BD Winter Regionals: Addington Equestrian

The 2020 Winter Regional Championships got underway last week, with the first of the series taking place at Addington Equestrian in Buckinghamshire (23 – 26 January). Nineteen regional champions were crowned and many came a step closer to their NAF Five Star Winter Championships goals.

Juliette Lindsay from Kent achieved a phenomenal hat trick at Advanced Medium level. The eighteen-year-old from Kent, who’s spending her gap year as a working pupil with the Thurman-Baker family at the Turville Valley Stud, claimed the Charles Owen Advanced Medium Gold, the Charles Owen Advanced Medium Silver plus the Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Silver.

Her winning Charles Owen Advanced Medium Gold partner was none other than Highcliffe Apollo (18), the prolific U21 partner of Joanna Thurman-Baker with whom he also reached Grand Prix. The Hanoverian gelding, although retired from top level, is not yet ready to hang up his boots and is enjoying a second career as Small Tour schoolmaster to Juliette. The pair scored 70.00%.

Juliette’s two other wins were aboard her own Prince May the First, a Dutch bred 12 year old gelding with whom she made her international debut in the Junior classes at Keysoe CDI last March.

Juliette took to Facebook to say, “[I’m] Still on cloud nine after the most amazing regionals with Prince and Apollo - where we won three regional titles!

“When we arrived on Friday, the Thurman-Baker family’s Apollo and I contested the PSG Gold class, where we came sixth with 68.77%, despite costly mistakes in our walk work, which we were thrilled with!

On Saturday we had three classes, starting with my own boy Prince in the Advanced Medium Silver where he was on fire to score 69% to win the class! He then went on to his favourite test, the Advanced Medium Silver Freestyle (with music from Equivisions), where he continued his super form to top that class too, on 70%!

“Apollo was feeling left out of the celebrations so he too pulled on his dancing/brave pants to score a lovely 70% in the Advanced Medium Gold class... to take the win! What an amazing day!

“Thank you to the wonderful team behind me who are making this year the best ever - I’m not sure I’ll want to go to uni in September!”

Also going great guns at 18 is the legendary SL Lucci, who won the Spillers Medium Freestyle Silver with Camille Peters (below), only a few short months into their partnership. The achievements of SL Lucci and Camille’s younger sister, Phoebe, are firmly etched into dressage history, having won double gold in 2013 and triple gold in 2015 at FEI Pony European Championships. They achieved world records in all three tests – records that still stand to this day.

Camille (24), who works as BD’s Marketing and Sponsorship Officer, has been a vital part of Phoebe and Lucci’s success over the years, from producing their freestyles to being ever present in training and at competitions but it’s only recently that she’s taken to competing herself.

“I’m so grateful to have the chance to compete and enjoy my sister’s wonderful Lucci!” says Camille. “With Phoebe’s time split between the UK and mainland Europe on placements as part of her degree, it seemed like an amazing opportunity to learn from both of their expertise and have a go at competing…something I’ve never wanted to do!

“They’ve both given me so much confidence and have made a massive difference to my riding, and we’ve all had a lot of fun having a go at qualifying for the Winter Championships. It’ll be a huge privilege to take Lucci to Hartpury in April!”

At the FEI levels, Jayne Turney and Penhaligon’s Jupiter (below) were on top form with wins in both the Magic Prix St Georges Gold and the Superflex Intermediate I Gold on 72.544% and 73.377% respectively for owner, Shirley Rixon. Jayne and 10 year old ‘PJ’, who train with Charlotte Dujardin, won the PSG at Addington High Profile Show earlier this month so, if this is anything to go by, 2020 could be a very exciting year for this talented combination.

Jayne also posted the highest score across all four days with Lindsey Roberts’ super homebred six year old, Fred Astaire WD. Jayne and ‘Fred’, a good-looking son of Fiderbach, scored an exciting 76.218% to claim the Suregrow Elementary Freestyle Gold.

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

Regional Champions

KBIS Preliminary Silver
Owen Davies and Bali SD, 75.00%

Prestige Italia Novice Silver
Louise Gallavan and Sandro’s Fire, 70.494%

Prestige Italia Novice Gold
Antonia Brown and SJL Generous, 73.951%

Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Freestyle Silver
Tasha Wakely and Elegido CXL VII, 73.426%

Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Freestyle Gold
Dannie Morgan and Breit Fantastic, 73.611%

Equi-Trek Elementary Silver
Chelsea Tolhurst and Hermitage De Jeu, 73.385%

Equi-Trek Elementary Gold
Judy Harvey and SP Bento, 73.229%

Suregrow Elementary Freestyle Silver
Laura Green and Ireldo L, 72.821%

Suregrow Elementary Freestyle Gold
Jayne Turney and Fred Astaire WD, 76.218%

TheraPlate Ltd Medium Silver
Melissa Richardson and Gravgaard’s Sir Dundee, 69.91%

TheraPlate Ltd Medium Gold
Sadie Smith and Imhotep, 72.207%

Spillers Medium Music Freestyle Silver
Camille Peters and SL Lucci, 72.667%

Spillers Medium Music Freestyle Gold
Sadie Smith and Imhotep, 75.611%

Charles Owen Advanced Medium Silver
Juliette Lindsay and Prince May the First, 69.079%

Charles Owen Advanced Medium Gold
Juliette Lindsay and Highcliffe Apollo, 70.00%

Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Silver
Juliette Lindsay and Prince May the First, 70.889%

Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Gold
Beth Bainbridge and Habouche, 74.444%

Magic Prix St Georges Gold
Jayne Turney and Penhaligon’s Jupiter, 72.544%

Superflex Intermediate I Gold
Jayne Turney and Penhaligon’s Jupiter, 73.377%

Photo © Kevin Sparrow