Festival Focus - Northallerton
Northallerton was our next venue for the Summer Area Festivals. This popular venue welcomed riders in the hopes to gain tickets to the championships at Arena UK in October.
Hannah Lane and Lord Cortland won the Preliminary Bronze class at Northallerton Equestrian Summer Area Festival, with an amazing score of 70.49% in a field of 28 competitors. Hannah told us about her love for the Area Festivals and what it means to compete, “I loved competing at Area Festivals because it’s a huge achievement to get there! It’s so friendly with so many people wanting to help with quite a calm atmosphere too!”
In preparation for the day Hannah is sure to triple check everything is packed, “I’m known to forget at least one thing every competition!” Whilst also on the lead up to the event, “training mainly is keeping Lord focussed, he can be a difficult horse to ride so keeping him focussed can be a task!” With some extra attention on “practising straight halts as he loves to be sassy and just step out with a hind leg every time.”
Reflecting on how their test went on the day Hannah tells us, “completing the test and just being proud of Lord trying his hardest is a huge highlight every time, regardless of score or placing!” However Hannah does admit that the lovely gelding’s “canter transitions and square halt gave me such a grin throughout!”
The three judges were impressed with Hannah and Lord’s test, Hannah shares, “gaining 8s are always a thrill, never mind at an Area Festival! All judges recognising how agile and flexible he is really stood out to me.”
Hannah brough Lord as a rising four-year-old, and he is the first youngster and first warmblood she has owned, “that year I really hacked and got to know him ready to start training and competing at five.” However their journey wasn’t so straight forward, “unfortunately he had an accident in the field at five-years-old where he got sepsis and ligament damage in his elbow. After 3 operations to get on top of the sepsis, we still weren’t sure if he was going to survive. He came home with strong of antibiotics and a lot of hope that he fought it off.”
Despite almost loosing him, Hannah’s dedication and love towards Lord helped him to a full recover, Hannah explains, “after a year of recovery, at six I got back on him which he thrived! He was keen and ready for work! After a full rehab program from E Green Animal Physiotherapy, he started basic flatwork with small jumping. We soon learned he had a huge jump!” Lord’s talent inspired Hannah to start eventing him with BE, which he loved, “apart from some encouragement at the water!” However, after a couple years eventing, he began not to enjoy the competition as much, which led Hannah and Lord to take to dressage.
Due to the gelding being “quite difficult and sensitive to ride” Hannah planned on getting him out to lots of different arenas and seeing the white boards. “After he got used to these, he started to really enjoy dressage, this year he’s really come into his own with dressage, when he gets in those whiteboards, he knows his job and it’s a pleasure to be his partner! Although to do have to stay switched on in case a bird flies out of the tree nearby!”
Hannah explains how she keeps Lord’s work varied, “we mix things up with dressage, showing and jumping when he’s happy to!” Their partnership is so important to Hannah, “for this horse to be living happy and healthy is more than I could ask for. For him to get scores like this and placings like this, is overwhelming. I’ll forever be thankful for every single ounce of effort he puts in.”
Gemma Gurr with Highclaire Cailin Beag finished in 20th in the Prelim Bronze with 64.03% from the judges. Gemma only became a BD Member in February of this year she tells us, “I had little expectation but liked the idea of joining as a youngster and being to keep track of our record as we progress.”
Competing in the Area Festival series has helped Gemma create goals to work towards, “I love having something to work towards and I had heard amazing things about Area Festivals.” But she explains how, “never in a million years did I think me and my pony that I backed myself and have owned from a two-year-old, would qualify in our first few BD outings.”
Gemma describes what she has enjoyed the most about competing at the Area Festivals, “I loved how the Area Festivals are open to everyone, and even having a youngster at her first championship competition we felt so welcome and at ease, but also found that the competition were run in a way to really make you feel special.”
In preparation for the big event Gemma explains, “on the run up to the Area Festivals I had been watching a lot of dressage tests including some of the YouTube videos by Petplan featuring Charlie Hutton.” When it came to training with beautiful Bea, “I hired an area to practice the long format tests and with her being young I also have to make sure I change things up a bit, plenty of hacking and a little bit of jumping as she loves her jumping too.”
Gemma also spoke to us about her dressage journey so far, “when I got Bea as a two-year-old she was very reactive, rather spooky and would not go on the box. In the four years I have had her I have done everything with her myself and it has definitely been a journey of blood, sweat and tears.” The Area Festivals were an “emotional highlight” for the combination’s journey so far, “seeing my beautiful girl I paid £1,800 for, stand against some of the amazing horses, I was bursting with pride. She travelled there like a dream stood quietly at the trailer, took in her surroundings like an absolute pro and if anything she was a like too confident with her ability on the day!”
Following the Area Festival at Northallerton, Gemma was excited to go out competing again to gain her qualifying scores for the Winter Area Festivals, “I know she definitely has the potential to improve but getting comments such as ‘Lovely partnership’, ‘attractive horse’ by two judges and ‘lovely combination’ absolutely made my day.”