Sheepgate Equestrian hosted 6 days of British pony, junior and young rider competition at their annual under 25 championships, held 23 – 28 August 2010. The week long B.Y.R.D.S. event was a fantastic showcase of young British dressage talent with hundreds of competition entries and scores consistently breaking the 70% mark.
Several riders shone with multiple wins throughout the week. Alice Oppenheimer (pictured) clinched three advanced medium tests scoring 70%, 69.87% and 70% as well as taking the medium championship with an emphatic 74.12% on Headmore Delegate. The chestnut gelding by Dimaggio has consistently proven himself at advanced medium throughout his first season at this level. Alice said of the home bred 7 year-old, ‘his medium championship test was awesome and so powerful. He scored 9’s throughout; even the judges approached me after to congratulate me! It’s nice to have a horse that is so capable of getting those mid 70 percentages. I kept him underpowered in the advanced medium as he’s still slightly green at advanced medium but he still felt fabulous and loves his work. Sheepgate was my last competition before the nationals and I feel that we have room to improve, score more points and be better still.’
Samantha Thurman Baker confirmed her title as ‘best of the Brits’ with four wins on Spring Pascal throughout the week, scoring 73.82%, 71.84%, 73.38% and 71.97% in the junior individual championship, young rider championship, junior team championships and young rider team championships respectively. Commenting on Samantha’s recent wins mother Diane said, ‘Sheepgate was a great way of confirming her status as best Brit at the 2010 European Junior Riders Championship in Kronberg (Germany). She rode some very good tests this week and is having a really fantastic year with Spring Pascal.’ The family bought the 9year old four years ago and Samantha is the only person to compete the Cleveland bay cross, with the young rider producing him through the ranks herself. The pair have also recently qualified for the advanced medium and prix St Georges classes at the nationals.
More multiple wins came from riders Darcas Lever and Erin Williams. 19 year-old Darcas and her chestnut mare Jellybean B took two classes during the championships, adding to their recent regional prix St Georges win at Fry’s with a fantastic 73.33% in the advanced medium to music and 69.86% in the prix St Georges, whilst BDSC Pony Champions 12 year-old Erin Williams and Danny Boy B also claimed the top spots in the Pony Freestyle to Music and the BDSC Pony Team Championship, with scores of 75.66%, 74.25% and 69.86%.
Text © British Dressage
Click here for the list of winners.
A full list of results can be viewed here