The Summer Championships for the Petplan Equine Area Festival series also welcome Freestyle competitors which adds a whole new level of atmosphere to the occasion, also making it the biggest single Championship in the British Dressage calendar with 1,113 combinations taking part.
The Petplan Equine Area Festival Summer and Winter seasons are open to qualification for amateur riders and are a perfect way to begin affiliated competition. Hosted by British Dressage it is definitely the most popular dressage competition run in the UK with more competitors taking part across both seasons than any other dressage series.
The horse and rider partnerships competing for the Petplan Equine Advanced Medium Silver title all had to pull out all the stops to show off their horses ‘star quality’ and it was a serious accomplishment to finish on top of the leader board.
Speaking of Polly’s Wish, John said, “She’s not the biggest moving horse in the world but is very correct and she never missed a beat all the way through.
"You know when you’re riding a really good test when it all comes together, every movement she just nailed and was very consistent.”
Owned by Ailsa Trafford, Polly’s Wish has been competing with John for three years where they have also competed at regionals. “I come from an equine background and I have evented to a high level before and I do a lot of coaching but don’t have a lot of time to ride which is why she is lovely because I can ride her twice a week and she never changes,” said John.
Petplan is the UK's largest pet insurance provider. Petplan Equine are one of the UK’s leading horse insurance providers and this is the 23rd year they have sponsored the Area Festivals.
British Dressage Chief Executive, Jason Brautigam, said: “The Petplan Equine Area Festivals Series has delivered a fantastic experience for our members again this summer and we are delighted to see the high standard set by the very worthy qualifiers here at Arena UK.”