The 2013 FEI European Pony Championships were held from Tuesday 23rd to Sunday 28th July in Arezzo, Italy.

Note that the dates for this event were changed by the FEI after the 2013 SPSS Year Book was published so the dates in the Year Book are incorrect.

The Championships consists of the FEI European Pony Dressage, Eventing and Jumping Championships and GB sends teams to compete in each of the disciplines.

Reports on the build up to the Championships can be found below with news of team contenders, selection trials through to updates during the event as the action happens.

Links to the reports and pictures from each day of competition:

News and Updates from before the Event 

Dressage Team Update

Very sadly, Gigolo (Going East x Nordcap) & Beth Horobin will no longer travel to Italy to be part of the dressage team due to veterinary issues.  Our commiserations to Beth and her family and we hope that Gigolo is back to normal soon. 

Reserves Valido's Sunshine (Valido x Marieton's Jasper) & Rebecca Bell are the new team members (pictured on the right at the final trial).  Rebecca & Sunshine were members of the British team that won the team competition at the Saumur CDIO in May

The ponies have departed today on the 3 day journey to Italy along with the Eventing ponies.  The riders, trainers and supporters will fly out later so they are there for the ponies' arrival.

Cross Country Course Information

The Championships website has given some details of the XC course being built for the event.  The course designer is Francesco Finocchiaro, an Italian who is accredited by the FEI to build International 3*/4* courses. 

The course will be a little under 4KM and although the site is naturally flat, they have altered the terrain in a number of areas to place jumps on a slope and create a lake.  Part of the course will also run through the main grass jumping arena where they already have a small lake, devil's dyke and a bank.  There will be a total of 3 different water jumps in the course - two on the main course and one in the arena. 

Francesco says "In building the course I also created a number of spectacular jumps such as the “Broken Bridge” and some based on size, also using ditches so as to emphasize not only technical expertise but also the determination of ponies and riders".  Some of the XC jumps have been built on site with others coming from France.  A test event was held at the end of June.

Two of the beautifully presented and designed XC fences in 2012

British Eventing have announced the squad of 6 ponies and their riders who will travel to Arezzo where 4 ponies and riders will form the team and the remaining two will compete as individuals.

The squad contains some very experienced ponies, albeit some now have different riders.  Carrowmore Gemstone won Team & Individual Silver medals in 2012 (with Louisa Nesbitt).  Catherston Nutsafe (a British-bred Elite graded SPSS mare) won Team Silver in 2008 & 2009 (ridden by Ella McEwen) and Team Gold in 2010 (ridden by Sam Ecroyd).  Three Wells Breeze won Team Bronze & Individual Silver in 2011 (ridden by Sam Ecroyd) and Team Silver with her current rider in 2012.  Then Craig Mor Tom (in 2012) and Killacoran Blue (in 2011) with their current riders have both represented GB as individuals at the Pony Euros. 

Catherston Nutsafe & Sam Ecroyd

Team Gold 2010

Photo by kind permission of Hannah Owen

In alphabetic order, the six ponies & riders are:

Carrowmore Gemstone (breeding not recorded) & Rose Nesbitt

Catherston Nutsafe (Catherston Nightsafe x Dutch Courage) & Chelsea Pearce

Craig Mor Tom (breeding not recorded) & Yasmin Ingham

Killacoran Blue (Blue Smokey x King of the Hills) & Pumbaa Goess-Saurau

Mr Vick (breeding not recorded) & Libby Seed

Three Wells Breeze (breeding not recorded) & Charlotte Bacon

The reserves are:

Another Island (Island Lad x Westside Mirah) & Jamie Thomas

Goombay Smash (breeding not recorded) & Ellie Williams

Nutkin (Glantracth Telynegwr x not recorded) & Victoria Smith

Following the final trial classes at the British Masters on the 5-7th July, the Jumping pony team selectors announced the jumping squad of 5 riders who will travel to Italy where 4 will form the team and the other will compete as an individual.  The ponies & riders selected are (in alphabetic order):

Ammanvalley Santino (Cruglwyd Sant x unknown) & Alex Gill

King Mac (breeding unknown) & Emily Ward

Lea du Genier (Balkh d'Aigremont x unknown) & Amy Inglis

Some Like It Hot (breeding unknown) & Faye Adams

Song Girl (breeding unknown) & Millie Allen

Some Like It Hot & Faye's sister Beth Adams are pictured at the 2012 Pony Euros

Participating Countries & Ground Jury Names

The Organising Committee and Italian Federation for Equestrian Sports have announced that 17 countries have confirmed their participation in the 2013 Pony European Championships.  They list the participating countries as: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Czech Republic and The Netherlands.

