H&H Winter Championships: First day
Horse & Hound Winter Dressage Championship:
Blue Chip Pro restricted elementary championship
Lizzie Barnicoat’s former Equilibra champion Moonlight III ridden by Kay Waterman won the Blue Chip Pro Elementary restricted final ,the first class of the rescheduled winter championships at Solihull Riding Centre.
The pair scored 66.67% to win by just over 1% from Northern semi final winner Melissa Deville and her Daylesford Blythe Spirit one of three ponies in the top 10.
In third place Georgina Somerset and her pony stallion Welcome Sharon capitilised on better collective marks to take fourth ahead of Damian Hallam with the attractive working stallion Crackenthorpe Formula One, who as first to go had the worst of the draw.
Moonlight III,by Vincent out of a Sultan mare was bought as a four-year-old from the Equilibra sale,Kay taking the ride over from Dries Roefs at the beginning of this year.
Fourteen-year-old Melissa Deville has made an amazing return to the saddle after breaking both arms in a fall from “Charlie” in January.She rode for the first time just a week before the semi finals and since then has qualified the son of Chiddock Fankino for the summer regionals.
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Georgina Somerset’s ride Welcome Sharon was bought as a four-yea- old from the Verden Elite Sale in 1999. The Somersets had not planned to buy anything, but were so taken by the son of WelcomeSympatico that it was no surprise that the pony came back to England.
Cliff Barnsby restricted medium championship
Claire Evans and her Swedish Warmblood Bolzano scored an impressive win in the restricted medium.
Claire bought the son of Gauguin De Lully after a chance conversation while walking the course at the Grand National and has brought him on herself with help from Bridget Grant and Carlos De Cleermaeker.
Nicky Milner rode Sharon Baldwin’s Dutch-bred stallion Libro into second place.
[[ p.bought as a two-year-old in holland his eldest offspring are three this year. ]] Maria Lucas,winner of the Northern winter semi finished third with Janet Mizon’s Mercurius. The 13-year-old evented as ayoungster before switching disciplines.
.For full results click here
