Find out why the champion and runner-up in the advanced medium silver freestyle both opted for bold music at the Winter Dressage Championships 2020
Katharine Lewis and Albertho B improved on their third place finish earlier in the week, with the advanced medium silver freestyle title at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships 2020.
Katharine piloted Di Hayes’ 15-year-old Dutch-bred former driving horse to 71.44%, with an “enthusiastic” performance.
“I’ve been training with Roland Tong and our tactic is to encourage ‘Bert’ to go forward rather than trying to contain him too much. He has had to re-learn how to use his body. But I always thought that he would get better as we went up the levels as he can channel his energy into the harder movements.
“Today he was forward and fluent in his half-passes – and he always enjoys his extensions.”
Katharine rode to a rock soundtrack created by Gaynor Colbourn, and often finds herself singing along during her freestyle.
“It’s bold music for a bold horse,” explained Katharine, adding that this may have been Bert’s last advanced medium test, as they have now moved up to prix st georges (PSG).
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‘It’s been an uphill struggle – but he’s my dream horse’
Tyler Bradshaw finished second on 70.61% with another Dutch-bred “Bert”, the nine-year-old United son Gijsbert.
Tyler rode to music from Guardians of the Galaxy, and began her freestyle with a stylish one-handed canter half-pass figure-of-eight.
“I’m always inclined to be a bit different – people know me for that,” she laughed. “I’m a huge fan of the Marvel films, hence the music. And Bert is so balanced in the half-pass – maybe even more than when I have two hands on the reins!
“It’s been an uphill struggle with him,” she added of the gelding who broke her back as a youngster.
“He used to be a very emotional character, but as he has got older his temperament has levelled. Now he can be flamboyant without being too dramatic. He’s not easy, but he’s my dream horse.”
The straight advanced medium silver champion, Georgia Davis, took third on Keystone Diego.
Keep up with all of the action from the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships on the Horse & Hound website via our H&H Plus service with full reports from each winter championship class, plus a gallery of winners from the Petplan Equine Area Festival Championships.
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