The Ground Juries have also been announced and are:

Dressage: Isobel Wessels (GBR) (President); Susanne Baarup (DEN); Freddy Leyman (BEL); Elke Ebert (GER); Adriaan Hamoen (NED)

Eventing: Annabel Scrimgeour (GBR) (President); Katherine Lucheschi (ITA); Seppo Laine (FIN)

Jumping: Lena Levidis (GRE) (President); Silvia Orlandini (ITA); Renata Raineri (ITA); Gabriella Rossato (ITA)

Millie Allen & Song Girl at the 2012 Pony Euros

Final Eventing Trial

Barbury International Horse Trials was the venue for the final eventing selection event, a special Open Novice class that was only contested by the 9 long-listed ponies and their riders.  As can been seen from the table below, it was a tightly fought contest and must leave the selectors with some thinking to do before they select the 6 riders to go to Italy.  The winners were Yasmin Ingham & Craig Mor Tom.  Individuals at the 2012 Pony Euros, Yasmin & Tom are the 2013 National Pony Champions as well as winning and placing second in two of the Trials, they must be strong contenders for a team place.

Jumping Ponies Win in Hagen

British Showjumping sent a team and individuals to the Future Champions show in Hagen Germany from 11th-16th June and there were 6 pony classes.  The first class, a 1m25 one round class was split in to 2 sections and both were won by British riders with fast clear rounds.  The first was won by Emily Ward & Wizard VIII (breeding unknown) and the second by Faye Adams & Cisco Bay II (breeding unknown).  Also clear but slower were Harry Charles & Moneymaker (breeding unknown), Christie Pritchard & Ruby Riot (Olympic Lux x not recorded), Emily Ward & King Mac (breeding unkn won), Emma Shingles & Tequila Twist (breeding unknown), Graham Babse & Wischin Chin M (CHin Chin x Cash), Alex Gill and British-bred Ammanvalley Santino (Cruglwyd Sant x unknown), Faye Adams & Some Like It Hot 3 (Breeding unknown).

The second pony class was a 2 phase competition at 1m25 and Faye Adams & Cisco Bay II were second with a double clear in a slightly slower time that the winners Susan Fitzpatrick (IRL) & Petrus Spartacus.  Christie Pritchard & Ruby Riot were also double clear.  In the third pony class, one round over 1m30, Harry Charles & Moneymaker won with Emma Shingles & Tequila Twist 2nd.

The 1m30 Pony Nations Cup was a tense competition.  At the half way point, GB lead with zero faults as Faye Adams & Some Like It Hot 3, Christie Pritchard & Kilcloghan DG Clover (Condios Clover & Clover Hill) & Emily Ward & King Mac all going clear (Alex Gill & Ammanvalley Santino had just 4 faults).  However,  Germany were right behind with one time fault, then Ireland & France both with a total of 2 time faults.  The top 6 teams went forward to the second round and clear rounds from the first two German riders put the pressure on the British team.  All four did go clear in this round - however, both Alex Gill and Christie Pritchard had one time fault, giving Germany, whose 3rd rider had picked up one time fault themselves, chance to win if Emily Ward had any faults and their last rider went clear.  Five faults for the last German rider still meant that Emily needed to go clear for GB to win outright as if she'd had any faults there would have been a jump off with Germany.  Emily & King Mac kept their cool and delivered the necessary clear in the time and GB won Nations Cup Gold.

The next day was a rest day for the Nations Cup ponies with the only pony class being a 1m25 2 phase competition for ponies & riders that did not compete in the Nations Cup.  This was won by Faye Adams & Cisco Bay II, who relegated Susan Fitzpatrick (IRL) & Petrus Spartacus to 2nd this time.  Christie Pritchard & Ruby Riot were 4th with a slower double clear and Emily Ward & Wizard III were 9th (also with a double clear).

