EQUESTRIAN: Laurens leads para-dressage clean sweep (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

British team in top form at Hartpury Festival

11:21am Wednesday 22nd July 2009 in Sport By Jayne Bennett

SOME of the world’s greatest equestrian stars gathered at Hartpury last week for the International Festival of Dressage, which ran from Wednesday to Sunday.

The Great British Para-Dressage team once again came out on top after three highly successful days winning all 15 of their classes.

Paralympic gold medallists Lee Pearson, Sophie Christiansen and Birdlip’s Simon Laurens (on Ocean Diamond) won the Individual Championships in their respective grades, as did Aberdeen’s Jo Pitt and Sophie Wells.

All five will represent GB when they defend their title at the European Championships in Norway (August 20-24).

Laurens was thrilled with Ocean Diamond who went from strength to strength, winning the team, individual and freestyle tests.

Sophie, 21, added the Supreme Individual Championship to her tally, beating Lee Pearson by one point on 232.

It has been a truly special year for university rider Sophie, who was awarded the MBE in January.

Saturday saw a wealth of excitement among the Young Dressage Horse Championship classes sponsored by Shearwater Insurance.

In the four-year-old class, first place went to Tim Sillevis on Romano Ruinart with 84%, closely followed in second place by Gloucestershire’s Matt Frost on Don Rosso.

First and second from each class then went on to compete at the Gala Evening when Charlotte Du Jardin on Winston Bond won the Shearwater Supreme Young Dressage Horse Championship.

During the day, the CDI FEI Intermediate 1 took place outside in the Parkway Arena, where Carl Hester, from Newent, on Sasha Stewart’s Uthopia took first place with a score of 73.509%, while Ampney Knowle rider Charlie Hutton picked up a very respectable fourth place on Abira, with a score of 69.035%.

The Gala Evening entertained the 600-strong sell-out crowd.

Hester, along with Christoph Hess and Stephen Clarke, hosted an interesting Master Class sponsored by Saracen Horse Feeds.

During the evening, riders competed in the Hartpury College FEI CDI Grand Prix Freestyle with first prize going to GB’s Richard Davison on Hiscox Artemis with a score of 74.40%.

THE 2009 Cotswold Hunt and Farmers Show is being held on Sunday, August 16 at the kennels in Andoversford.

A qualifier for the Horse of the Year Show, it also gives visitors the opportunity to learn how to shoe a horse, perfect your dressage, or compete your terrier for the Crumble Cup. There is also the opportunity to try a burger made with bacon from Gloucester Old Spot pigs.

The Working Hunter competition is now a HOYS qualifier, and other new events include side saddle riding in a Ladies’ Hunter Qualifier for the National Hunter Supreme Championship.

The Cotswold Hunt Show, which was first held in 1948, is one of the oldest hunt supporting events in Gloucestershire.

Events take place in four different rings, starting from 8.30 am with clear round jumping.

Entry is a minimum donation £1 per car. Details of all events can be found on the Cotswold Hunt website: www.cotswoldhunt.org. Closing date for postal entries is August, 5. Entries on the day will cost 50 per cent more.

PUBLIC Rights of Way officers from Gloucestershire County Council have been learning all about bridleway issues straight from the horse’s mouth.

A team from Shire Hall went out and about to see for themselves the issues facing horse riders who use the county’s bridleways.

The idea to let the officers experience problems from a rider’s point of view by taking them trekking was introduced by Sarah Ellis, a PROW officer who is a rider herself, and local British Horse Society representative, William Reddaway.

Sarah gave a talk on horses’ hooves and legs, with regard to track surfaces, and William gave a talk on how to improve the approach and user-friendliness of gates, and other track-related safety issues.

Mike Barton, Gloucestershire County Council’s Area Rights of Way Officer, who went out on the visit, said: "It was certainly interesting and extremely beneficial for us to go out and talk to riders and hear for ourselves what the issues are.

"We will take all of this information and knowledge back to Shire Hall and it will definitely help us focus our work in future."

THE Blue Cross is hosting a horse show at its equine welfare centre in Burford on Sunday, July 26, starting at 9.30am. Classes include both ridden and in-hand showing as well as clear round, novice and BSJA showjumping and a number of novelty events, with rosettes to eighth place.

For more information and for a schedule, contact the Blue Cross on 01993 822454 or email burfordequine@bluecross.org.uk.