Dressage Saumur, Senior Home International, Scottish Championships and highlights
A relatively inexperienced British contingent punches above its weight at Saumur international
WHILE the Netherlands’ Adeline Cornelissen made the big tour her own, winning three times with rising stars Aqiedo and Zephyr, Louise Bell and Into The Blue, the sole British representatives at the level, stepped up to the mark. The pair achieved fourth place in the grand prix before finishing third in the freestyle on 71.82%.
“It was the first indoor show of the season and he was quite a handful,” said Louise of “Dynamo” (Ublesco x Calvaro Z), the jumping-bred 12-year-old she previously rode to working hunter success. “We made a few small mistakes in the grand prix, including a costly spook, but we still received some pleasing eights for piaffe and passage.
“The judges loved my freestyle music and the crowd went nuts,” continued Louise, whose soundtrack, featuring Sweet Home Alabama and the Latin pop song Despacito, is an ideal match for the effervescent roan gelding. “Dynamo is still relatively new at this job, but he gets better and better as he grows in confidence.”
Sara Gallop enjoyed a medium tour win with her 12-year-old
stallion, Bandreo, heading the CDI2* inter B class (69.79%) after finishing second in the inter A.
“Stallions tend to be either lazy or hot and distracted, and Bandreo can be a bit cheeky and lack focus,” said Sara. “I hoped for a consistent show and he felt great — I couldn’t wish for better in the run-up to the nationals.”
Henrietta Cheetham’s San Remo mare, Schattentanzerin, built on a hesitant start in the medium tour to finish sixth in both classes.
“She’s very sensitive to atmosphere and tends to put the brakes on,” said Henrietta. “She was much more rideable in the second. I’m thrilled with her progress this week.”
In the small tour, Henrietta’s “powerhouse” gelding, Dancer Khan, moved up from 12th in his first class to finish sixth in his second — also claiming seventh in the freestyle after leading until the half-time interval.
“He copes well with everything except the warm-up, where he’s very frightened of other horses,” said Henrietta. “Because of this, I’ve never really been able to show what he’s capable of. But in the last two months, he’s really grown up.”
POCKET ROCKET
LISA MARRIOTT, who was riding in her first CDI for 19 years, recorded three top-10 small tour finishes with her Va-Vite gelding, Valucio DH Z.
“I’ve had Valucio since he was four and he’s very spooky,” said Lisa. “He’s an absolute comedian of a horse and was nicknamed Rocket for a reason.
“We’ve had a few green mistakes but he’s blown me away with his performances,” she added. “He’s a baby, at nine, and one of the smallest here at just under 16hh, but I’m so proud.”
Lisa’s freestyle music, called “One Love”, was inspired by Ariana Grande and put together after last year’s Manchester concert terror attack. Two of Lisa’s stepchildren were at the venue, but were unharmed in the blast.
Sarah Williams also showed promising form with Bohigas W, the 17-year-old Breitling mare she has produced. The pair improved on 11th and 12th in the prix st georges and inter I to finish eighth in the freestyle.
“This trip has been the most inspiring experience,” said Sarah. “Bohigas doesn’t have a massive engine and can be quite nervous. After a good first test she caught me off-guard by being a bit spooky in the second, so I really sparked her up for the freestyle.”