The final pony class of the show was the 1m35 Grand Prix.  A challenging course meant that although there were 63 competitors, only 9 went clear in the first round.  Of these 9, two were British riders, Harry Charles (& Moneymaker) and Alex Gill & British-bred Ammanvalley Santino but with Susan Fitzpatrick (IRL) and British-bred Rock Dee Jay (Arko III x unknown) also getting through, there were also 2 British-bred ponies.  Both Alex & Harry went clear in the jump off, but Alex had the disadvantage of going first, so his time became the one to beat and it was, so he finished in 6th place.  As the penultimate rider, however, Harry knew just what he had to do and he improved on the previous fastest time by over 1 second.  Last to go were Susan & Rock Dee Jay but a refusal and time faults left them in 8th place.  Emily Ward & King Mac were second fastest with four faults in round one, so also finished "in the money" in 11th place while Faye Adams & Some Like It Hot 3 and Emma Shingles & Tequila Twist were slower with their 4 faults so finished 17th=

So overall, GB riders and their ponies won the team competition and all bar one of the individual classes (and in that one a British rider was second).  Fantastic results that will be giving the selectors plenty to think about and maybe some difficult decisions to make when picking the Pony Euros team in a few weeks, as there are some strong combinations who didn't travel to Hagen (like last year's double Gold winners, Millie Allen & Song Girl).

Dressage Team Announced for Pony Euros

Following the compulsory final trial at Wellington Premier League on the 9th June, the dressage pony team selectors announced that following are selected for the dressage team (in alphabetic order):

Dynasty (Deinhard B x Arts-Dancer-Boy) & Erin Williams

Gigolo (Going East x Nordcap) & Bethany-Rose Horobin

Holsteins Derwisch (FS Disagio x Patrick) & Rose Hugh Smith

SL Lucci (Lukas x Bazar) & Phoebe Peters

The non-travelling reserves are:

Bernwode Brokat (Brillant x Diamant II) & Ruth Hole

Valido's Sunshine (Valido x Marieton's Jasper) & Rebecca Bell

SL Lucci

Dynasty

Gigolo

Holsteins Derwisch

Final Dressage Trial

The last of the planned Dressage Trials took place on the 9th June at Wellington Premier League.  The judges were Paco Guerra (at C) and Linda Whetstone (at B).  All the top ponies competed and the results went much as recent form would have suggested, with the 2013 star combination of Phoebe Peters & the Danish born SL Lucci winning by a 4% margin.  Phoebe, who is still only 13, also won the Junior Team Test on a mare that she's only been riding for a few months.

Runners up were Phoebe's team mates in 2012, Erin Williams and Dynasty.  In her last year of eligibility for the Pony Team, Erin had also campaigned a mare in Juniors, Fleurie, but she sustained a minor injury so Erin decided to focus on the Pony Team for her final year.

Third place went to Bethany-Rose Horobin & Gigolo who also scored over 70%.  Gigolo represented GB at the was on the 2009 & 2010 Pony Euros teams with his previous rider Claire Gallimore, with Bethany-Rose, they were the reserves in both 2011 & 2012.  This year though, they are strong contenders for the team with improved scores including also scoring over 70% in the Team Test at the CDIs in Saumur & Compiègne.  Bethany-Rose has worked hard to improve - including thrice weekly gym sessions to build her strength.

Rose Hugh Smith & Holsteins Derwisch took 4th place with almost 70% and look to be strong contenders for the final team place.  Rose bought Holsteins Derwisch at the Ponyforum Open Sales in Germany in April 2012.

Rose Hugh Smith & Holsteins Derwisch wait for their score

Full results:

*  Grayswood Orlando got higher collective marks (81) than Doctor Little (79.5)

Jumping Team Announced for Hagen Nations Cup

British Showjumping have announced the ponies and riders who will represent GB at the Hagen "Future Champions" CSIO in Germany from the 10th to 16th June. In 2012, 3 of the ponies and riders from the team selected for Hagen were then selected for the Pony Euros team, so a good performance could be key to selection for the 2013 riders too.  The Nations Cup takes place on Friday 14th June at 09:45 and the Grand Prix on Sunday 16th June at 09:30.

Those selected are:

Faye Adams (15) with Some Like it Hot (breeding unknown) and Cisco Bay II (breeding unknown).

Alex Gill (15) with Ammanvalley Santino (Cruglwyd Sant x unknown).

Christie Pritchard (16) Kilcloghan DG Clover (Condios x Clover Hill) and Ruby Riot (Olympic Lux x not recorded)

Emily Ward (14) with King Mac (breeding unknown) and Wizard VIII (Okkie Trooi x Sonny Af Hojmark)

Emma Shingles (15) with ABC Juri (Valentino x Duke's Forest Oberon)  and Tequila Twist (breeding unknown)

Results and more information about the show can be found on the Future Champions website - here.  Coverage from the show will also be streamed on the ClipMyHorse.TV website.

Beth Adams & Some Like it Hot at the 2012 Pony European Championships

Eventing Long List Announced

British Eventing have announced a provisional long list of 9 ponies and their riders.  The final squad of six (four for the team and two individuals) will be announced after the final trial at Barbury Castle International Horse Trial on the 5th July.

