FEI European Championship for Juniors, Young Riders and Ponies

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

BRITAIN’S YOUTH RIDERS EXCELLED ON HOME SOIL AT A THRILLING FEI EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR JUNIORS AND YOUNG RIDERS, AT HARTPURY IN JULY. A TREMENDOUS TEAM BRONZE WON BY OUR JUNIORS, AN INSPIRATIONAL FOURTH PLACE BY OUR BRILLIANT YOUNG RIDER TEAM, AND INDIVIDUAL BRONZE AND FREESTYLE SILVER FOR ANNABELLA PIDGLEY, GAVE EVERY REASON TO CELEBRATE.

RIGHT: BRITISH JUNIOR SOPHIE WALLACE TAKES IN THE MOMENT ON BOARD URSULA BECHTOLSHEIMER AND LAURA TOMLINSON’S ROSALIE B (RUBIN ROYAL X NEWCASTLE). THIS PARTNERSHIP OF JUST EIGHT MONTHS DELIVERED A TEST EARNING 70.273% TOWARDS THE BRONZE MEDAL, TOGETHER WITH FINISHING TOP-TEN IN THE INDIVIDUAL (71.795%) AND 12TH IN THE FREESTYLE (72.370%).

BELOW: INDIA DURMAN-MILLS RODE VERITY SAUL’S ESCADE (BY JAZZ) WITH GREAT SKILL ON HER CHAMPIONSHIPS DEBUT TO SCORE 71.455% TOWARDS THE JUNIOR TEAM TOTAL. “THAT FINAL CENTRE LINE AND THE MASSIVE CHEER… I WILL NEVER FORGET IT,” SAID INDIA.

KEVIN SPARROW

ABOVE: A PROUD MOMENT FOR CHEF D’EQUIPE TOM HOBDAY AND THE BRITISH TEAM OF MYLES GRAHAM, INDIA DURMAN-MILLS, ANNABELLA PIDGLEY AND SOPHIE WALLACE WINNERS OF OUR FIRST JUNIOR TEAM MEDAL SINCE 1998.

KEVIN SPARROW

ABOVE: BRITISH JUNIOR TEAM ANCHOR ANNABELLA PIDGLEY WITH SARAH PIDGLEY’S EIGHT-YEAR-OLD MARE, ESPE (ESCOLAR X DIMAGGIO). THIS EXCITING PARTNERSHIP SPEARHEADED GREAT BRITAIN TO TEAM BRONZE ON A SCORE OF 75.151%, BEFORE ADDING INDIVIDUAL BRONZE AND FREESTYLE SILVER TO THEIR TALLY. KEVIN SPARROW.

ABOVE: ANNABELLA PIDGLEY AND ESPE’S TAYLOR SWIFT FREESTYLE EARNED 77.600% FOR THE SILVER MEDAL ON AN INCREDIBLY CLOSE-FOUGHT PODIUM. SHE IS PICTURED WITH DENMARK’S SOPHIA BOJE OBEL JØRGENSEN WHO TOOK GOLD WITH BRILLIANT (77.695%) AND MATHILDE JUGLARET WHO, WITH CAPORAL DE MASSA, CLAIMED BRONZE FOR FRANCE ON 77.225%. LEFT: MYLES GRAHAM PRESENTED CAROLINE BELL’S MARE, NIBELEY UNION HIT (NIBELEY UNION JACK X SANDRO HIT), BEAUTIFULLY TO EARN 71.118% IN THE JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL TEST AND COMFORTABLY QUALIFY FOR THE FREESTYLE. KEVIN SPARROW. BELOW: JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL GOLD MEDALLIST FOR GERMANY, ALLEGRA SCHMITZ-MORKRAMER, DENMARK’S

SOPHIA BOJE OBEL JØRGENSEN (LEFT) AND ANNABELLA PIDGLEY PROUDLY RAISE ALOFT THEIR “CYRIL THE SQUIRREL” CHAMPIONSHIP MASCOTS!

RIGHT: YOUNG RIDER ANNA DALRYMPLE, COMPETING AT HER FIRST EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, PRESENTED THREE BEAUTIFULLY RIDDEN TESTS WITH MAXINE VAINIO’S SUPER LUSITANO, VAGABOND DE MASSA (RIETO X XAQUIRO). THEY SCORED 70.917% IN THE TEAM TEST THEN 71.654% IN THE INDIVIDUAL TO QUALIFY FOR THE FREESTYLE WHERE THEY ACHIEVED 73.813% FOR 13TH PLACE. KEVIN SPARROW.

ABOVE: CAITLIN BURGESS AND HER DUTCH GELDING CHOCOTOF (BY LORD LEATHERDALE) IMPRESSED ALL WEEK WITH THEIR BALANCED AND HARMONIOUS WAY OF GOING. THE DUO WAS BEST OF THE BRITS IN THE YOUNG RIDER TEAM TEST ON A PB OF 72.765%, THEN 72.831% IN THE INDIVIDUAL PUT THEM THROUGH TO THE FREESTYLE WHERE THEY SCORED 71.831%.

