BD abroad: Saumur CDIOY/J/P

Last week Team NAF and a host of British young riders took centre stage at the CDIO Nations Cup competition in Saumur, France (2 – 5 May 2019). With teams gathering from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, the battle for the top spots in the Nations Cup competitions was extremely close fought.

In the Pony ranks, Holly Kerslake, Annabella Pidgley, Isobel Lickley and Bonnie Bourne produced four super tests to put Team NAF onto the third place spot on the podium. On board her own and Carl Trock’s Valhallas Zorro, Holly enjoyed three plus 70% scores and three top ten placings; Staffordshire teen Isobel Lickley also achieved the same feat with Robert and Nicola Lickley’s 13 year old Mister Snowman to finish close on Holly’s heels in all three tests. With Sarah Pidgley’s eye catching palomino gelding Cognac IX, Annabella Pidgley rode to three 69% tests and making her Nations Cup debut, Bonnie Bourne produced two promising tests in the Team and Individual classes with her own Fin C WE.

Team NAF also enjoyed a podium placing in the Junior Nations Cup event as Clare Hole, Olivia Wrennall, Charlotte McDowall and Jessica McConkey (pictured) delivered the goods in a competitive team test. Taking fifth place individually in the team event and the freestyle final, Clare Hole and Winnetou GEP earned stellar results in Saumur on their Nations Cup debut together. New combinations Charlotte McDowall and her own Alivia, and Olivia Wrennall with Tessa Thorne and Nicola Hand’s Disneyland both notched up promising results for the future including 68% scores in the team test, with Charlotte going on to achieve sixth in the freestyle earning 70.80%. On board her own Lady Gaga II, 2018 team rider Jessica McConkey showed her experience in the individual test to place fifth with 69.20%.

With several riders travelling to the iconic French venue to contest the CDI classes, Great Britain was well represented and more top placings would follow. Enjoying a good start to the year at Junior FEI level, Caitlin Burgess (18) and her own Lord Leatherdale son Chocotof gained mileage and some super scores in the CDIJ competition; in the team test the duo rode for 68.78% and fifth, before going on to score an impressive 71.37% in the freestyle to music, picking up a third place ribbon for their efforts.

Young riders Lara Kuropatwa and Alex Hellings improved each day in the CDIY competition. Making the step up to young riders with Sian Kuropatwa’s nine year old For Season (Fifty Cent x Voltaire), eighteen year old Lara picked up a brilliant second place in the individual competition with 70.44% plus fifth in the freestyle with 71.30%. Speaking from her Facebook page Lara said, “Wow! What a week I’ve just had in Saumur competing Fergus at his first CDI abroad - and his first International at Young Rider level. I’m just so proud of this horse and how he took it all in his stride and is just becoming more and more confident in the arena- he’s really starting to live up to his potential!”

Fellow Young rider Alex Hellings and her own Uvender V, a former team combination at Junior level, earned fourth in the individual test with 69.70% before going on to take a top three placing of their own in the freestyle competition finishing third with a new personal best score of 72.78%.

Congratulations to all British riders and their support teams who travelled to the event to take part. Thanks go to team sponsors NAF for their generous support, as well as LeMieuxfor kindly providing beautiful branded Team NAF kit.

Results

CDIO-P Team 
1st Shona Benner with Der Kleine Sunnyboy, 73.80% (GER)
7th Holly Kerslake with Valhallas Zorro, 70.42% (GBR)
8th Isobel Lickley with Mister Snowman, 70% (GBR)
9th Annabella Pidgley with Cognac IX, 69.54% (GBR)
13th Bonnie Bourne with Fin C WE, 68.60% (GBR)

CDIO-P Nations Cup 
1st Germany, 219.62
2nd The Netherlands, 215.60
3rd Great Britain, 209.97
4th France, 204.88
5th Belgium, 204.62

