Brilliant combinations competed at our final LeMieux Quest Semi-Finals of 2024

It was another amazing weekend of competition at our five final LeMieux Quest Semi-Finals of 2024 with talented combinations and teams receiving their golden ticket to the Quest Championships in November.  

Lacey and Prince competed at Little Mill Equestrian’s Quest Semi-Final, Lacey told us, “my three tests went really well, I was happy with them.” Explaining that one of their highlights were, “our canter work in my Prelim 14 test, I was really happy that the judges noticed this too, as we got some lovely comments.”  

In preparation Lacey shares, “I have been working really hard with my coach Shelly Harriss” and the result on the day demonstrated the dedication and effort Lacey has had towards her training, really paid off. Lacey and Prince won the My Quest U21 Intro with an amazing score of 68.04%. “My favourite moment was definitely at Sundays Semi-Final, standing at the top of the podium and seeing Prince wearing his first place sash.”  

Little Mill Equestrian, “made me feel so welcome” Lacey tells us, sharing that she had “such a great experience.” It is an amazing achievement to qualify for the Quest Semi-Finals, Lacey explains how it was, “really exciting.” But the brilliant results didn’t stop there, Lacey’s team also came away as winners!  

“Our team is called It’s a Bling Thing” Lacey tells us, “I have been part of the team for a year and it’s helped my confidence so much.” Competing in a team adds another element of enjoyment to dressage, because you are surrounded by people who want you to do well. “We are all really supportive of each other. It’s really nice going to a competition as a team and experiencing all the highs and lows together” Lacey explains.  

Competing in the Quest series “has been a great journey for me and Prince to experience together” Lacey shares, “it has also been a great experience for us starting our BD journey together.” Lacey has owned Prince for three years, she describes the 15-year-old gelding as, “a beautiful bay.” Reflecting on their journey together Lacey tells us, “we started dressage together and everything I have achieved is because of him. We have had some ups and downs, but we always pushed through it. Prince is the reason I learnt to love dressage.”  

Moreton Equestrian Centre hosted their Quest Semi-Final on the 28 September. Cerys competed there with her grey mare Cloud. “My experience at the Semi-Final was great” she tells us, “everyone was lovely, from tack checks to prize giving, everything was very well organised and it was nice to have the prize giving all together and celebrate everyone's success.”  

Cerys and Cloud competed in both the Prelim and Novice My Quest classes at their Semi-Final. Cerys spoke to us about how their tests went on the day, “I was super pleased with how Cloud, felt overall, she did everything I asked, despite a little buck in the Novice test!” The combination received some lovely comments from the judges and although Cerys felt they “had more to give” she explains “it was wonderful to get such lovely scores when I felt we weren’t necessarily on our A game.”  

Having owned Cloud for five years, the duo has turned a hoof to a number of different disciplines, “we have done all the Pony Club activities” Cerys tells us. “She came from a home that primarily hacked out, so teaching her to carry herself and use her body properly over the last few years has been a struggle at times.” But the gorgeous mare loves her work, and loves being told how well she has done! “She’s honestly my best friend and has taught me so much” Cerys shares.  

Support from those around you is so important towards helping you achieve your goals, Cerys praises the team she has around her, “I’ve had an incredible amount of support from my long term coach and sponsor Isobel Goodwin. She’s truly helped me and Cloud become the team that we are today.” Having a full time job in marketing makes it difficult to balance work and the horses, “it has been a learning curve” Cerys describes “but I love coming home to the horses, they are such a big part of my life.”  

Cerys and Cloud began their dressage journey around four years ago, after Cloud needed medical treatment for her hocks, “I began focusing on dressage with her to ensure she was building muscle back after her rehab and using her body correctly” Cerys explains. Having never competed in affiliated dressage before, Cerys chose Quest, “Quest has given me a great step into riding BD, at most events I find it’s a very relaxed atmosphere with a good communal feel.”  

“My favourite Quest moment was qualifying for this year’s Quest Championships in the Novice and coming fifth in the Prelim at the Semi-Final" Cerys shares. The pair have only started riding at Novice level this summer, “it’s great that even with a cheeky buck in our test that we’re doing so well at a level that I thought was too much for us!”  

