Dorey and Snaffles secure second round ticket

BSJA GUERNSEY kicked off their dressage summer season with two fantastic days of competition. Tests ranged from prelim up to medium level BD national qualifying classes and local qualifying ones for the Guernsey Dressage Championships to be held in September.

List-three panel judge Jane Kendall was very pleased that all riders upped their game plan on the second day of competition to improve their scores and way of going all round.

In the national classes, it was only Emma Dorey riding her own Snaffles Purple Patch who secured her second round ticket to one of the UK regional championships at prelim level and while other tests were completed in the affiliated sections, qualifying percentages were much more difficult to achieve at the higher levels.

Traci Butler riding Lorendo put in some impressive performances at elementary and medium levels, but narrowly missed the qualifying score to get her into regional contention. With the season only just starting, this young talented horse has plenty of time to develop his balance and way of going to secure his place in the UK before the July cut-off date.

In the local classes, Terry Lihou riding Lady Larino was invincible at prelim level and that was the only combination over the two days of competition to break the 70% barrier. The pair comfortably secured their tickets for the Guernsey Dressage Champion-ships and shot to the top of the leader board for the Summer Series Prize Fund totalling £400.

It was pleasing to note the young talent out in force and putting in some very good performances were Shelley Tostevin and Jodie Travers, snapping at Lihou's heels in the prelim and novice classes and almost in contention for the coveted red ribbons.

Junior rider Tostevin, competing for the first time on Ottergayle's High Society, put in a creditable performance on her new ride to score 66% in the prelim 16 class and also placed runner-up to Lihou in the novice 24 on Jumping Jack Splash.

Travers and her new pony Rock Dragon, also came close to taking one of the classes from Lihou in the prelim 10 on a score of 65.45%.

Rachel Falla's cob, Little Miss Magic, took one of the prelim classes on the second day of competition and that result secured them their place at the Guernsey championships.

Very consistently in the ribbons throughout the two-day event was Patti Anderson riding Afrodite and while they did not complete their qualification for the championships, they came frustratingly close in some of the tests.

At the higher levels, a late decision by Michelle Robilliard to give Ad Lib an outing paid dividends as they took the novice and elementary classes in fine style on Sunday, easily achieving the qualifying mark for September's championships.

BYRDS young rider George Farnon, back in the island after his recent success at the UK Under-21s' Winter Championships at Addington Manor, showed why he is such a talent by scoring 69.20% in the elementary 41 and 64% in the medium 64 with Bureside Thunderbolt.

At that event, Farnon and Midnight Brilliance (Parsley) placed seventh in the novice open championships, sixth in the restricted elementary and fourth in the elementary open.

His fourth placing was an exceptional achievement as Parsley was the highest-placed pony in this class, is relatively inexperienced at the level and was ahead of the FEI ponies with much more experience under their belt, both nationally and at international level.

Commenting on the success of their first weekend of dressage in 2006 at Chemin Le Roi, local organiser Jill Browning was very keen to promote the sport and the initiatives which have been introduced this year.

'On a national level, we are still on cloud nine after being allocated one of the prestigious combined training qualifiers by British Dressage, one of only 15 which are allocated to centres throughout the UK, and this event will take place in June,' she said.

'What is so exciting about this competition is that the first three combinations at each of the three levels will all obtain direct qualification to the Winter National Dressage Championships taking place in Solihull next April.

'As a club, we are always looking for good opportunities for both local riders and our members and we thought that this particular competition, which combines a dressage test with a show jumping course, would suit the island well. We have some superb dressage horses that are capable of jumping a course of fences and some really good showjumping horses that have very good paces for dressage, as Emma Dorey proved.

'Quite a lot of interest has been shown by members in this combined training qualifier and wouldn't it be great if a Guernsey rider picked up a national title next year?'

* THE BSJA Easter Show takes place this weekend with two full days of jumping for the nursery riders to the seniors.

It starts at 9am tomorrow at Chemin Le Roi and culminates in the Senior Open Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon.