British Dressage.

Following the seven Summer Regional Championships, we are pleased to advise competitors of the selected wild-card holders for this year’s Espayo National Dressage Championships at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, 19 - 22 September.

PLEASE NOTE – Close of entries date for wild cards is Tuesday 27th August 2013.

NO late entries will be accepted.

All Wild Card packs have been sent by 1st class post on 14 August 2013.

Please do NOT send your entry to the show secretary by email.To guarantee your entry please consider next day delivery.

Preliminary
Rebecca Ann Clack, Polos Discovery, 70.30%

Novice Restricted
Ruth Stevens, Flamenco II, 70.23%
Karen Martin, Playwrite, 69.08%
Amy Francis, Altogether Endeavour, 68.28%
Gemma Steele, Stardance, 68.28%
Alysia Matravers, Tiger Tim, 68.28%
Suzie Maunder, Camillus, 68.05%

Novice Open
Penny Brooks, Loriens Atomic, 72.18%
Richard Hayward, Royal Symphony, 70.57%
Laura Newton, Zilverstroom, 69.77%
Melissa Chapman, Disco Fever, 69.77%
Hannah Guild, Freckleton Maarifa, 69.66%
Darcas Lever, Negradite, 69.66%
Elizabeth Gammie, Champagne Bubbles, 69.43%
Amy Knight, Ardino, 69.43%

Elementary Restricted
Joseph Bright, Praxis, 70.52%
Imogen Ablett, River Valley –Amadeus, 69.79%
Cara Hayward, Rivameyer Blue, 69.69%
Chelie Lear, Zenith IV, 69.48%
Charlotte Gilder, Strathmore Apollo, 69.48%
Joanne Wilson, Kesters Mirabelle, 69.27%

Elementary Open
Lisa Marriott, Woodcroft Dancing Queen, 69.79%
Alice Peternell, Supernova V, 69.69%
Samantha Morrison, Balpare, 69.27%
Hannah Guild, Baltimore M, 69.27%
Kim Moloney, Donner Gold, 69.27%
Gail Wilson, Pipers Twist, 69.06%
Holly Browne, Sigurd, 68.96%
Carol Bennitt, Bonanza, 68.85%
Tahley Reeve-Smith, Luca 41, 68.44%
Kath Cunningham, Sanantonio, 68.33%
Claire Knowles, Pendragon of Independence, 68.33%

Medium Restricted
Jane Morris, Really Relevant, 68.20%
Charlotte Jackson, Saab, 68.11%
Jonathon Boswell, Centaurs Commadore, 67.75%
Sarah Ansty, Woodhams Debutante, 67.75%
Keri-Ann Rockingham Smith, Sundance, 67.57%
Tamsin Addison, Don Proviano, 67.39%
Jonathon Boswell, Dacapo, 67.39%
Zoe Viner, Fun Time Fiasco, 67.21%

Medium Open
Julie Hugo, Alivia II, 70.63%
Daniel Greenwood, Val Rubilah, 70.18%
Lesley Peyton-Gilbert, World Exclusive, 70.18%
Paul Hayler, F J Adonis, 70.09%
Harriet Woodcock, Gideon, 69.19%
Beth Bainbridge, Ulia, 69.19%
Paul Friday, Columbus Himself, 69.01%

Advanced Medium Restricted
Ben Martin, Dimaggik, 67.54%
Darren Crowe, Monterey MM, 66.93%

Advanced Medium Open
Julie Yardley, Die Fee, 69.12%
Michelle Nichols, Classical Destiny, 68.95%
Lisa Hopkins, Coole Contender, 68.86%
Kate Lewis, DHI Tarantella, 68.51%
Becky Moody, Madams Miss Maria, 68.42%
Lucy Fallen, Cruise, 68.33%
Nicky Patrick, Supersonic, 68.16%
Victoria Glasgow, Wilumait, 68.07%
Paul Friday, Columbus Himself, 68.07%
Kate Lewis, Tirsa, 68.07%

The Initial allocation of Wild Cards for the PSG and Intermediate I is done to make up approximately 30% of the Nationals places from the Regionals and approximately 70% from Premier Leagues as per Rule 142 b) ii

Prix St Georges
Regional Combinations:
Matt Frost, Romaniero, 70.66%
Richard Barrett, Kocaine, 70.22%
Olivia Oakley, Donna Summer, 69.47%