The long list contains some very experienced ponies, albeit some now have different riders.  Carrowmore Gemstone won Team & Individual Silver medals in 2012 (with Louisa Nesbitt).  Catherston Nutsafe (an Elite graded SPSS mare) won Team Silver in 2008 & 2009 (ridden by Ella McEwen) and Team Gold in 2010.  Three Wells Breeze won Team Bronze & Individual Silver in 2011 (ridden by Sam Ecroyd, who had been successful on Catherston Nutsafe in 2010) and Team Silver with her current rider in 2012.  Then Craig Mor Tom (in 2012) and Killacoran Blue (in 2011) with their current riders have both represented GB as individuals at the Pony Euros. 

In alphabetic order, the nine ponies & riders are:

SPSS Elite graded mare, Catherston Nutsafe & Sam Ecroyd at the 2010 Pony European Championships

Victoria Smith & British-bred Nutkin

at the 2013 British National Pony Championship

Photo by kind permission of Laura Smith

British Results - Team Test 31st May

British Results - Individual Test 1st June

British Results - Freestyle Test 2nd June

The last of the key selection events for the Eventing ponies was the 2* Charles Owen British Pony Championships at Brand Hall from 31 May to 2 June.  The event was run over 3 days with the ponies doing their dressage on the Friday, cross country (XC) on the Saturday, then Show Jumping on the Sunday. The ponies all had to pass an initial "trot up" in front of the Ground Jury and Vet on the Thursday and again on the Sunday morning prior to the Show Jumping phase.

In the dressage, two combinations managed to score below 40 penalties, Jamie Thomas & Another Island (Island Lad x Westside Mirah) and Yasmin Ingam & Craig Mor Tom (breeding unknown).  Close behind, with scores in the low 40s were the consistent combinations of Rose Nesbit & Carrowmore Gemstone (Team & Individual silver medal winners in 2012 with Rose's sister Louisa), Annie Kier & Castleview Rakish Milly (breeding unknown) then Lizzie Baugh & British-bred Stenigots Red D'Ablo (Medbourne Prince x Whalton Morning Glory)

On the XC, 24 combinations were clear, but only 6 were also within the time, including the top two after the dressage, so they retained those places.  Just 2 time penalties left Rose Nesbit & Carrowmore Gemstone (breeding unknown) in 3rd while just 0.4 of a time penalty lifted Diana Bevan & A Touch of Spice up to 4th place.  A refusal meant that Lizzie Baugh & Stenigots Red D'Ablo dropped right down the order to 28th place. Being clear within the time lifted Charlotte Bacon & SPSS Elite graded mare Catherston Nutsafe (Catherston Nightsafe x Dutch Courage) up to 5h place and Charlotte Bacon & Three Wells Breeze stayed in 6th place despite picking up a few time penalties.   Slightly more time penalities dropped Annie Keir & Castleview Rakish Millie from 4th equal to 7th overnight.

Yasmin Ingham & Craig Mor Tom

Photo by kind permission of Laura Smith

Sunday morning started early with the trot up, where unfortunately, Annie Keir's Castleview Rakish Millie failed, followed by the Jumping phase at 9am.  As is traditional at a 3DE, competitors went in reverse order of merit and clear rounds within the time were essential for a good final place.  Indeed, Thomas Tulloch & Spirit VI (breeding unknown) and Francesca Sargent & The Sky Master (breeding unknown) who were placed 32nd and 33rd after dressage didn't add any penalties to their dressage scores and so finished 5th and 6th.  With the next group of ponies to jump (placed 8th to 12th overnight) all having at least one fence down, Charlotte Bacon & Three Wells Breeze had a fence in hand to maintain thier 6th place.  A clear within the time guaranteed them this and put pressure on the next 2 riders as they then needed to go clear too.  Chelsea Pearce and Catherston Nutsafe coped with this pressure and also went clear but Diana Bevan and A Touch of Spice had an unfortunate 12 faults so dropped form 4th to 7th place.  Again needing a clear round to maintain her palce, Rose Nesbitt delivered this with Carrowmore Gemstone, as did Yasmin Ingham & Craig Mor Tom.  Overnight leaders, Jamie Thomas & Another Island needed to be clear to win - but, sadly, his score ended up irrelevant as he was eliminated due to Another Island jumping in a double bridle which is illegal under FEI Pony Eventing rules (specifically Annex H Rule 3) and tack at all Pony Trials is governed by the FEI rules.  Jamie had had 4 faults, so would have finished 2nd, rather than wining, but it must still have been devastating for him.