CDIO-P Individual
1st Antonia Busch Kuffner with Daily Pleasure WE, 74.82% (GER)
8th Holly Kerslake with Valhallas Zorro, 70.31% (GBR)
9th Isobel Lickley with Mister Snowman, 70.22% (GBR)
11th Annabella Pidgley with Cognax IX, 69.50% (GBR)
12th Bonnie Bourne with Fin C WE, 69.36% (GBR)

CDIO-P Freestyle 
1st Shona Benner with Der Kleine Sunnyboy, 78.37% (GER)
7th Holly Kerslake with Valhallas Zorro, 73.33% (GBR)
8th Isobel Lickley with Mister Snowman, 72.25% (GBR)
11th Annabella Pidgley with Cognax IX, 69.83% (GBR)

CDI-P Team
1st Carlotta Wendenburg with Equestricons Day of Diva, 74.47% (GER)
18th Annabella Pidgley with Ine, 65.57% (GBR)
23rd Isobel Lickley with Valido’s Sunshine, 63.47% (GBR)

CDI-P Individual 
1st Lara van Nek with Brouwershaven’s Nairobi, 74.45% (NED)
16th Isobel Lickley with Valido’s Sunshine, 67.56% (GBR)
17th Annabella Pidgley with Ine, 67.34% (GBR)

CDI-P Freestyle
1st Lara van Nek with Brouwershaven’s Nairobi, 74.95% (NED)

CDIO-J Team
1st Tabea Schroer with Filegra, 72.66% (GER)
5th Clare Hole with Winnetou GEP, 69.21% (GBR)
7th Olivia Wrennall with Disneyland, 68.30% (GBR)
8th Charlotte McDowall with Alivia, 68.18% (GBR)
15th Jessica McConkey with Lady Gaga II, 67.03% (GBR)

CDIO-J Nations Cup
1st Germany, 210.75
2nd The Netherlands, 207.39
3rd Great Britain, 205.69
4th France, 203.45
5th Switzerland, 202.94
6th Belgium, 197.03

CDIO-J Individual
1st Laura Stuhldreier with Diabolo Nymphenburg, 72.23% (GER)
5th Jessica McConkey with Lady Gaga II, 69.20% (GBR)
8th Charlotte McDowall with Alivia, 68.55% (GBR)
11th Clare Hole with Winnetou GEP, 67.23% (GBR)
18th Olivia Wrennall with Disneyland, 65.11% (GBR)

CDIO-J Freestyle
1st Laura Stuhldreier with Diabolo Nymphenburg, 74.86% (GER)
5th Claire Hole with Winnetou GEP, 70.86% (GBR)
6th Charlotte McDowall with Alivia, 70.80% (GBR)
15th Jessica McConkey with Lady Gaga II, 66.07% (GBR)

CDI-J Team
1st Sanne van der Pols with Excellentie, 70.65% (NED)
5th Caitlin Burgess with Chocotof, 68.78% (GBR)
11th Clare Hole with Pro-Motion, 64.94% (GBR)

CDI-J Individual
1st Sanne van der Pols with Excellentie, 71.11% (NED)
8th Caitlin Burgess with Chocotof, 65.52% (GBR)
9th Clare Hole with Pro-Motion, 65.02% (GBR)

CDI-J Freestyle
1st Sanne van der Pols with Excellentie, 73.43% (NED)
3rd Caitlin Burgess with Chocotof, 71.37% (GBR)
9th Clare Hole with Pro-Motion, 67.82% (GBR)

CDI-Y Team
1st Laura de Graeve with Feuertanz, 69.41% (BEL)
5th Lara Kuropatwa with For Season, 66.22% (GBR)
6th Alex Hellings with Uvender V, 65.78% (GBR)

CDI-Y Individual
1st Coco Soffers with Formidable, 71.61% (NED)
2nd Lara Kuropatwa with For Season, 70.44% (GBR)
4th Alex Hellings with Uvender V, 69.70% (GBR)

CDI-Y Freestyle
1st Laura de Graeve with Feuertanz, 74.25% (BEL)
3rd Alex Hellings with Uvender V, 72.78% (GBR)
5th Lara Kuropatwa with For Season, 71.30% (GBR)