Next on their journey is the Quest Championships in November, the duo also plan on heading out to some of the Winter Quest League competitions and ride some Prelim Bronze tests in order to qualify for the Petplan Winter Area Festivals. “I am also looking for my next ride to take me further up the levels and begin to ride on a full BD membership, I’m excited to see what the future holds for me.”  

Georgina and Joey travelled to Willow Banks Equestrian with their team to compete at the Quest Semi-Final. Reflecting on both her My Quest and Team Quest tests, Georgina tells us, “I thoroughly enjoyed riding Prelim 18 on Saturday, I (and my coach) did my best to calm my nerves to help me and my boy, Joey, enjoy it, and it showed as we got a new PB!” One of the highlights of that test was the seven they received for the free walk on a long rein, “it doesn't sound much but as an ex-racehorse Joey isn't great at this so we've worked really hard” explains Georgina.  Achieving an amazing personal best score was a product of all the hard work, “it’s great feeling to know our training is paying off.”  

The competition was “such a lovely and well-planned event” Georgina describes, “everyone was chatty, supportive and it created a great atmosphere.” This year is Georgina and Joey's first year doing affiliated BD and Team Quest, “I have really enjoyed competing as a Team for the first time, I certainly feel more pressure to do well but it is also lovely to have the extra support around you.”  

Riding for Team LWD, which was created by the teams coach Laura Difuria, of Laura Woodcock Dressage. The team is made up of Laura’s students Georgina shares, “last year team LWD won the Semi-Finals and Finals to take the Team Quest National Title!” This year the team is made up of Sally riding Peggy Sue, who were part of the winning team last year and has now stepped up to Novice. Then Poppy with Romantic Sohn, Phoebe riding Peter IV and Georgina and Diamond Runner (Joey) are all new members to the team. Jo with Creggs Danny Boy are also the important reserve combination supporting the team.  
 
Georgina shares with us what it is like to compete as part of a team, “it has been very nerve-wracking at times but also so much fun! We all support each other and to share the same coach is great, we all appreciate all the time and effort Laura puts in for each of us, so to come second in the Semi-Final was an incredible feeling for all involved!” Georgina and Poppy have to train their horses on grass, due to not having an arena, so they have to go through the additional effort to train, by hiring arenas or having more lessons with Laura at her base when the weather is bad, “we are all very committed to improving no matter the conditions.” 
 
The bay gelding really struggles with big events Georgina tells us, looking back on her favourite moment it would have to be how well he handled the atmosphere, “he was so calm and relaxed at Willow Banks and tried his absolute hardest and that was enough for me, the PB score was a bonus!” The day was made even more special because Georgina’s two-year-old daughter Alba was there to watch, “it was really special to have her there, she loves Joey and I honestly think his calmness was somewhat linked to her being there, he followed her round like a big dog like he does at the yard!”  
 
"Joey was very kindly gifted to me by friends over six years ago who owned him as a racehorse, he arrived three days after his final race as a six-year-old and we've been together ever since” Georgina explains. Their journey together has not been plain sailing, “we've certainly had a rocky road to get where we are today with injuries and illnesses, in the early days he suffered with grade four ulcers twice, he was a very stressed and sometimes unpredictable horse, he has certainly mellowed over the years.” Joey also has Equine Head Shaking Syndrome, and needs to wear a UV resistant face mask when being ridden to alleviate the shaking, “we usually stick out at shows” Georgina shares.  

Looking ahead Georgina and Joey have already secured two out of three qualification scores for the Petplan Winter Area Festivals, at Prelim and hope to get their final score by the end of October. Not forgetting that the duo are busy training for the Quest Championships in November at Arena UK. 

Millicent and Cobby headed to their second ever Quest Semi-Final and had an “amazing” experience. “We went last year and were a bit shell shocked, so we were much more prepared this year.” Cobby took it all in his stride Millicent explains, “he was a legend with the decorated arenas and big atmosphere.”  

On the day the combination finished second in their My Quest class, “the test went really well, loads and loads of positive comments” Millicent explains. “We had been practicing for so long it was so nice to see it reflected from two judges. An unfortunate wrong strike off marked us down quite a bit but it was a silly mistake and we definitely won’t make it again!” 
 