Thus, Craig Mor Tom & Yasmin Ingham became the 2013 National Pony Champions, a great result for this 16 year old rider from the Isle of Man.  Yasmin and "Tom" competed as individuals at the 2012 Pony European Championships, finishing 36th, and must be top contenders for a team place in 2013.

Jumping Update

The first of the Viewing Trials for the Jumping Ponies took place at  Chepstow International Horse Show, which was held at the David Broome Event Centre (Wales and West) from 4-6 May.  There were 3 main Pony Trial classes, one on each day.

On the 4th May, 5 of the 35 competing ponies went clear in the  Pony Viewing Trial (max height 1.30m).  These 5 ponies went forward to the jump off and 3 of them were clear again.  The winner with the fastest clear was the 2012 double Pony Euros Gold medallists, Millie Allen & Song Girl (breeding unknown).

The next day, in the Pony Trial speed class, the ponies only jumped one round and 7 ponies were clear so the results were determined on their time with the winners being Emily Ward &  Dutch-bred Wizard VIII (Okkie Trooi x Sonny Af Hojmark).  Emily & Wizard had had 12 faults in the first class but not only did they win the speed class, but they remained fault free in the final class too, finishing 2nd.  Emily's other pony, King Mac (breeding unknown), was 4th in the first 2 classes then had a fence down to finish 8th in the Grand Prix.

On the final day, the course must have been challenging for the Pony Grand Prix as 11 of the 29 ponies were eliminated, withdrew or retired and another 4 had 12 faults or more.  The withdrawals included Beth Adams & Some Like It Hot, who finished 11th overall at the 2012 Pony Euros.  However, six ponies jumped clear in the first round, so there was a jump off, and 3 were clear again with winners being Millie Allen with her other pony, Scoubidou.  Scoubidou is a part-bred Arab (Krimh ox x Idzard) and he had 8 faults on the first day, then just one fault in the speed class before jumping the double clear to win the Grand Prix.

The only combination to feature in the top 6 in each of the viewing trial classes was the 2011 and 2012 Pony Team member, Amy Inglis & Nils D Hurl Vent (Quick Star x Boogie de la Gere) were 9th (with a double clear) in the 1st Trial, 3rd (with a clear) in the 2nd Trial and 6th (clear then 4 faults in the jump off) in the Grand Prix, so they showed the most consistent form of the group. 

The combination with the most consistent results across the 3 main pony trial classes were Beth Adams & Some Like It Hot (breeding unknown), who impressively jumped clear in each first round and each jump off to finish 8th, 5th and 3rd.

One of the oldest ponies competing was the  20 year old Dutch New Forest pony ABC Juri (Valentino x Duke's Forest Oberon) who finished 6th in the Grand Prix ridden by Emma Shingles.  Ridden by Lara Whiteway, ABC Juri was a member of the 5th placed British team at the 2010 Pony European Championships.

The next selection trials event for the Jumping Ponies is 30 May to 2 June at Bolesworth Castle

Results - Pony Trial - 4th May

Results - Pony Trial - 5th May

Results - Pony Grand Prix - 6th May

Dressage Update

The British Dressage Pony Team Selectors dispatched the main team contenders to two international shows over the weekend of 3-5 May.  6 ponies went over to France for the Saumur CDI, while 3 ponies went to Roosendaal CDI in The Netherlands.  The competition was particularly tough at Roosendaal as all the top Dutch ponies were there, along with some of the top Germans.  Sadly for Erin Williams, her lovely palomino mare had a badly swollen mouth just before the Individual test that was thought to have been caused by an insect sting and as a result, Erin had to withdraw her from the competition.

In Saumur, Phoebe Peters & SL Lucci once again dominated the competition with impressive scores in each of the CDIO Pony Tests.  Good performances from the rest of the team meant that GB won the Team Competition ahead of Switzerland & Belgium.  In the parallel CDI classes, Rebecca Bell's second pony did well, wining the Team & Individual Tests then placing 2nd in the Freestyle.

