Horse & Hound – 08 August 2019

48 Horse&Hound8 August 2019

Pictures by kevinsparrow.co.uk

DRESSAGE

MOUNTBALLANSUMMER

REGIONALCHAMPIONSHIPS

2-4 August

MountBallanSummerRegional

Championships,DavidBroome

EventCentre,Monmouthshire

ALMOSTa decadeofsteady

progressthroughthelevels

culminatedinaninterI winfor

DeborahChildsandBerrifield

Stuntman.Afterclaimingher

tickettothenationals,Deborah

paidtributetothetrainers

whohavehelpedherwiththe

13-year-oldgeldingsheboughtas

a youngstallion.

“JaneGregory[néeBredin]

foundhimforme—shewould

havebeensoproud,”said

Deborah,explainingthatthe

Olympicdressagerider,whosadly

diedin2011,guidedherthrough

theearlystages.“Wewerethenin

thewildernessfora while,until

wefoundRolandTongandreally

startedtogelwithhim.”

Deborahwasaimingfora

cleantestwiththeStedingerson,

knownas“Springers”,whohas

beenpunchingabovehisweightat

PremierLeagues.

“Hehashada jollygoodyear,

gettingfifthplacesagainstthe

bigboys,”shesaid.“Iwasa

littledisappointedwithhiswalk,

buthischangeswerereally

straightandtowintodaywasa

lovelysurprise.

“Rolandis tryingtopushus

tograndprix,whichwouldbe

mydream,”addedDeborah,a

freelancetrainerwitha dressage

yardinMalmesbury.“Itwouldbe

easierwitha hothorse,though.

Springersis quitelaid-back—he

willgiveyoutheminimum,so

youreallyhavetoridetogetthe

maximumoutofhim.”

KatieBaileyheadedtheprix

stgeorges(PSG)withEagle

Nouvelle,theSingaporegelding

sheridesforHannahDovey.

“Heproducedsomeofthebest

trotworkheeverhasina test,”

saidKatieof10-year-old“Eddie”,

whohasalreadyqualifiedforthe

nationalsatinterI. “Hewasa little

tightinthechanges,butit’sgood

toseethatthehigher-levelworkat

home is helping him with the trot.”

DescribingEddieasa

“sensitivecharacter”,Katiereveals

thatheis alwaystryingtoplease.

“We’llaimforsomemore

internationalstowardstheendof

theyear,”shesaid.“Hehasalready

doneHartpuryandBolesworth,

andhegetsbetterallthetime.”

RobBarker,oneofthe

region’sbusiestriders,notched

upa mediumgoldwinwith

Hamletbeforeheadingthe

advancedmediumsilverwith

WoodlanderRomance.

“Ithasbeenmanic,”admitted

Rob,whohaskepta yardfulof

horsesgoingsincehispartner

SonnarMurray-Brownbroke

hislegearlythisyear.“I’vebeen

ridingChristineKirk’sHamlet

whileSonnyhasbeenoff.He’sa

hotandverypowerfulhorse,and

super-consistent, while Alison

ByANDREAOAKES

Stuntman pulls off a win

DeborahChildsandthe

‘laid-back’Berrifield

Stuntmanreaptherewards

ofpatienceandtraining

with an inter I title

Patienceand

persistencepays

offfortheinterI

victor,whileone

trainershowsoff

two shining pupils

‘Hegetsbetterallthe

time,’saysKatieBailey

ofEagleNouvelle,as

they triumph at PSG