(British Dressage) – British riders had a successful campaign in Saumur, France over the last few days (Thursday April 26 – Sunday April 29). There were some particularly positive results for our upcoming young riders with a third place in the Nations Cup, but there were also many commendable individual placings for British riders across the event.

On Thursday, the opening day of the competition; the British team finished with a fine third place in the CDIO Young Riders Nations Cup. The team was made up of Bobby Hayler and Active Walero, Alexandra Barr and Pablo II, Alex Hardwick and Calvin G and Henry Day with San Remo. The team put in a great performance to finish just behind Germany and France.

Alex Hardwick continued her success on Friday, achieving third place in the CDI Young Rider Individual (67.8%) and fourth place in Sunday’s CDI Young Rider Freestyle with 70.2%. She partnered Sally Hardwick’s ten year old chestnut gelding Rotspon’s Rockin for both tests. Alex had a busy show as she rode a total of 8 tests across the four-day competition on three different horses, also including Calvin G and Donauwein. Alex told BD ‘It was great to be out there at Saumur despite the torrential rain which soaked the arenas! The horses all performed so well, I was so pleased with Rotspon, he really rose to the occasion.’

There were also good results in the individual competitions for Bobby Hayler and the evergreen Active Walero. They finished third in the CDIO Young Riders Freestyle (69.1%) and eighth out of a field of 22 in the CDIO Young Riders Team Championship. Although a new partnership, they showed that they have already gelled in a short time. Claire Gallimore and the Don Primero gelding Daniolo also did well, scoring a third place in the CDI Junior Freestyle with 69.8% and fifth in the Juniors Team Test.

There were a total of 32 British combinations in action throughout the event. Other results of note were Nikki Crisp’s fifth place in the Grand Prix Special qualifier on Pasoa with 69.06%, with an eventual placing of 7th in the Grand Prix Special itself (67.8%). Alice Oppenheimer took fourth place with Headmore Delegate in the Prix St George (67.2%) and fifth in the Inter II Under-25 on her own Weltmeyer gelding Wurlizer (63.9%). All in all, Saumur proved to be a good competition for the British contingent, and when added to the results in Hagen over the weekend, it has been a great note on which to end April for our British dressage riders.

For complete results from the Saumur CDI3* click here.

Photo Courtesy of British Dressage – Alex Hardwick and Calvin G