British Pony rider Phoebe Peters (above) once again proved the queen of the Compiegne CDI (June 4-7).
With her trusty pony partner SL Lucci she dominated the international pony competition winning all three sections with a convincing margin. It was the fourth successful visit to Compiegne for Phoebe.
Last year at the venue she set a new international world record score in the pony team test while this year the hat-trick of wins meant Phoebe notched up her 30th international win. A place on the British pony team to contest the European Pony Championships in Malmo in August should now be in the bag. It is the final year in pony competition for the 15-year-old from Moreton in the Marsh, who was the 2013 European champion and last year’s vice-champion. Phoebe was particularly thrilled with their freestyle win in Compiegne which scored the pair over 82% putting them in a league of their own and over 7% ahead of the rest of the field.
British pony rider Clare Hole also had a successful foray on Compiegne – which is 100k North East of Paris – winning two fourth places and a second in the pony individual test with the pony stallion Rembrandt DDH.
Spencer Wilton was the sole British representative in the CDI three-star section and Hannah Biggs in the four-star – the first event of the level in France.
Spencer and Jennifer Goodman’s De Niro gelding Supernova II had to settle for second place in both the grand prix and special being headed each time by French rider Marc Boblet. Spencer was also seventh in the grand prix with Numberto and opted for the freestyle with Julian Cournane’s Negro gelding which they happily won – the only combination to score over 70%.
Hannah Biggs and her 16-year-old Hanoverian stallion Weltzin were sixth in the CDI 4* grand prix with a score just short of the magic 70% – the class won by Swedish Olympic rider Patrick Kittel with Deja on a good score of 77.5. Hannah was also sixth in the special which was also won by Kittel.
In the CDI2* small tour British riders Nicola Jane Lickley (Zaire LH) and Alex Hardwick (Royal Chester) gained third and fifth in the freestyle. Cambridgeshire based Alex also contested the U-25 classes coming fifth in the Inter II and sixth in the grand prix with Donauwein while the long-stading partnership of Emily Harris, and Don Diabolo, an Oldenburg stallion first ridden by her father Andrew, came eighth. Emily, who is based in the New Forest and Don have now travelled on to compete at the CDIU-25 at Prangins in Switzerland.
Wellington Premier league
The brand new clubhouse at Wellington Riding (Hampshire) and its facilities, which feature viewing galleries with electronic scoring and a new café, was well received and put to use during the Wellington Premier League (June 4-7). There were 425 entries over three days of competition.
Alice Oppenheimer and Georgina Pole-Carew’s Tantoni Sir Soccrates continued their winning form in small tour adding two more wins – following those from Vidauban and Windsor – and a second place to this season’s impressive tally as well as gaining a ticket for this year’s National Championships. The pair headed off the strong combinations of Matt Frost (AMD Don Rosso II) and Michael Eilberg (Der Designer) in the Inter I and was second to Pippa Hutton and Duela who won the PSG freestyle. Hayley Watson-Greaves received the best birthday present possible from Rubins Nite – two big tour wins. The 11-year-old British-bred Hanoverian headed both grand prix and special for Hayley, A BD registered trainer based near Bristol, whose birthday it was the following day.
Bobby Hayler and Aldborough Hall Rubinhall were the winners of the Inter II beating Laura Tomlinson and the licensed stallion Duval’s Capri Sonne Jnr. The latter pair had some consolation with a convincing win in the second division of the Inter I, well ahead of the rest of the field. Another convincing winner was the combination of Laura Kuropatwa and Le Chiffre who headed the pony test with a 73% plus score. The British-bred pony stallion, who is graded with the SPSS, is a son of the former British dressage team pony stallion Caesar.