Premier League Combinations:
Nicky Patrick, Abbey Tiron, 73.51%
Michel Assouline, Dolchino, 72.50%
Daniel Greenwood, Lennox, 72.41%
Matt Hicks, Excalibur, 72.11%
Lara Griffith, Rubin Al Asad, 71.62%
Alex Hardwick, Donauwein, 71.58%

Intermediate I
Regional Combinations:
Sara Gallop, Summerhouse Zelham, 70.70%
Ryan Todd, Charlex Eskebjerg, 70.22%
Jane green, W-Valentine, 70.09%
Georgina Swinglehurst, Giddy, 69.52%
Sara-Jane Lanning, Try Me Once, 69.12%

Premier League Combinations:
Matt Hicks, Excalibur, 76.62%
Alex Hardwick, Calvin G, 74.56%
Vicky Thompson-Winfield, Diego Negro, 74.04%
Alex Hardwick, Donauwein, 73.77%
Zoe Sleigh, Fantastic Light, 73.55%
Nicola Buchanan, Zidyllic-S, 73.29%
Hayley Watson-Greaves, WG Rubinsnite, 72.46%

Intermediate II
Matt Frost, Fidelity 11, 70.18%
Ruth Hurst, Latin Lover, 70.00%
Jacky Stolper, Der Schufro, 69.39%
Henry Boswell, Urban, 69.08%
Clare Harwood, Alley Baba, 66.97%
Roger Gregory, Comanche Wodan, 66.80%
Lesley Peyton-Gilbert, Woodcroft Garuda K, 66.62%
Beverley Brightman, De Delux, 66.14%
Henrietta Cheetham, Danenkonig, 65.88%
Hazel Bailey, Ustrona, 65.83%

Grand Prix
Andrew Gould, DW Bellissimo, 71.09%
Lara Griffith, Andretti H, 70.34%
Steph Croxford, Mr President, 69.57%

British Dressage.

Hayley Watson-Greaves and WG Don Wimero won a competitive Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I at the second of the 2013 summer regional championships, which took place at Sparsholt College.

Four combinations scored plus-70%, which included Hayley with WG Rubins Nite in third place.

Hayley, who trains with Carl Hester, was last to go with the 10-year-old Don Primero gelding she has owned since he was three. She just edged ahead of Nicola Buchanan and Zidyllic-s by 0.18% with a score of 71.45%.

This will be Wimero’s second visit to the nationals, having competed there at novice level in 2009. Since then, he has had more experience of the big show atmosphere, finishing fourth in the Prix St Georges Freestyle Championships at this year’s Winter Championships with more than 71%.

Hayley now has two horses qualified for the Espayo National Dressage Championships, having won the Intermediate II with WG Rubins Nite at the Keysoe Premier League.

“Every year, I aim to qualify for the nationals; it has a fantastic atmosphere and you are competing against the best in the country,” said Hayley, who buys all her horses as either two- or three-year-olds.
“Wimero is such a sweetheart, but he can become over-excited. We always think of him when we hear Beyonce’s song Sweet Dreams, which has the lyrics ‘you could be a sweet dream or beautiful nightmare’. I’m hoping he’s going to be a sweet dream at the nationals!”

Rider and groom at Anna Ross Davies’s Altogether Equestrian for the past two years, Beth Bainbridge qualified at two levels with Friedrichshein.

Beth won the Suregrow Fertiliser Advanced Medium Open and was runner-up in the Dressage Deluxe Medium Open with her own “Fritz”. Beth, who has trained the 10-year-old by Fabriano from a four-year-old, said: “He was a lazy little s** before he came here and now he’s Champion the Wonder Horse!”

Proud trainer Anna said: “Beth still can’t believe it. It was a big open class with several Olympic riders. Instead of wilting, she rode her socks off and beat them all.

“Fritz has super changes – big and uphill – the only problem is looking elegant on him while he’s doing them. He’s done a couple of PSGs already and we are hoping to take him international next year.”

Sharon Edwards and Rivaal won the Stretch & Flex Elementary Open with 73.13% and posted the highest score of this regional championship.

Sharon’s mum Jenny owns the nine-year-old Danish-bred gelding by Blue Hors Romanov, who competed at his first nationals last year.

