SATURDAY, June 11 saw the exciting finale of the Equine Awards Spring Dressage League at Gransha Equestrian Centre, Bangor. Lucinda Webb Graham had the tricky job of judging all of the horse and rider combinations.
Kicking the day off in fine style were the Mini Intro riders. Winner on the day and taking the win in the league placings was Grace Jackson and her very cute strawberry roan Welsh Section A pony ‘Trigger’. Tommy Wakfar and ‘Royalview Tiara’ were second. Rebecca Cowan had a third and fourth in the class with ‘Cindy’ and ‘Royalview Tiara’ respectively – this pony took second place in the league for Rebecca too. Fifth was Yasmin Kaftar and ‘Tommy’, who also placed third in the league. Megan Deery and ‘Patch’ were sixth on the day and fourth in the league. Seventh on the day were Emily Melvin and ‘Beauty’; they went on to finish fifth in the league.
In the assisted category, Elissa Cowan rode ‘Beltoy Panteal’ to victory and had a second with ‘Cindy’.
In the Senior Intro class, it was a win for Rosemary McCullough and ‘Burnished Denman’, both on the day and in the league. Sheila Robinson and ‘Clover’ took second place on the day and third in the league. Amanda Dineley and ‘Ruben’ came third on the day and second in the league.
The only Junior Prelim rider was Carys Black and ‘Glencairns Little Monkey’. They performed very well throughout the league and impressed the judges.
In the Senior Newcomers class, it was a win for Natasha Knowles and ‘Morning Dew’. Sarah Russell and ‘Dowdstown PJ’ were second. In the league results, these two competitors took joint first.
In the first of the Senior Prelim classes, it was Alex Ryan who rode to victory on the day. Alex also had a sixth with ‘Fletcher’ and a second in the league with ‘Dunny’.
No stranger to the dressage arena was Lynne Robinson, with her stunning bay mare ‘Hope’. They took second place in Prelim 12 and first place in DI Prelim 8. Charlotte McCullough and ‘Burnished Denman’ claimed third both on the day and in the league.
It was a very busy and successful day for Suzi McClean, as she took fourth place with ‘Simba’ on the day. This was enough to clinch victory for this combination in the league. Fifth on the day was Rosie Paterson and ‘Stephanie’. This secured them fourth place in the league.
Louise McMinn took runner up spot in Senior Prelim DI 8. Third place went to Suzi McClean and ‘Butter’. This secured them the win in the league. Fourth place went to Pauline Blair and ‘Bracken’; they were awarded third place in the league. Fifth was Karen Jeffrey on ‘Junior’. They slotted into second place in the league.
The only Junior rider in the Novice category was Robyn McMurray on ‘Rocco Banana Man’. They rode beautifully and gained a lot of confidence at this new level.
The Senior Novice awards went to Pauline Blair and ‘Bracken’. Victoria McCandless and ‘Koolstyle’ took second on the day and first in the league.
The Elementary section was very competitive, with Emma Martin securing victory on the day and in the league on board her attractive bay mare ‘Farrah’. Victoria and ‘Koolstyle’ were second and Sarah Osborough on ‘Havana’ took third. Victoria and Sarah took joint second in the league.
Caroline Herron and ‘Clantara Midnight Classic’ were the overall winners in the Open class. Sharon McGimpsey and ‘Chilli’ secured second place.
Winning the Young Horse class was Kacey Pollock and ‘Maisie’. This eye-catching mare by the sport horse stallion ‘Centre Stage’ oozed presence and quality from week one.
Suzi McClean and ‘Simba’ rounded off the day with another victory – this time in the Side saddle class. Sharon McGimpsey and ‘Chilli’ came second.
Finalists for the prestigious Equine Awards have already been announced. Commentary opened on June 15, so please head over to www.familiesfirstfinalists.com to leave your comments. Good luck to everyone involved and all at Gransha extend a huge thank you to the whole Equine Awards team for their valuable support.
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