We are pleased to announce that entries are now open for our GBPRE April 2017 Showing Clinic (Ridden and In-hand).

This clinic has been organised for you, as a one-off chance for specialist preparation ahead of the Spanish showing season. Our ridden classes are being taken by Grand Prix rider, National Supreme Ridden Champion title holder and Reserve International Functionality Champion title holder – among many more! – Hannah Doggett (pictured above), who will be sharing with you her expert advice on your horses’ strengths, weaknesses, how to improve, and all – important ring craft techniques to help you secure maximum scores this season and ensure that your entry fees do not go to waste! The lessons will be shared with up to 1 other rider, so this is a great chance to acclimatise your horse to a show ring situation without too much ‘buzz’ and atmosphere.

For our in-hand classes, we have multi-award winning combination Oriol Matas and Stephanie Hurstfield, whose talents in the show ring have won countless titles for mares, geldings, stallions and youngstock at the highest level, as well as numerous ‘Best Handler’ awards. Their eye for detail and precision will give you the best start to your in-hand showing season, and you will be trained in how to show ‘Spanish – style’, requirements for the classes you plan on entering, the strengths of your horse, the weaknesses and also how to improve them – as well as help with how to groom and present your horse to give the best impression. The lessons will be shared with up to 1 other horse/handler, so this is a great chance to acclimatise your horse to a show ring situation without too much ‘buzz’ and atmosphere.

Every rider will leave with an action plan for their horse(s) for training, advice for improvement of body condition and show presentation, essential information if you are to make the most of the season ahead!

Clinic details;

29th April 2017 – The Priory Equestrian, Frensham, Surrey 

30th April 2017 – Hunters Gate Equestrian, Middlewich, Cheshire

£50 per horse, per lesson for GBPRE members.

£65 per horse, per lesson for NON – GBPRE members.

Spectators; GBPRE members free (please wear your GBPRE members’ badge!), non-members £10 per person.

Entries via email to media @ gbpre.co.uk, BACS payment details for GBPRE will be sent upon request.

Entries via post to Gemma Bowles, 35 Balmoral Way, Petersfield, Hants, GU32 2HE , cheques made payable to GBPRE.

Please state whether your horse is a mare, stallion or gelding on your entry, and what session your horse(s) are entering (e.g. ridden, in-hand or both).

Entries close 31st March 2017. Late entries, if space allows, will be £10 additional charge per lesson. Lessons will have up to 2 horses per 45 minute session, to help simulate showing environment.

Ridden lessons in the mornings, in-hand in the afternoon. Times will be available the weekend before the clinic.

Spaces are strictly limited and spaces will not be secured until payment has cleared, no deposits will be taken. Refunds will only be given if the event is cancelled, no refunds will be given for withdrawal after 31st March 2017. Withdrawals made before this date will be less £20 administration fee.

BD NEWS

Success for Brits at Spanish Dressage World Finals

Two British riders returned from Seville, Spain, last week after competing in the dressage finals at SICAB; the Spanish horse world championships (15 – 20 November 2016).

Charlotte Crocker-Westlake, with her own PRE stallion Gaspar de Valle, and Alice Hurley, with Karen Bourdon’s Deseado CCV (pictured), travelled to the south of Spain to take part in the PSG and Inter I final against some of the top dressage riders in the country. The two riders had represented GB at the Masters du Cheval Iberique European final in Italy just weeks earlier.

Charlotte and Gasper de Valle were the first of the two British combinations to compete in the Prix St Georges on Thursday 17 November where they produced a score of 61.5%. “Gaspar was amazing”, said Charlotte. “He was so grown up about the atmosphere in such a massive arena”. Alice followed suit aboard Karen Bourdon’s talented showing and dressage winner Deseado CCV. Having ridden the black stallion since a three-year-old, Alice and ‘Des’ achieved a positive score of 66.4% in their first attempt at the world finals. “Our first test went fairly smoothly”, said Alice. “It was a solid test with no major hiccups – just slightly underpowered”.