Saumur CDIO

Team Test

Individual Test

Freestyle

Roosendaal CDI

Team Test

Individual Test

Freestyle

Saumur CDI

Team Test

Individual Test

Freestyle

Results from 5th Eventing Trials

The 5th of the Eventing Pony Trials took take place at Withington Manor on the 27-28th April. The course caused a significant number of problems, with just 25 of the 41 starters completing the event and 11 of these 25 had one or two XC refusals.  Those with refusals included 2012 team silver medallists, Charlotte Bacon (riding her 2012 team pony, Three Wells Breeze) and 2012 Individual, Annie Keir (riding her 2012 reserve pony Castleview Rakish Millie)

The time was also tight on the XC with no-one completing within the time.  The top scorers there were:

Winners Pumbaa Goess-Saura & Killacoran Blue competed for GB as Individuals at the 2011 Pony European Championships, where they finished in 15th place.  Killacoran Blue is a grey 13 year old Irish bred Connemara gelding by Blue Smokey out of Carravilla Rose (by King of the Hills). They were listed as 3rd Reserves in 2010 and with his previous rider, Eliza Stoddart, were part of the Silver medal winning team in 2008, finishing 5th individually.

Looking at the results from the Pony Trials to date, as well as Pumbaa & Killacoran Blue, other top contenders for places must include Yasmin Ingham & Craig Mor Tom, Diana Bevan & A Touch of Spice, Rose Nesbitt & Carrowmore Gemstone and Libby Seed & Mr Vick.  However, the final stage of the selection process is the Brand Hall CCNP2* British Pony Championships on the 1-2 June.

Yasmin Ingham & Craig Mor Tom

at the 2012 British National Pony Championships at Brand Hall

Diana Bevan & A Touch Of Spice

at the 2012 British National Pony Championships at Brand Hall

Pumbaa Goess-Sarau & Killacoran Blue at the 2011 Pony European Championships

Photo by kind permission of Hannah Owen

Update from BIP 2013

In the Nations Cup at the Jumping Pony International in Fontainebleau, France (known as "BIP 2013") on the 20 April, GB, the reining European Champions, made a good start to the 2013 international pony competition season by winning the Nations Cup on a zero penalty score.  Germany were the second placed team with a total of 4 penalties then Belgium were third with 8 penalties.

The team of four jumped the same track twice and the best 3 scores counted in each round.  Three of the British team achieved double clears, a feat only matched by 2 of the remaining 28 competitors, meant that GB lead throughout the competition.

The team competed under the "Team Fairfax" banner and Katrina Moore was the Chef d’Equipe.  First to go in both rounds was Amy Inglis (16) & Claire Inglis’s Lea Du Genier (Balkh d'Aigremont x unknown) and they were clear in both rounds.  Amy has a regular on Pony Euros teams with Nils d'Hurl'Vent, being members of the 2011 & 2012 Gold medal winning teams.  They were also members of the 2010 team and finished 4th in the Individual competition.  Amy has had recent success with the talented 14 year-old chestnut mare, including winning the Grand Prix at the Pony of the Year Show.

Second to go was Faye Adams (14) on Julie Adams’s Some Like it Hot (breeding unknown), a 14 year-old chestnut mare. Ridden at the 2012 Pony Euros by Faye's sister Beth, unfortunately, they had 4 faults in both rounds, so they were the drop score both times.  However, many other riders were eliminated or had faults in double figures, so overall, Faye’s performance was respectable.

Alex Gill (15) & Lynn Barker’s 9 year-old bay gelding Ammanvalley Santino (Cruglwyd Sant x unknown) also produced a double clear which put the team in a very strong position.  Ammanvalley Santino is British-bred by the WPCS Sec D Cruglwyd Sant. Then Emily Ward (13) & Nick Ward's King Mac (breeding unknown) completed the job with another double clear.  Emily was recently presented with the Sheila Elstone Award at Pony of the Year show.

The following day, the two Grand Prix (GP) classes took place.  The CDIO GP was a 1.35m class with the CDI GP being slightly lower at 1.30m.  In the CDIO Grand Prix, Alex Gill & Ammanvalley Santino had 8 faults on the first round, but the other 4 British riders went clear as did 5 other riders.  In the jump off, Emily & King Mac were unfortunately eliminated but Faye Adams & Some Like It Hot were clear and fast for 3rd place then faster still for 2nd were Amy Inglis & Lea Du Genier.  However, no one could beat the 2012 winners (and 2012 double European Champions), Millie Allen & Song Girl (breeding unknown), who were a second faster than Amy. 

In the CDI Grand Prix, Christie Pritchard & the Irish Sport Horse registered Kilcloghan DG Clover (Condios x Clover Hill) were triumphant.

In the other classes, Claudia Seara and the British bred WPCS Sec D, Ilar Max (Ilar Sion ap Daniel x Brenin Dafydd) were successful in the CSIP 1m20 classes, winning two and being second in the other.  Claudia & has had 11 year old Max for 18 months and they won the 2013 British Showjumping 148cms Special Final at the POYS on the 1st April following 5 wins in Pony Restricted Rider Qualifiers.

