organized a few for me to look at in Holland and Corienta was the standout one.”
For Hannah, horses are very much a hobby and she fits in her riding round her job as a rural surveyor.
“This year for the first time I didn’t bother with the arena walk as I’ve been so busy I just couldn’t face getting going that early,” added Hannah. “I went feeling there was no pressure and it was the best she has ever gone.”
A chance purchase in her gap year was the catalyst to a win in the KBIS prelim winner Jade Whitelaw riding Dauphin. Jade bought the Donnersohn/Kings Ride gelding two years ago to give herself something to work on during her gap year.
“The plan was to event him but he’s a bit precious and is allergic to puddles,” she said tongue in cheek.
Jade is currently in her second year reading chemical engineering but is still undecided as to whether a life of bling or mud is for her.
“At the moment I like the buzz of eventing and the precision of dressage as much as each other,” she said.
Caroline Saynor has seen huge changes since she bought her Magic PSG freestyle winner Habanero, as much in colour as anything else.
“He arrived as a little black youngster and he’s now a huge ‘white’ horse,” she said.
The His Highness/Wolkenstein gelding was bought from his breeder in Germany after Caroline saw a photo of him.
“I sent a friend to have a quick look at him and he told me the horse was built like a tank and that I should take a gamble and buy him,” said Caroline who trains with Emile Faurie. “He was so right as the horse is spectacular.”
Caroline is currently working the horse at grand prix level and has competed him at inter II level.
“He’s very talented piaffe/passage and we just need more mileage,” added Caroline whose work with the horse is mostly done on a 20x40 arena.
McTimoney equine practitioner Colin Hamilton won the Baileys novice restricted freestyle with MFS Stud’s MFS Cayden HH, Contender/Caretino. Colin backed the five-year-old just over a year ago and has ridden him since then.
“He’ll go back to the stud after the championships for stud duties and then hopefully back here to compete,” said Colin who trains with Jennifer Johnson and Anna Ross-Davies.
The PDS Saddles elementary restricted freestyle went to Sarah Bosomworth riding Dartagnon IV. The six-year-old by Spielberg/Jet Set D came from the Young Stars Auction run by Craig Rawlins in Holland as a youngster. In the end having rewatched the video a number of times Sarah sent a friend Tom Kroes to bid for the horse.
The Charles Owen advanced medium restricted went to Sharon Lindop riding her German bred Sandro Boy/Lancelot gelding Sandhaven who scored 68.33%.
Of the other classes Clare Hinchcliffe and Cascento secured the Equitop Myoplast elementary restricted and Laura Sanderson riding Tamerosa, the Baileys novice open freestyle.
For full results, click here.
Winners
Jade Whitelaw riding Dauphin, 71.03%
Blue Chip Novice Open Regional Championship
Nicky Heale riding Seramai, 73.16%
Blue Chip Novice Restricted Regional Championship
Anjisu Gleave riding Deeva, 71.21%
Equitop Myoplast Elementary Open Regional Championship
Jill Grant riding Dizzy Heights, 72.55%
Equitop Myoplast Elementary Restricted Regional Championship
Clare Hinchcliffe riding Cascento, 69.17%
Albion Medium Open Regional Championship
Hannah Guild riding Corienta, 71.22%
Albion Medium Restricted Regional Championship
Nicky Heale riding Retanech Request, 68.83%
Charles Owen Advanced Medium Open Regional Championship
Jade Struthers riding Lemiroff LS, 68.60%
Charles Owen Advanced Medium Restricted Regional Championship
Sharon Lindop riding Sandhaven, 68.33%
Baileys Novice Restricted Freestyle Regional Championship
Laura Sanderson riding Tamerosa, 72.78%
Baileys Novice Open Freestyle Regional Championship
Colin Hamilton riding MFS Cayden HH, 75.09%
PDS Saddles Elementary Open Freestyle Regional Championship
Jill Grant riding Dizzy Heights, 75.50%
PDS Saddles Elementary Restricted Freestyle Regional Championship
Sarah Bosomworth riding Dartagnon IV, 71.73%
Spillers Medium Open Freestyle Regional Championship
Jill Grant riding Dizzy Heights, 74.67%
Spillers Medium Restricted Freestyle Regional Championship
Katie James riding Pauldary’s Zarla Blue, 70.67%
Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Regional Championship
Hannah Guild riding Corienta, 71.39%
Magic Prix St Georges Freestyle Northern Regional Championship
Caroline Saynor riding Habanero, 69.25%