Saturday 19 November saw the combinations return for the Inter I test; a class which was also being contested by seasoned international and Spanish team riders. Charlotte and Gaspar de Valle improved on their first score with a follow up of 61.8% which gave the pair a final placing of 12th. “A few costly mistakes let us down”, said Charlotte, “but the experience has left us excited about the future. Roll on SICAB 2017”.

Alice and Deseado CCV – a combination who achieved the title of Dressage Ireland reserve Inter I champion earlier this year – produced a score of 62.6% for a satisfying 8th place overall. “We did our first Inter I in Spring this year. It’s both the first time I have ridden at this level and the first time I have trained a horse to this level. This was our first time on the international stage at this level with five international judges”, said Alice. “Warm up for the Inter I was phenomenal but sadly we just boiled over in the intense atmosphere after the first halt. Some moments of excellence were spoiled by fresh mistakes. However we only lost one place overall finishing on a fabulous 8th place at the PRE small tour World Championships!”

The future certainly holds excitement for the two British combinations with SICAB 2017 being a major aim as well as further national and international dressage competitions on the horizon.

Report by Yasmin Jaouane

We are delighted to announce that The Countess of Carnarvon has accepted our invitation to stand as our Ambassador.

A long-time horse and PRE enthusiast, Lady Carnarvon of Highclere Castle (perhaps better known as the fictional Downton Abbey) couldn’t be better suited for the role, with her own PRE mare named Lara, and Frankie, an Hispano-Arab gelding.

Lara and Frankie are comfortably housed alongside a number of other horses in a range of beautiful Victorian stabling that lies adjacent to the distinctive castle, that will be immediately familiar to anyone who has watched the popular ITV series.

Lady Carnarvon first started riding as a child, and her passion for horses has remained a constant throughout her life and a relaxing escape from her hectic work schedule. With hundreds of acres of wood and parkland on the doorstep, there’s little excuse needed to tack up and take off for a few hours.

Highclere Castle Estate itself, also has an enduring association with horses, Highclere Stud was  founded over a century ago, now run by Lord Carnarvon’s sister but Lord Carnarvon  also enjoys riding and breeding with broodmares grazing in the Park near Lady Carnarvon’s Andalusians.

Highclere Castle sits in the centre of 1,000 acres of Capability Brown Parkland around which the farm and woodlands extend for a further 4000 or 5000 acres. It is all farmed in hand with a clear focus on sustainability and excellent farming practices. Lord and Lady  Carnarvon have further  developed a high-quality Horsefeeds Business (Highclere Castle Horsefeeds) supplying oats and haylage specifically for the equestrian market.

15 riders travelled from the UK to Turin, Italy, last week to compete in the Masters du Cheval (MCI) European final, a dressage league specially held for Spanish and Portuguese horses (27 – 31 October 2016).

The Brits secured a team fourth place behind Italy, France and Belgium in the 2016 European final.

Nika Vorster, who rides for Premier PRE Dressage in Oxford, led the way as she secured two individual podium places for the British team. Aboard Karen Bourdon’s impressive six-year-old Spanish stallion Chulo Msuay, Nika produced a pleasing performance in the first of two young horse classes for a score of 69.6%. With plenty left in the tank, the duo pulled out all the stops for a sensational winning score of 78.6% in their second test which subsequently earned them the silver medal in the young horse championship. “Chulo was imported from Spain at the beginning of 2015 and I began riding him in March when I started working for Karen”, said Nika. “He was very inexperienced and had only just been backed before he came to the UK. Since then we have progressed together from prelim to elementary, qualifying for area festivals at each level along the way. We aim to carry on training through the levels and hopefully make our medium debut next year”.

The Yorkshire-born rider’s form was not to be underestimated as Nika returned on Luisa Collins’ grey Lusitano gelding, Curioso, to solidify her place at elementary. With a 65.2% and 68.9%, the pair climbed into bronze medal position after a polished second test to be within touching distance of the top spots. Nika said of the affectionately named ‘Q’, “he is a very talented horse and he’d been trained to quite a high level before he was imported from Spain two years ago. I have spent a long time improving his basic way of going and gaining his confidence since he arrived. Now we have formed a bond together, it’s fantastic for me to be able to progress through the more advanced levels as I had only ever competed up to novice before”.