Other British combinations achieving top ten placings at the competition are:

Great Results for Showjumpers in Moorsele

The pony squad dispatched to the CSI at Zilveren Spoor, Moorsele, Belgium were a mix of experienced and new partnerships and as a result, fortunes varied.

In the final pony class of the show, the 1m30 Grand Prix, three experienced British riders took the top 3 slots with 2012 Pony European Champions, Millie Allen & Song Girl (breeding unknown)proving that they are also the ones to beat in 2013 by winning with a fast clear in the jump off.  However, her team mate in 2012 (and a team member also in 2011 & 2010), Amy Inglis riding her newer pony, Lea du Genier, who Amy has been competing since November 2012, were fractions of a second behind in second place.  Christy Pritchard & Kilcloghan DG Clover (Condios x Clover Hill) were the final jump off clear round and took 3rd place.

In total there were 42 entries in the GP, including three more British riders and all of them finished in the top ten.  In 7th place were Emma Shingles & 20 year old ABC Juri (Valentino x Duke's Forest Oberon).  Emma was competing in her first international GP, but ABC Juri has had prior international experience, including being part of the British Team at the 2010 Pony Euros.  Fastest of those completing with first round with four faults was Charlie Dawson & Wischin Chin M (Chin Chin x Cash) who finished 8th and then Faye Adams &  the experienced (competed at the 2012 Pony Euros with Faye's sister Beth) Some Like It Hot (breeding unknown) were 10th.

Millie Allen & Song Girl at the 2012 Pony Euros

In the other pony classes at the show, British riders also did well and those gaining top 10 placings are listed:

British Showjumping have announced that the following ponies and riders will represent GB at the Bonneau International Poney (BIP) Show at the 2012 Pony Euros venue of Fontainebleau from 18th to 21st April.  The squad, from which the team of four will be selected for the Nations Cup, consists of:

Millie Allen (age 15) with Peter Allen’s Song Girl (breeding unknown)

Alex Gill (age 15) with Lynn Barker’s British-bred Ammanvalley Santino (Cruglwyd Sant (WPCS D) x unknown)

Emily Ward (age 13) and Nick Ward’s King Mac (breeding unknown)

Amy Inglis (age 16) with Claire Inglis’s Lea Du Genier (FRA/PFS (Part-bred Arab), Balkh d'Aigremont x unknown)

Faye Adams (age 14) with Julie Adams’s Some Like it Hot (breeding unknown)

Millie & Song Girl won Team and Individual Gold at the 2012 Pony European Championships and were also winners of the CSIOP Grand Prix at BIP 2012.  Some Like It Hot and Faye's sister Beth were the team reserves for the 2012 Pony Euros, and so competed in the individual Championship, where they finished in 11th place.  Amy has been a GB team regular with Nils d'Hurl'Vent being members of the 2011 & 2012 Gold medal winning teams.  They were also members of the 2010 team and finished 4th in the Individual competition.

The 2013 Pony Teams are sponsored by saddle & girth manufacturer, Fairfax.

The pictures on the right are from the 2012 Pony Europeans at Fontainebleau

Amy Inglis & Nils d'Hurl'Vent

Beth Adams & Some Like it Hot

Results from 4th Eventing Trial

Section A

	Pony	Rider	Score
1st	Ferrari Enzo	Diana Bevan	32.0
2nd	Another Island	Jamie Thomas	35.2
3rd	Killacoran Blue	Pumbaa Goess-Saurau	36.3
4th	Three Wells Breeze	Charlotte Bacon	36.5
5th	Master Macky	Lucy Scholl	39.4
6th	Howen Loganberry	Isabelle Upton	43.3
7th	Rivercourt Boy	Greta Mason	43.8
8th	Castleview Rakish Milly	Annie Keir	44.3
9th	The Sky Master	Francesca Sargent	44.4
10th	Killeen Oisin	Jemima Upton	46.3

Section B

	Pony	Rider	Score
1st	Craig Mor Tom	Yasmin Ingham	24.5
2nd	Carrowmore Gemstone	Rose Nesbitt	28.6
3rd	Strawberry Box	Toby Bell	31.0
4th	Mr Vick	Libby Seed	32.4
5th	A Touch Of Spice	Diana Bevan	34.0
6th	Alfie XI	Isabelle Upton	39.4
7th	Goombay Smash	Ellie Williams	39.5
8th	Kynaston Kittiwake	India Knott	40.1
9th	Euro Timex	Alexa Palmer	40.1
10th	Nutkin	Victoria Smith	42.3