“We bought him as an unbroken three-year-old to sell, but couldn’t bring ourselves to let him go as we felt he’s quite special; he’s by far the most talented horse I’ve ridden.

“Because he’s so good at home, I hadn’t taken him to many shows and he had led a bit of a sheltered life. My aim this year has been to campaign him and get him used to buzzy show atmospheres as last year’s nationals was a disaster; he’s like a Duracell battery when he’s running on his nerves. It absolutely came off at Sparsholt and I’m intrigued to see what happens at the nationals this year!”

Picture: Kevin Sparrow.

Visualise Sportswear Preliminary
Jasmine Clare and Rohdstar (owner: Rider) 73.03%
Ruth Stevens and Flamenco II (owner: Rider) 70%
Lisa Smith and Fly By Star (owner: Rider) 69.85%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Restricted
Vickie Archer and Burlyn’s Bold As Brass (owner: Hilary Davey & Rider) 71.61%
Amy Francis and Fables First Magnum (owner: Sue Griffith) 71.26%
Ruth Stevens and Flamenco II (owner: Rider) 70.23%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Open
Cecilia Hawthorne and Calgary (owner: Rider) 71.95%
Holly Browne and Sigurd (owner: Rider) 70.57%
Amy Blount and Sweetheart (owner: Hillary Davey & Jennie Loriston-Clarke) 69.43%

Stretch & Flex Elementary Restricted
Anna Lawson and Carentino Z (owner: Rider) 72.08%
Jon Pavitt and Keystone Walente (owner: Fiona Pavitt), 67.29%

Stretch & Flex Elementary Open
Sharon Edwards and Rivaal (owner: Johanna Edwards) 73.13%
Nadine Gregory and Candover Dramatico (owner: Rider) 72.50%
Jacky Stolper and Die Oder Kien (owner: Rider) 71.15%

Dressage Deluxe Medium Restricted
Hannah Bates and Essentially M and S (owner: Rider) 69.91%
Laura Gillespie and Flane Rockingham (owner: Rider) 68.20%

Dressage Deluxe Medium Open
Debbie Poynter and Keystone For Real (owner: Rider), 70.90%
Beth Bainbridge and Friedrichshein (owner: Rider) 69.91%
Lucy Cartwright and Samba Dancer (owner: Christie Edwards & Audrey Lawrence) 69.10%
Emile Faurie and Duke Ellington (owner: Patricia Vaughan) 69.01%

Suregrow Fertiliser Advanced Medium Restricted
Claire Randall and Decree (owner: Angela Collins) 69.04%
Charlie Sawyer and Zandiego (owner: Elizabeth Steer) 67.98%

Suregrow Fertiliser Advanced Medium Open
Beth Bainbridge and Friedrichshein (owner: Rider) 71.23%
Emile Faurie and Ebony VIII (owner: Michael Franklin) 70.26%
Alice Oppenheimer and Headmore Roxanne (owner: Sarah Oppenheimer) 67.54%

Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges
Laura Tomlinson and Unique VIII (owner: Wilfried Bechtolsheimer) 71.23%

Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I
Hayley Watson-Greaves and WG Don Wimero (owner: Rider) 71.45

Dutch dressage rider Adelinde Cornelissen has been selected for the Dutch team by chef d’équip Wim Ernes. The pair could go to the European championships provided that her horse Parzival is fit to compete after his arrhythmias. Recently the Dutch had a trainings camp in Vorden (The Netherlands) and Adelinde showed a very fit Parzival.

Adelinde: ‘It felt good so it is good! After a period of rest and light training this was the first test and the first time I rode some exercises. I rode a bit safe but we were clear in the test. The coming two weeks we will work on the details and than Parzival and I are ready for the Europeans!’

HorsUS.

Both world champions young horses are from Germany: the victory in the championship for six years old was for last year’s champion Sa Coeur (by Donnerhall I) and Eva Möller.

After the final there was quite a discussion about this winner. Sa Coeur got 9,04 and the main judge Dietrich Plewa said Sa Coeur was perfectly on the aids but the changes prove him wrong. The winner of the silver medal, Damon’s Delorange was clear and showed lightness but got 8,92. The bronze medal was for a German combination as well: Heiner Schiergen with Discovery OLD.