LEFT: SOPHIA BOJE OBEL JØRGENSEN WITH BRILLIANT (BRETTON WOODS), WINNERS OF THE JUNIOR FREESTYLE GOLD MEDAL FOR DENMARK. KEVIN SPARROW. LEFT: GERMAN JUNIOR TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL GOLD WINNER, ALLEGRA SCHMITZ-MORKRAMER WITH LIBERTAD (LONDONTIME X SAN REMO). ALLEGRA IS THE SISTER OF YOUNG RIDER TRIPLE GOLD MEDALLIST HELENA SCHMITZ-MORKRAMER, PICTURED BELOW. KEVIN SPARROW.

BELOW: GERMANY’S HELENA SCHMITZMORKRAMER AND DSP LIFESTYLE (LORD FANTASTIC X SAMBA HIT) WHO WERE UNBEATEN ALL WEEK IN THE YOUNG RIDER DIVISION, LEADING THEIR COUNTRY TO THE TEAM GOLD TOGETHER WITH TAKING INDIVIDUAL AND FREESTYLE GOLD.

BELOW: THE BRITISH YOUNG RIDER TEAM OF CAITLIN BURGESS, MADDY FREWIN, JESSIE MCCONKEY AND ANNA DALRYMPLE DID US PROUD BY FINISHING LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OFF A TEAM BRONZE MEDAL, BEHIND GERMANY, DENMARK AND SWEDEN. CAMILLE PETERS.

RIGHT INSET: JESSIE MCCONKEY AND HER FLAMBOYANT MARE LADY GAGA (QUATERBACK X SOLOS LANDWIND) ENJOYED A SENSATIONAL WEEK OF PERSONAL BEST PERFORMANCES. BUOYED BY A SUPER TEAM TEST OF 72.23%, THEY RODE WITH CONFIDENCE AND CONVICTION TO FINISH FOURTH IN THE INDIVIDUAL (74.044%) AND FIFTH IN THE FREESTYLE ON 77.381%. CAMILLE PETERS

ABOVE: MADDY FREWIN MAY HAVE ONLY PARTNERED HANNAH DOVEY’S EAGLE NOUVELLE (BY SINGAPORE) FOR A MATTER OF MONTHS, BUT THEIR PARTNERSHIP BLOSSOMED IN THE HARTPURY ARENA, SCORING 69.971% IN THE YOUNG RIDER TEAM TEST AND 68.603% IN THE INDIVIDUAL.

PONY POWER

BRITISH PONY RIDERS PUT UP AN ADMIRABLE CHALLENGE AT THE FEI PONY EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD IN STRZEGOM, POLAND (03-07 AUGUST), FINISHING IN TEAM FOURTH PLACE BEHIND GERMANY, THE NETHERLANDS AND DENMARK.

LEFT: METTE DAHL LOOKS JUSTIFIABLY PLEASED AFTER SCORING 74.780% FOR 11TH PLACE IN THE FREESTYLE WITH THE BRITISH-BRED GEORGE CLOONEY BS (CAESAR 171 X SANTANO). THEIR FLOORPLAN SHOWCASED THE PONY’S FLAMBOYANCE, LIGHTNESS AND ENTHUSIASM, WITH AN EXTENDED TROT INTO HALT ON THE FINAL LINE. THEY ALSO DELIVERED AN OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE FOR 73.057% IN THE TEAM TEST.

PHOTOS: ADAM FANTHORPE

BELOW: RUBY HUGHES AND HILKENS SHOWGIRL (DREIDIMENSIONAL X CHAMPION DE LUXE) SHOWED HIGH QUALITY WORK IN THE INDIVIDUAL FOR 69.865%. LEFT: SOFIA GAMES (14), COMPETING AT HER FIRST EUROPEANS, QUALIFIED FOR THE FREESTYLE WITH NEXT BLACK MAGIC (NABUCCO R X FS POUR L’AMOUR), KNOWN AS TOTTI. RIDING TO MUSIC FROM THE FORREST GUMP SOUNDTRACK, THE PAIR SCORED A FABULOUS 72.515%, DESPITE AN EXPENSIVE MISTAKE IN THE EXTENDED CANTER. THIS GAVE THEM 15TH PLACE, AND A GLIMPSE OF WHAT THIS COMBINATION CAN ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE. ABOVE: EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUTANTE LAUREN GERAGHTY RODE THE 11-YEAR-OLD WS JACKSON (CHISKIN JAGUAR X HIS HIGHNESS) SKILFULLY TO SCORE 68.271% IN THE INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION.