BD Winter Regionals: Bishop Burton

Team Hayler proved a powerful force at Bishop Burton’s winter regionals (20 – 23 February) with Paul and daughter Bobby taking home four titles between them.

BD Training Director Paul Hayler impressed with his own home-bred seven-year-old expressive gelding Samurai Jubilee (by Showmaker) who produced two personal best scores to win both the Suregrow Elementary Freestyle Gold (74.49%) and Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Freestyle Gold (75.19%).

With 14-year-old Da Vinci, a big moving Hanoverian by Don Shufro, owned by Charlotte Snape, Paul won the Charles Owen Advanced Medium Gold, while Bobby made her mark winning the TheraPlate Ltd Medium Gold with Fiona James’s 10-year-old gelding FJ Veyron (by Vivaldi) who she describes as “a lovely horse with big paces and a big personality”.

“It was a very proud moment for Team Hayler and incredibly special,” said Bobby, who is marrying Team Hayler rider Andrew Wright next year. “Dad, Andrew and I work really well together, watching and helping each other. We’re so lucky to have a fantastic support team at home who work incredibly hard so it was great to be able to reward them by winning, and it’s also good to know that our training is going the right way!

Dad, Andrew and I work really well together, watching and helping each other. We’re so lucky to have a fantastic support team at home who work incredibly hard so it was great to be able to reward them by winning, and it’s also good to know that our training is going the right way!

“Bishop Burton is a fantastic venue, a bit like a mini Hartpury, which makes it a great place to compete in preparation for the winter championships.”

List 5 judge Fiona Boddy from York, who works as a management consultant, won the well supported KBIS Prelim Silver championships on +72% with her own 16.1hh nine-year-old Irish Sports Horse Krafty Saratoga (by Krafty Clover), who she bought to event through Karen Dixon as a “very green” five-year-old. “Toga’s a really nice person and the most straightforward and genuine horse you could wish for. He hasn’t got a bad bone in his body, which makes him a real pleasure to ride and compete,” said Fiona, who trains with Paul Hayler and Mat Turner. “Taking him out to competitions is like taking your best friend out to lunch!”

Fiona and Toga have enjoyed much success in eventing over the years, including the Badminton Grass Roots Championships, but encouraged by their results they are now focusing on dressage with plans to move steadily up the grades with an eye on Advanced Medium in the future.

Taking him [Krafty Saratoga] out to competitions is like taking your best friend out to lunch!

Fiona travelled to Bishop Burton with Toga on her own the day before competing to avoid the worst of the storms, but endured a sleepless night in her lorry which was buffeted by gale force winds, cuddled up to her Border Terrier Tui. “We were third to go in our class at 8.45am so had to wait until 2pm to find out if our score was good enough to win, which was a bit nerve-wracking,” said Fiona. “I thought we’d done a nice test, but you’re never really sure how it looks from a judge’s perspective! I was delighted and very excited when I saw our score which was our best result to date at a regional. During our five-hour wait for the class to finish, I sat in the canteen refreshing the online scores page on my phone every 10 minutes and didn’t dare tell my family at home that I was lying in first place in case I jinxed it!”

Fiona says that being a judge herself has also helped her with test presentation: “It’s helped to sharpen me up a lot. For example, you can see where riders can earn ‘easy’ marks for accuracy and tempo. Judges want to give good marks to combinations, but this requires accuracy together with correct way of going. It’s not about having a big moving horse, it’s the picture you create; a happy, relaxed horse makes a nice picture.”

I love this horse to bits, he’s a real star and my Mr Motivator; he never argues, is a quick learner, gives 110% of himself every day and always wants to please.

Lara Edwards and Jazzed Up (pictured last year) returned from a successful Small Tour at Le Mans CDI less than a week before setting off to contest the Magic Prix St Georges Gold and Superflex Intermediate I at Bishop Burton, which they won on 73.07% and 71.05% respectively. Fondly known by his home team as “Mr Consistent”, 11-year-old Jazzed Up (by Jazz) has formed an exceptional partnership with Lara, who owns him with Tracy and Laura Milner, clocking up 12 regional titles to date.

“I love this horse to bits, he’s a real star and my Mr Motivator; he never argues, is a quick learner, gives 110% of himself every day and always wants to please,” said Lara, who trains with Rhett Bird. “In the PSG, he felt a little bit scared of the audience at first, but improved as the test went on, and in our Inter I he showed his sensitive side when a gust of wind blew a section of hay over the top of the doors during out test so he stopped and did a 360 degree turn. I then lost concentration and forgot where we were meant to be going so lost six marks; but to get over 73% and over 71% and two more titles I’m lost for words!”

Lara and “Felix” are now hoping to head for a couple of internationals this spring, including Keysoe and Saumur CDIs, before stepping up to Inter II at the end of the year.

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

The winners

KBIS Prelim Silver
Fiona Boddy and Krafty Saratoga 72.13%

Prestige Italia Novice Gold
Martin Schleicher and Tom Cruz 70.37%

Prestige Italia Novice Silver
Heather Hopkinson and Brackenspa Houdini 69.94%

Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Freestyle Gold
Paul Hayler and Samurai Jubilee 75.19%

Baileys Horse Feeds Novice Freestyle Silver
Heather Hopkinson and Brackenspa Houdini 72.31%

Equi-Trek Elementary Gold
Victoria Maw and Benito Dorato 73.70%

Equi-Trek Elementary Silver
Emma Corner and Edmonton ELS 70.21%

Suregrow Elementary Freestyle Gold
Paul Hayler and Samurai Jubilee 74.49%

Suregrow Elementary Freestyle Silver
Sophie Young and Ergane 68.97%

TheraPlate Ltd Medium Gold
Bobby Hayler and FJ Veyron 70.95%

TheraPlate Ltd Medium Silver
Patsy Bartram and Donisbroc 69.23%

Spillers Medium Freestyle Gold
Fenella Quinn and Ghita Fille de Zita S 69.78%

Spillers Medium Freestyle Silver
Patsy Bartram and Donisbroc 70.28%

Charles Owen Advanced Medium Gold
Paul Hayler and Da Vinci 69.21%

Charles Owen Advanced Medium Silver
Anna Brown and Bocelli V 68.55%

Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Gold
Louise Davison and Freddie Mercury 70.78%

Nupafeed Advanced Medium Freestyle Silver
Charlotte Cundall and LJT Simply Red 70.83%

Magic Prix St Georges Gold
Lara Edwards and Jazzed Up 73.07%

Superflex Intermediate I
Lara Edwards and Jazzed Up 71.05%

Full results

Photo © Kevin Sparrow