Scolari mare Scara Boa was by far the best in the five year old championship: she got 9,60 and was ridden by German Lena Stegemann. Danish Andreas Helgstrand showed Floricello 2 (by Florencio) and came second (8,72). The bronze medal went to Dutch Emmelie Scholtens and Dorado 203 (by Krack C).

British Dressage.

Jo Hamilton dominated the recent Scottish Regional Championships at the Rowallan Activity Centre (3 – 4 August) with a hat trick of wins on two six-year-olds, both sired by Negro.

She headed the Stretch & Flex Elementary Open and Dressage Deluxe Medium Open with Corpachin (pictured). Jo also gained the highest score of the regionals in the elementary with 73.79% on “Colin”, whom she owns with Lady Hope.

Jo has had much success in young horse classes with this British-bred gelding and will be vying for another national title, having won the novice open national championships last year.

“We’ve had a breakthrough by moving up to medium level as the challenge focuses his mind. He was the most relaxed he’s ever been, which meant I could ask for more expression in the trot work,” she said.

Jo, who trains with Carl Hester, also headed the Dodson & Horrell Novice Open with Cantos. Jo was given the ride last year by Carl and his new owner since the spring, Judith Douglas Miller, has allowed Jo to continue competing him.

“I’ve really come up trumps. Both horses are such genuine characters and try their hearts out,” said Jo, who will be competing at the Nationals on three horses as she has also qualified Vivaldi at prix st georges level. “It was lovely to have him already qualified as you never know what will happen at the regionals. The novice class was particularly hot and there was no clear favourite, so it matters how you perform on the day.”

Hot on Jo’s heels in both the elementary and medium classes was Hannah Guild (25) riding Corienta, her athletic six-year-old KWPN mare by Santano.

Eilidh Grant had some reparation for her tough decision to withdraw her ride Comanche Crumble from the Young Rider European Dressage Championships last month and concentrate on qualifying for next month’s Nationals.

“Crumble”, a 17-year-old British-bred mare by Cassander owned by Eilidh’s mum Lorraine, had been suffering from a suspected pollen allergy, but was on great form here to win both the Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges and Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I.

In the Visualise Sportswear Preliminary, Jennifer Wisdom rode the Welsh cob Pentrefelin Serena to take the class with an impressive score of nearly 72%. Jennifer (16) from Carluke, has been riding the six-year-old Welsh section D mare by Pentrefelin Sorento out of Knavestock Seren for two years.

Picture by: Kevin Sparrow

Visualise Sportswear Preliminary

Jennifer Wisdom and Pentrefelin Serena (owner: Rider) 71.82%

Lesley Taylor and Superted II (owner: Rider) 71.52%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Restricted

Amanda Bowie and The Silver Spirit (owner: Rider) 66.67%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Open

Joanna Hamilton and Cantos (owner: Judith Douglas Miller) 73.79%

Carmen Gammie and Amalia B (owner: Rider) 70%

Stretch & Flex Elementary Restricted

Samantha Dawn Turpitt and Busilus (owner: Rider) 68.02%

Stretch & Flex Elementary Open

Jo Hamilton and Corchapin (owner: Rider and Lady Hope) 73.44%

Hannah Guild and Corienta (owner: Rider) 70.42%

Dressage Deluxe Medium Restricted

Katie James and Pauldary’s Zarla Blue (owner: Julie Elton) 67.03%

Katherine Tullie and Arctic Jazz (owner: Rider) 67.03%

Dressage Deluxe Medium Open

Jo Hamilton and Corchapin (owner: Lady Hope and Rider) 72.25%

Hannah Guild and Corienta (owner: Rider) 71.71%

Suregrow Fertiliser Advanced Medium Restricted

Anthony Readman and The Grafter (owner: Rider) 66.14%

Gillian Parker and Zaphira (owner: Rider) 65.18%

Suregrow Fertiliser Advanced Medium Open

Emma Blundell and Keystone Diaz (owner: Rider) 68.86%

Jayne Jolly and Sam Sam (owner: rider ) 66.32%

Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges

Eilidh Grant and Comanche Crumble (owner: Lorraine Grant) 69.04%

Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I

Eilidh Grant and Comanche Crumble (owner: Lorraine Grant) 69.21%

HorsUS.

