Wins all round for Brits at Nice CDI3*

The three British riders who travelled to the South of France for Nice CDI3* (4 – 7 October 2018) have each returned victorious from the French Riviera venue.

Prolific Grand Prix rider Emma Hindle has been ‘on tour’ this year with Romy Del Sol (pictured earlier this year) to give the horse experience in the show environment and it’s certainly paying off. So far this season, Emma and the 12-year-old Blue Hors Romanov mare have shown excellent results with consistent high placings and wins at CDIs across Europe including Keysoe, Aalborg, Mannheim, Wiesbaden, Rotterdam and Waregem.

Maintaining this form, their campaign in France last week resulted in two personal best scores for the combination. A super mark of 71.522% gave them victory in the Grand Prix, with Germany’s Alexander Matthias Rath and Foundation 22 taking second and Russia’s Tatiana Miloserdova and Florento Fortuna completing the top three.

Then on to Saturday, Emma held her domination to win once again, this time on 72.660%, with Miloserdova taking second and Rath, third - the ground jury of Alban Tissot (FRA) at H, Thomas Lang (AUT) at E, Eduard De Wolff Van Westerrode (NED) at C, Maria Colliander (FIN) at M and Magnus Ringmark (SWE) at B in total agreement of their placing of each competitor in the class.

In the Small Tour divisions, Great Britain’s representatives both rose to the fore. In Friday’s Prix St Georges, Kate Lister and World Exclusive (World of Dreams x Rohdiamant) and Sarah Williams with Georgina Howard’s mare Bohigas W (Breitling W x Fabriano) delivered solid tests for 69%-plus for third and fourth place respectively. Kate and World Exclusive (pictured right) then claimed the next day’s Inter I just ahead of second-placed Sarah (pictured below) who went on take the Inter I Freestyle with 70.775%.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Kate told British Dressage after her return home to Warwickshire. “This has finished my year beyond expectations.”

Kate acquired 12-year-old ‘Wex’, a former ride of Lesley Peyton-Gilbert, in February of this year and quickly formed a good partnership with the handsome chestnut gelding.

“He came in to Henry’s [Boswell who is based at Kate’s yard] to be sold. When I rode him we clicked immediately - I’ve never clicked with a horse that quickly before. The minute you get on it’s a wonderful feeling. To start with I tried to ‘ignore’ the horse but one day as I was riding, Henry shouted ‘you’ve got to buy him!” said Kate who credits Lesley as having done ‘a wonderful job’.

This year, the new partnership has competed only in Premier Leagues, being placed in the top five each time. “We then went to the Nationals, being placed fifth in the Inter I and seventh in the Music. It’s taken me 18 years to get back to the Nationals so this was such a big boost.”

Talking about her rides in Nice, Kate describes the PSG as a good, clean test. “He’s a good at pulling off a good, clean test on the first day. Then on the day of the Inter I it was very hot. I tried to keep the warm up short, and I rode him a bit harder as the heat was getting to him a little. But he just tried his hardest for me! The pirouettes we’ve been working hard to improve, and they really came off which I was very happy with.”

Looking ahead, Kate, who trains with both Henry Boswell and Carl Hester is aiming for a CDI at Medium Tour before a step up to Big Tour next year. “He’s proven that he can cut the mustard,” said Kate, reflecting on the start to their international career.

Results of the British riders:

Grand Prix
1st Emma Hindle with Romy Del Sol, 71.522% (GBR)
9th Emma Hindle with Diesel 8, 63.674% (GBR)

Grand Prix Special
1st Emma Hindle with Romy Del Sol, 72.660% (GBR)

Grand Prix Freestyle
1st Remy Bastings with Dior S, 72.875% (NED)
2nd Emma Hindle with Diesel 8, 66.125% (GBR)

Prix St Georges
1st Laureen Poncelet with Andretti 13, 70.265% (BEL)
3rd Kate Lister with World Exclusive, 69.441% (GBR)
4th Sarah Williams with Bohigas W, 69.206% (GBR)

Intermediate I
1st Kate Lister with World Exclusive, 70.324% (GBR)
2nd Sarah Williams with Bohigas W, 70.265% (GBR)

Intermediate I Freestyle
1st Sarah Williams with Bohigas W, 70.775% (GBR)
4th Kate Lister with World Exclusive, 68.400% (GBR)

Words: British Dressage/Joanna Bowns