Pete Saunders, who runs Illixa PRE stud in Kent, rode the youngest horse in the competition namely his own Spanish stallion Danes CA (pictured). The four-year-old grey, who was taking part in his first international competition, achieved a score of 68.4%.The duo went on to post a 66.8% in the second young horse test which landed them seventh place overall in the young horse rankings. Pete said, “taking a four-year-old PRE stallion to his first international competition against much older and more advanced horses, we naturally went with conservative expectations and planned to gain more experience than awards and podium places. However we were blown away with our achievement and we were equally thrilled by our team performance”.

The weekend continued to see success for the British team with the top two places in the advanced medium test being secured by UK riders.

Alice Hurley, riding Karen Bourdon’s “fun, sensitive and intelligent” nine-year-old PRE stallion Resuelto XX, produced a solid test to win the class on a score of 67.9%. The Irish rider went on to break the 70% barrier with 71.7% in the advanced medium freestyle test, making the pair worthy winners of the advanced medium section overall.

Alice, who rode as an individual for Ireland as well as part of the GB team, said: “I’ve trained him since he was three and a half years old. He has a huge personality; a very confident little horse who has always been a little opinionated. He wasn’t easy as a young horse and he was often fiery at competitions”, Alice recounted of the versatile showing and dressage stallion. “In the last couple of years he has gone from strength to strength. We will make the transition to advanced level within the next few months, with PSG in mind for next year”.
Hot on Alice’s heels was fellow Brit Charlotte Crocker-Westlake on the first of her two striking black stallions. Charlotte rode nine-year-old Gaspar de Valle, who was imported from Spain earlier this year, to achieve a score of 66.7% for second place in the first of the advanced medium tests. She followed this up with a respectable score of 64.6% aboard her own home-bred Lago Fulgor for 12th place. Charlotte later returned on her first ride to contest the Prix St Georges with two classy tests scoring 64.1% and 65.3%. The pair are aiming for the dressage finals at SICAB; the Spanish horse world championship held in Seville, Spain (15 – 20 November). “I was so pleased with both Gaspar and Fulgor, after a long journey they were on top form and gave me their all”, said an enthusiastic Charlotte. “The MCI finals has given us invaluable experience towards competing internationally and an excellent warm up for SICAB”.

Justine Armitage, a classical riding instructor based in Wales, was the only rider to fly the flag for Team GB at the highest level in the Italian competition. Partnered with Lusitano stallion Xique Tramagueira in the Grand Prix tests, the pair scored 61.8% in their first opportunity in the arena. The combination went on to improve with a 66.9% amongst hot company in their second round in order to bring home overall sixth place. Justine, who has been riding at Grand Prix for three years, said: “Xique is the second horse that I have trained up to this level and this is the second time we have represented Team GB internationally. I bought him five years ago from Portugal and we love competing with the MCI. My next venture is to train my own purebred Lusitanos to be the best they can be”.

Karen Bourdon, the director for the UK branch of the Masters du Cheval Iberique – namely the Iberian Dressage Masters (IDM) – said, “following in the success of Britain’s first representation at the MCI finals last year in Belgium, this year we travelled to Turin, Italy and Team GB came away with a very creditable fourth place for the second time. Set up in June 2015, the IDM and MCI GB are gaining in popularity with over 130 members and 14 qualifying venues across the UK. In 2016 the British contingent has almost doubled, with a team of 16 riders and 20 horses competing in classes ranging from young horse to Grand Prix. The GB series of qualifying venues and the success of the British team has helped to raise the profile of Iberian horses in British dressage. We are enormously grateful to the MCI for organising such an incredible event in Italy this year and providing the opportunity to compete with other horses and riders from across Europe. I am delighted that we are able to offer owners and riders with purebred Iberian horses the opportunity to compete internationally and represent GB at these prestigious events”.

The Masters du Cheval Iberique holds a European final every Autumn for those who have qualified via their respective organisations. The UK branch for the MCI is the Iberian Dressage Masters. For more information visit www.iberiandressagemasters.co.uk

Report by Yasmin Jaouane