Connemara pony Slieve Rushen Frank is a man of many talents and today (23 April) added Petplan Equine Area Festival final winner to his already impressive CV at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships.
The eye-catching 14.2hh grey is a cracking event pony, scooping a BE100 placing with rider Gabriella Kozersky in the run-up to their novice bronze under-21 Area Festival final win.
The pair also have a working hunter ticket for the Royal International Hickstead this summer.
“It’s definitely a partnership that has developed and we’re now very much more confident together. We very much understand each other now,” said Gabriella, 17. “He definitely has a personality and knows that he is king of the yard! He loves performing and loves all the attention.”
Their class-topping score 72.15% is a huge new personal best in pure dressage.
“I just went for it today, especially in the mediums, I thought ‘why not?’ and he really responded to me,” said Gabriella.
Winter Dressage Championships: ‘he felt quite invigorated this morning’
Molly Rowan Sharples and Sheepcote Jackson have had a spectacular 24 hours at the Winter Dressage Championships. The pair danced their way to Spillers medium freestyle silver glory last night, before doubling up with the PDS Saddles elementary freestyle silver class this morning on 74.68%.
“I actually felt like it was an even better test than yesterday, it felt much more fluid,” said Molly, who was riding the 10-year-old gelding for her boss, David Pincus.
“I felt like I really got connection from behind. We were both a bit tense yesterday, so it was nice to get second chance to make things even smoother.”
“I went over all the individual things last night, to think how do them better today and it was brilliant. He usually gets quite tired after doing one class, but he felt quite invigorated this morning.”
Zoe Florence headed the novice silver under-21 Area Festival final on the six-year-old Sweet Madness, who the Aberdeenshire-based rider backed and produced herself.
The chestnut gelding requires careful management following an arthritis diagnosis, which includes “taking things slowly”, listening to the horse, plenty of stretching and walking, as well as dietary support.
The emotion caught in Zoe’s voice as she described how proud she was of her horse, with whom she scored a class-topping 69.51%,
“I’ve trained with Annie [Maclennan], Nicky Heale and Albert van Schie and it’s really helped a lot – he’s a little bit like a mare to ride because he’s just so sensitive. This is his first big thing,” said Zoe.
“He was really good, a little bit tense, but he knew what he was going to do. I think a fly landed on him and he said, ’get off!’ I just gave him a pat and he was fine. He was super; he coped with everything so well.”
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