--Text British Dressage, edited by Eurodressage
British-bred talents were amongst the winners at 2024 CDI Addington on 13 - 17 March 2024, as Small Tour and Big Tour competition took centre stage at the opening UK-based international competition of the year.
Less than a handful of riders from the European main content crossed the Channel to compete in Addington, making the event automatically a very British affair.
Small Tour Merry-Go-Round
The CDI1* Small Tour competition provided a merry-go-round of wins for the top three from Thursday’s opening Prix St Georges competition. Nikki Barker’s British-bred Dan Icarus topped the tables on day one scoring 71.176% from judges Gabriela Valeriánová (CZE), Mary Robins (NZL) and Patricia Wolters (NED). The eye-catching 11-year-old is by Nikki’s grand prix stallion Durable and out of a Negro mare and has excelled on his way up the levels, including being a former winner at the Winter Dressage Championships.
Andrew Gould took third place in the Prix St Georges and went two better on day two, taking an Intermediate I win with Terry and Joan Barnett-Knott's Sezuan-sired 10-year-old Active Solaris. The duo also claimed the runner up in the Intermediate I Freestyle class to complete a week of top three placings. Andrew was full of praise for his team and owners following a busy week at the show, where his son Oliver was also in action in the Young Rider competition; taking to social media to comment, Andrew said, “All horses home safe, would just like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful owners for their support this weekend, it’s not cheap owning an international horse and not easy but weekends like this definitely help.” About Active Solaris, the West Sussex-based rider added, “I’ve been riding him since he was five and I’ve loved the journey; we all couldn’t be prouder of this honest horse.”
Jezz Palmer and Ketcher B (by Negro x Stedinger) were twice the bridesmaids in the Prix St Georges and Intermediate I classes, missing the top spot by just a whisker, but the duo had their moment in the spotlight in Sunday’s Intermediate I Freestyle where they rose to the top spot. In front of Mascha Reijs (NED), Leif Tornblad (DEN) and Gabriela Valeriánová (CZE), Jezz presented Emily Irvin’s KWPN breeding stallion superbly to earn a winning score of 74.167%
Big Tour: Moody and Jagerbomb
In the Grand Prix classes, it would be Britain’s Becky Moody to once again show her class with her own and Jo Cooper’s home-bred Jagerbomb (by Dante Weltino x Jazz). The combination have recently returned from a successful trip to CDI Lier in Belgium and showed further improvement on their overseas foray to score 75.457% in Friday’s Grand Prix, before going on to earn 76.191% in the Grand Prix Special. In both classes, Becky was voted the unanimous winner across all five judges.
British based Australian Jayden Brown was a dual runner-up with Willingapark Quincy B; the combination, who are currently based in the UK on the hunt for a place at Paris 2024, were second in both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special with consistent 71% scores.
British based Irish rider Abi Lyle was a popular winner of the 3* Grand Prix Freestyle contest, who celebrated St Patrick’s Day by achieving her first international win with her own and Caroline Clarry’s Giraldo. The combination scored 74.995% on the evening performance in the Addington arena to top the podium ahead of Britain’s Andrew Gould with the Skillman’s KWPN stallion Genie and British based Theodora Livanos riding for Greece with her own British-bred gelding Robinvale.
Related Links
Scores: 2024 CDI Addington
British Youth Turn Out Top Form at 2024 CDI Addington
British Long List for 2024 European Youth Championships Announced