Dannie Morgan became the third rider to win three titles at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championship (15–19 April), taking the Nupafeed advanced medium freestyle gold with Kristina Rausing’s Belinski on 72.33% – joining Sadie Smith and Gracie Catling on three titles apiece at the close of the week.
The three-way tie is a rarity. “The last couple of times, it’s been Sadie and me at the top. But now you’ve got Gracie up there too – and she’s only 22,” Dannie said.
Dannie’s winning freestyle was set to a compilation of Imagine Dragons tracks — Believer for the trot, Whatever It Takes and Thunder – put together by Tony Hobden at Equidance. “It’s quite fun and modern, which I’ve not really had before. I really enjoyed that.”
The floor plan itself was a last-minute rework. “I was trying to work out a pattern last night that might show off the changes in a better way,” Dannie said. “I hadn’t run through it before – I just thought I’d have a go. I’ve done quite a lot of freestyles now, so I’m able to adapt quite easily.”
Belinski, previously ridden by Henry Boswell before the latter’s move abroad, is a newer ride for Dannie.
“It’s taken a while to get to know him,” he said. “He definitely has a lot of highlights, but he’s quite a sensitive soul. We’re still quite green with things like our changes – but he’s so talented.
Dannie had a generous word for his joint title-holders too, particularly for Gracie, who was also second in this class with Gaynor Morris’ Friesian mare Fraithwens Wytske Fan Ter Lune. “Gracie’s mare is such a superstar, and so is she – she’s a super talent for the future.”
Bethany Edginton and Nelson HD win the Spillers medium freestyle silver at the Winter Dressage Championships. Credit: Kevin Sparrow
Winter Dressage Championships: “I thought we were going to get pipped”
Bethany Edginton and Nelson HD won the Spillers medium freestyle silver, scoring 73.06% – the week’s first title for Bethany, having been runner-up twice earlier, including with her Irish cob Lakeview Buddy in the elementary freestyle.
Going in early, Bethany had a long wait to see if the score would hold. “I thought we were going to get pipped – we were in the lead for ages,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘The last one’s going to come in, and we’re going to have another second.’ But when we got to the last two, I thought, ‘At least we’re going to be in the presentation’.”
Her winning freestyle was set to music from Pirates of the Caribbean, chosen for Nelson’s personality.
“It’s dramatic enough for him without being overpowering – just the right amount of dramatic,” Bethany said. “Equidance did my music, and it was spot on. I managed to hit it everywhere. I love his music – it really suits him.”
Bethany warmed up with Jezz Palmer of Anmore Dressage. “It’s so good to have someone there to actually be saying, ‘No, come on, you can do it,’” she said. “It was a massive help.
“He’s a little bit tricky sometimes – he thinks he knows best, and the majority of the time, he probably does,” She laughed. “It’s a bit like the blind leading the blind some days. But when he’s on it, he’s unstoppable”
Bethany’s two rides this week – Nelson, a traditional dressage type, and Lakeview Buddy, her hogged Irish cob – are, she said, “chalk and cheese”. They need to be trained completely differently. “It’s showing that what I’m doing is right with both of them. It’s paying off – it’s working.”
Jessica Allen and Hendrewen Desserts Lady win the Winter Area Festival Championships. Credit: Kevin Sparrow
Winter Area Festival Championships: Another long wait rewarded
Jessica Allen and her Welsh cob Hendrewen Desserts Lady won the prelim silver in the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championship classes, scoring 71.03% – after another long wait to see if the score would hold.
“That was brutal,” Jessica said. “I couldn’t look. I was having lots of messages from friends and family who clearly were scrolling through the results, but I had to just leave it and wait until the last moment, and then check.”
The wait was well worth it. “I think that was probably the best we’ve ever ridden that test,” Jessica said of her 12-year-old mare.
“She tried exceptionally hard. She was with me the whole week – today she just took the opportunity to shine.” The pair also finished sixth in the novice class on Friday; there were more than 30 combinations in each of the classes she contested.
Hendrewen Desserts Lady, a Welsh section D, was bought as a pandemic project. “I had a break from horses while I was consolidating my career,” Jessica said. “I got married, and then Covid hit. Working hours went up, but I still thought it’d be a good idea for my evenings and weekends to be spent with a horse again!”
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