Beside the world championships in young horses in Verden (Germany) there was a big tour competition on the program as well. German Nadine Capellmann has won the Grand Prix aboard Girasol. Yesterday the two won the Grand Prix Special as well with a score of almost 75%.

German Jessica von Bredow-Werndl came second with 2,5 less. She competed the Dutch bred stallion Unee BB (by Gribaldi) and scored 73,208%. The third prize was for Germany as well: Hubertus Schmidt and Donelly 3 (by Donnerruf)

Alexandra Beckstett.

Many riders and trainers believe the tighter they fasten a horse’s noseband, the more control they will have while riding. True, tight nosebands increase a horse’s sensitivity to the bit, but they could also inflict pain and cause tissue damage, said Orla Doherty, MVB, MSc, MRCVS, of University College Dublin and the University of Limerick.

She and her colleagues recently conducted a study measuring noseband pressures, and she presented their results at the 9th Annual International Society for Equitation Science, held July 18-20 at the University of Delaware, in Newark.

“Pressure applied by tight nosebands can restrict normal movements of the jaw, such as chewing or yawning, but the potential for damage to soft tissues, such as nerves, within the head is poorly understood,” Doherty said. “We’re measuring pressure so we can hopefully set safe (noseband tightness) guidelines. This will help to protect the welfare of the ridden horse and will also help prevent the development of painful lesions. We will also hopefully help improve horse and rider safety, as horses in pain are more likely to display flight or fear responses such as head-tossing, bolting, etc.”

As part of their background research, Doherty and her team looked at the types of nosebands commonly in use. They evaluated 850 show jumping horses, ranging from amateur to international level mounts, and found that only 20% wore simple cavesson nosebands (that encircle the nose one to two inches below the cheek bone). The remaining 80% wore flash (which features a second strap running from the cavesson around the nose in front of the bit and under the chin groove), grackle (also known as a figure-eight, which crosses from the top of one cheek bone, over the nose to the chin groove on the other side, under the horse’s chin, and back up to the opposite cheekbone), or other nosebands.

Doherty’s team was also interested in how tight riders were fastening these nosebands. They evaluated 140 young (4- to 5-year-old) event horses, 10 Irish Drafts, and 50 Connemara ponies competing over a cross country course and found that only 12% wore nosebands loose enough to fit two fingers underneath, flat on top of the nose (considered the standard space recommendation). Forty-seven percent had nosebands too tight to fit any fingers beneath.

To investigate possible pressures exerted by tight nosebands Doherty and her colleagues have developed two pressure detection systems: one to measure noseband tension and nose curvature and another to measure direct pressure on the horse’s nose.

For the first method the team inserted a Bluetooth-equipped strain gauge device into the study horse’s cavesson noseband. They fastened the noseband to two fingers tightness and collected data while the horse was fed hay and hard feed, and also while the horse was ridden at the walk, trot, and canter in both directions and performed upward and downward transitions. They used a curved ruler to measure the indentations on the horse’s face where the noseband usually rode and used special software to digitize the horse’s facial profile.

“We need to take into account curvature because if we tie or fasten something around an area of the body that has very sharp prominences (e.g., the nasal or jaw bones), pressure over these points (and the possibility for pain or tissue damage) is going to be much higher,” Doherty noted.

Upon viewing the results of this first system, Doherty said, “We got a rhythmic peaking of force measurements as the horse chewed—so every time he opens his mouth, the noseband is being stretched.”

She also observed a rhythmic peaking of force with each stride, particularly into an upward canter transition.

In the second, simpler approach, the team mounted a biomedical interface pressure transducer onto the noseband’s interior surface, where it runs over the cheek teeth. They then put the same horse through some simple ridden exercises involving both flatwork and jumping. Again, they saw rhythmic peaks in pressure, but noted an alarming set of peaks during transitions, turns, and when the horse jumped.

“These peaks are of interest as they may result in discomfort and possibly pain during certain ridden events,” Doherty explained. “Horse welfare and horse and rider safety may be at risk if the horse is subjected to pressure peaks which he can neither control nor escape.”

The two pressure detection systems the researchers developed can be embedded into nosebands to measure conditions under the equipment itself, with the goal of helping riders recognized when they’re subjecting horses to high nasal/facial pressures. Doherty noted, however, that the technology is still in development and researchers need to perform studies on more horses to validate results.