BD Winter Regionals: Addington Equestrian

Competition of the highest quality was on the menu at Addington Equestrian in Buckinghamshire (31 January – 4 February 2019) as riders battled it out to secure a ticket for the NAF Five Star Winter Championships in April.

Snowfall posed a challenge for organisers, officials and riders alike, forcing the postponement of Friday’s classes to Monday, but with slick organisation and the rescheduling of arrangements, the Championships proved a huge success.

Addington was the first of the 2019 Winter Regional Championships and what better way to start the eight-date run than with Olympic Champion Charlotte Dujardin showcasing two of her promising young horses. This is the second year that non-freestyle PSG and Inter levels have featured, and Charlotte was crowned the winner of both, presenting Mount St John VIP (pictured) beautifully to take the Magic Prix St Georges and Superflex Intermediate I with 74.82% and 74.38% respectively.

The exquisite Mount St John VIP (Vivaldi x Donnerhall), an eight-year-old mare owned by Emma Blundell, is quite rightly rated highly by her rider. Unbeatable in the Small Tour classes at Addington High Profile Show last month, Charlotte and VIP will be ones to watch at Hartpury in April.

Charlotte also made a debut appearance with five-year-old MSJ Charmer (Charmeur x Danone I), a gelding bought by Charlotte from Mount St John when he was a foal. Competed until now by former international eventer Rob Barker, this was the horse’s first time in the arena with Charlotte at the helm. The pair scored 76.35% to claim the Blue Chip Novice Gold.

Lincolnshire rider James Boulton took the KBIS Preliminary Silver regional title with his beautiful mare, Florence PFB (by Ampére) - pictured right, on a score of 73.67%. James (41) has returned to riding from a 20-year break, following a pivotal life moment in late 2017. “I’d had a cancer scare in the November and December,” he said. “I then saw Florence advertised on Amy Woodhead’s Facebook page last January and the mare made me reassess my life.

“Florence had been with Amy, when Amy was working at Carl Hester’s. She was a broodmare and had a foal at three, then later another, by Uthopia. She’d done very little and only started full work last April. She was backed as a four-year-old by Holly Woodhead. Tracy [Amy and Holly’s mother] later fell in love with Florence, and thinking she was more suited to dressage and because she moves so well, put her in foal.”

The connection between James and the Woodhead family goes back a long way. “I used to train with Ian Woodhead when I was in Juniors, before going to Talland on an apprenticeship, and I then helped Adam [Kemp] when he went solo.” Twenty years on, James is back in the Woodhead fold, taking time out of full-time work to focus on Florence and help out at Amy’s base, Weelsby Park in Grimsby.

“That mare [Florence] is everything – she’s brilliant,” added James. “Amy always thought she needed that one-to-one relationship with a rider, and she does. She just really loves to work. Hacking worries her a little, and when in the field she just wants to come in, but her work she loves.”

British Dressage thanks Addington Equestrian, the Winter Championships class sponsors and all involved for a successful Regional Championships. Congratulations to all qualified combinations and to everyone who took part.

Regional Champions:

KBIS Preliminary Silver
James Boulton with Florence PFB, 73.67%

Blue Chip Novice Silver
Lyndsay Gammon with Glorestan Jazz, 70.00%

Blue Chip Novice Gold
Charlotte Dujardin with MSJ Charmer, 76.35%

Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Freestyle Silver
Zoe Florence with Hirstmund Merlot, 73.88%

Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Freestyle Gold
Amanda Shirtcliffe with New Princess, 73.51%

Equi-Trek Elementary Silver
Katie Roberts with Nemo VII, 72.91%

Equi-Trek Elementary Gold
Jennifer Martell with Fiderstan, 76.14%

Suregrow Elementary Freestyle Silver
Gracie Catling with Henton for Fun, 72.17%

Suregrow Elementary Freestyle Gold
Jayne Turney with Hitchcock, 74.10%

TheraPlate Medium Silver
Melissa Richardson with Gravgaard’s Sir Dundee, 68.28%

TheraPlate Medium Gold
Fiona Brennan with De Angelis II, 69.64%

Spillers Medium Freestyle Silver
Sophie Watkins with Inca Spirit, 69.44%

Spillers Medium Freestyle Gold
Sarah Williams with San Remo Hitt, 71.22%

Charles Owen Advanced Medium Silver
Antonia Brown with SJL Doc Holliday, 71.49%

Charles Owen Advanced Medium Gold
Becky Edwards with Fantasia, 70.78%

Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Silver
Keri Bates with Ekko Christianlund Gevalia, 74.77%

Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Gold
Lizzie Murray with Ulyssa, 76.50%

Magic Prix St Georges Gold
Charlotte Dujardin with Mount St John VIP, 74.82%

Superflex Intermediate I Gold
Charlotte Dujardin with Mount St John VIP, 74.38%