19TH AND 20TH FEBRUARY 2011

 

“GAYNOR PARRY ENJOYS DOUBLE DELIGHT”

After the bad snow experienced at last years competition Aintree was graced with a bright weekend for the Aintree/Fearns Farm Unaffiliated Dressage Championships held 19/20th February.

Throughout the year the Northern Dressage Group (NDG) joined forces with Aintree to help run the very successful Aintree/Fearns Farm Dressage competitions.  Eight local competition centres also held four qualifying competitions each to gain qualification for the finals, namely Arkenfield, Warren Farm, Cockshot, Croft, Bold Heath, Burrows Lane and Church Farm together with NDG at Aintree.

Fearns Farm Country Leisure continued their very generous support providing tack shop vouchers, rugs and numnahs to all winners together with shoulder day race tickets for all top six riders of each competition kindly donated by Aintree Racecourse.

Saturdays competition kicked off with a good field entered for the Senior Preliminary class with Clare Senior on the 7year old Irish Draught x TB, Flo winning with a great score of 70.91%.  Bought as an unbroken , naughty 3yr old it has now matured into a lovely, but quirky all rounder. Second place was taken by primary school teacher Dianne Brown with the 15yr old Piebald Trotter x cob Rokoe with a score of 70.45%.  Third place went to Hannah Bamber with Noble Gold Girl with a very respectable score of 70%.

The very popular music final was won by Gaynor Parry with DHI La Bamba with a winning score of 73.1% .  Gaynor on the 9yr old Belgian Warmblood has enjoyed success during the last season representing the area at Hartpury, Royal Windsor Horseshow and at the British Riding club national finals.  Local Liverpool rider Wendy Farr with Echo was second with a great score of 71.7%.  Wendy works with the Riding for Disabled Group at Beechley Stables in Liverpool and is a keen supporter of Aintree.  Third position went to another Aintree regular Val James from Tarbock with Basallo IV with a good score of 70.6%.

Gaining yet another rug for her wardrobe, the Novice final was another win for the very “in form” Gaynor Parry with DHI La Bamba with an even better score than she had done previously winning with 72.14%.  Second place went to young local Warrington rider Katie Sutcliffe winning a Fearns Farm numnah with 69.29%.  Third place was local Formby rider Pat Armfield with her homebred 10 yr old TB x British Warmblood Mebs Libermai.  Final class of the day the Elementary Final  was won by Jo Oakes on Fiddle a 15 yr old 17.3 Trakehner with a well deserved score of 68.62%.  Owned by Jo for the last six years, Fiddle also enjoys eventing as well as competing at dressage.  Rebecca Caroline Belshaw with Wolkentraum was another worthy winner of the Fearns Farm numnah with 66.55% , Beth Roberts with Chilli Boy was a commendable third with a score of 65.52%.

Sunday’s competition started bright and early with the juniors eagerly warming up in the collecting ring as the clock struck 7am!  The Junior Prelim final was won by Emily Latham Taylor a new face to Aintree with a highly commendable score of 75.65% with her ride Adette.   The Fearns Farm Numnah went to Fifteen year old Katie Rutter taking second place on the 7yr old Connemara Manninard Mairtin on 70.43%.  Taking third place was 15 yr old Olivia Peake riding Huggi with a score of 70%.

Katie Rutter was determined to win the Fearns Farm Rug in the last class of the day the Junior Novice and this she did in good style with a winning score of 67.58%.  Manninard Miartin lovingly known as “Rocky”has been with Katie for the last four years.  Brooke Astley with her 8yr old Dartmoor Hill Pony Dreamtime Mambo Magic was second with 64.83% and Aintree regular William Donovan was 3rd with Folly Foot Pocahontis normally seen show jumping around the Aintree arena with a good score of 63.79%.

A big thank you must go to our sponsors the Wrennalls Family at Fearns Farm Country Leisure for their continued support of this championship and everyone in the NDG group for their help in running the qualifying competitions at Aintree during the year and all the other competition centres for lending their support to the series.  We look forward to running an even bigger Championship in 2012.

By Denise Maitland