CENTRAL Addington Manor EC, Bucks | Hargate Arena, Derbys
Molly Briddon scored an elementary freestyle personal best after a four-year break from music classes.
The third-year event management degree student posted 74.04% to head the elementary freestyle at Hargate Arena riding Coednewydd Charles. Molly has owned the 19-year-old Welsh section D gelding for eight years.
“We haven’t done music for four years, so I had my floorplan redone and that was our first time trying it out,” explained Molly, a member of the High Peak branch of the Pony Club.
“I was really pleased with the score — it was our best yet. We enter to Good Golly, Miss Molly, then my trot music is Olly Murs’ Dance With Me Tonight and my canter music is the Scissor Sisters’ I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’. It’s very upbeat and suits us.”
The pair had previously been competing at medium level, but since Charles turned 19,
Molly, who trains with Alice Beasley and is sponsored by Bakewell Equine Clinic, has decided to drop down a level to take it easier with him.
Another final-year degree student, Phoebe Watson-Bardot, and her former showjumper Cyber Girl produced a 78.79% prelim to achieve the highest score of the day at Addington Manor.
Phoebe bought the 10-year-old Dutch warmblood mare as a sixyear-old to showjump.
“As I got to know her better, it became apparent that she wasn’t enjoying jumping any more, so we decided to concentrate on dressage,” said Phoebe, who is studying equine sports therapy and rehabilitation at Writtle.
“I train with Ali Berman, who has encouraged me to do dressage, and ‘Freya’ has really taken to it. These were her best scores so far.”