Competing in the Quest series has given the pair something to work towards throughout the season, “I’ve loved having a chance to build up to something like the Semi-Finals and Final. It’s been so encouraging and has driven us to continue to pursue dressage further” Millicent explains.  

Looking back on her favourite moment of their dressage journey together so far Millicent tells us it was their incredible result at Manor Grange, “it was a new venue and quite a drive for us and he smashed it with a 71% test. There were so many positives from that day and it made me really excited for what else he had to give this season.”  

Millicent has owned Cobby for three years, and their journey together has been far from easy, “after a nasty fall on the road, our confidence was ruined. After overcoming this after time off, we started Quest in 2023. We improved outing after outing last year, getting to the Quest Championships and placing 15th. That was definitely the biggest achievement at the time.” This year the duo set their sights on the Championships once again, “we’ve come into the dressage game strong from the start. However, this year we’ve switched things up and started going out jumping and eventing a bit more!” Cobby loves his jumping and this year has turned his hoof to eventing, winning two of the three events the pair have entered this year!  

Already working on some Elementary movements that Cobby is “really getting the hang of” Millicent is looking forward to making a freestyle floor plan next. “Quest has given us such a solid Novice test, he’s so consistent now and he’s loving trying the new movements of the Elementary tests” she explains. “Hopefully we will get to a few BS shows this winter, maybe some eventing next year too! Just loads of fun things with him!”  

Abby and Hooch competed at Moreton Equestrian's Quest Semi-Final, travelling alongside her team, the Hill Livery Hooligans. Abby let us know that she had an “absolute blast” with teammates Sarah, Emily and Charlotte. “We arrived on the Friday night to settle the horses in and were lucky to be allowed the use of the warmup arena, just before we lost the evening light. The horses had gorgeous comfortable stables and we enjoyed some dinner & wine at the lorry” Abby explains.  

Using the morning arena walk to allow Hooch to see the judges boxes and arena layout before their test contributed to their great result, “I think it made the world of difference to him when it came down to our test.” Abby thanks her trainer Terri Hill, who joined the team on the day to help warm up and get competition ready. Looking back on the pairs test Abby reflects, “I was so pleased with my test on the day! Hooch absolutely loves to strut his stuff between those boards, and I’m adamant that he knows exactly how handsome he is.”  

The stunning palomino gelding Heatwave IV, or known as Hooch to his friends, has been owned by Abby since 2023. Abby brought him with the aim of competing in the grassroots BE league, “he was so capable and we had a lot of fun preparing for it, but unfortunately his heart just wasn’t in the jumping phases. It became clear that he was happiest between the white boards, and after a few enforced months off due to injury, we decided to focus on BD Quest and keeping Hooch happy & healthy.” The duo has been enjoying their dressage journey ever since, ‘he has been a superstar at all competitions and we’ve loved getting out with wonderful friends from our yard to compete in a team and as individuals’ Abby shares.  

Abby enjoys the “camaraderie and support amongst competitors” whilst competing at Quest competitions, “it’s truly inclusive with people & horses of all heights, ages and abilities.” A memory that really stands out for Abby is, “returning to competition after Hooch fractured his leg, and coming away with a red ribbon was pretty special.”  

The duo are heading to the Quest Championships at Arena UK in November after finishing in second place in their My Quest class, “our yard have a team qualification with the Hill Livery Hopefuls and our incredible team manager, Lorrie & teammate Charlotte will join us as individual competitors” Abby tells us. Abby has lots of exciting plans for the winter with Hooch, “a winter of fun, as we’ve got some team chasing, beach rides and possibly some British Dressage in the pipeline.”  

The Quest Semi-Finals are known for their friendly atmosphere and fun competition, this is thanks to the incredibly hard-working staff, judges, stewards and writers at our wonderful venues. Thank you to, Moreton Equestrian Centre, Golden Cross Equestrian Centre, Willow Banks Equestrian Centre, Holmside Hall and Little Mill Equestrian. We would like to say a huge thank you to our title sponsors LeMieux for their support of the 2024 Quest series.