Results From Addington CDI

Addington CDI (29-31 March) was the first time in 2013 that all of the top British riders and ponies had competed against each other, with the top 10 combinations being selected to represent GB.  The winners in all 3 classes were Nadine Krause (GER) & the established pony, Danilo (Dornik B x Power Boy) and Nadine was also third in both the Team and Individual tests on her second pony, the 7 year old Cyrill WE (FS Champion de Luxe x Power Man).  For GB, Erin Williams & Dynasty (Deinhard B x Arts-Dancer-Boy) were second in the Team & Individual tests and 3rd in the Freestyle, scoring over 70% in each test.  Phoebe Peters & SL Lucci (Lukas x Bazar) had a difficult start to the competition when SL Lucci fell during the initial vet inspection, then he appeared very sensitive to the slightest noise in the otherwise quiet international arena.  However, they improved over the 3 tests to finish 2nd in the Freestyle on over 75%.

Team Test

Individual Test

Freestyle

\Results from Keysoe Under 25s Show

The second of the nominated competitions for dressage selection was the Under 25s Show at Keysoe on  March 16th & 17th.  Once again, those ponies and riders that had competed at Vidauban for the two weeks were absent and Erin Williams & Dynasty only competed in the Team Test.

Team Test

Place	Pony	Rider	Score
1	Dynasty	Erin Williams	76.2%
2	Valido's Starlight	Rebecca Bell	71.4%
3	Gigolo	Bethany Rose Horobin	69.0%
4	Bernwode Brokat	Ruth Hole	67.4%
5	Valido's Sunshine	Rebecca Bell	67.0%
6	Don Joshi	Lara Kurapatwa	66.0%
7=	Grayswood Orlando	Angus Corrie-Deane	65.1%
7=	Ferrari	Alex Rowe	65.1%
9	Kasteinhofs Vitus	Emma Bond	64.9%
10	Schermeer's Hof Arendsoog	Alicia Patrick	63.7%

Individual Test

Place	Pony	Rider	Score
1	Gigolo	Bethany-Rose Horobin	71.3%
2	Valido's Starlight	Rebecca Bell	68.9%
3	Don Joshi	Lara Kurapatwa	68.5%
4	Der Kleine Lord	Alexandra Hellings	66.4%
5	Valido's Sunshine	Rebecca Bell	66.2%
6	Grayswood Orlando	Angus Corrie-Deane	66.0%
7	Leonties Double	Bethany-Rose Horobin	65.7%
8	Ferrari	Alex Rowe	64.1%
9	Schermeer's Hof Arendsoog	Alicia Patrick	62.1%
10	Westerterper Silvan	Ella Wager	57.4%

Freestyle

Place	Pony	Rider	Score
1	Valido's Sunshine	Rebecca Bell	73.125%
2	Bernwode Brokat	Ruth Hole	70.938%

Dynasty & Erin Williams

Gigolo & Bethany Rose Horobin

Bernwode Brokat & Ruth Hole

Results from 2nd & 3rd Eventing Trials

The 2nd and 3rd of the Eventing Pony Trials were scheduled to take place over the same weekend, the 16/17th March.  Unfortunately, Aldon was abandoned on the Sunday due to adverse weather conditions.  However, the Lincolnshire Pony Trial did survive the conditions and the top scorers there were:

Yasmin Ingham & Craig Mor Tom

at the 2012 Pony Euros

Results from Myerscough Premier League

The first of the nominated competitions for dressage selection was the Myerscough Premier League on Sunday March 10th.  Poor weather in the lead up to the show and 5 ponies being at the Vidauban CDI resulted in just 7 ponies coming forward for the test.  However, with the experienced combination of Erin Williams & Dynasty attending, the quality at the top of the results was still high.  The second placed pony, the 6 year old Der Kleine Lord was competing in his first Pony Team Test.  Der Kleine Lord was the 2010 SPSS Young Dressage Pony Champion, so excellent to see the potential spotted at that event following through to good results at a young age at FEI Pony level.

Results from 1st Eventing Trial

The 1st of the Eventing Pony Trials was at Oasby on 10th March where competitors battled against miserable conditions.  The top scorers were:

2012 Individual & Team Silver Medallists

Louisa Nesbitt & Carrowmore Gemstone

Results From Week Two at Vidauban CDI

Phoebe Peters and SL Lucci maintained their supremacy in the second week of the Vidauban CDI, again winning all three of the Pony Tests.  Of the other GB riders, Amber Barton & Doctor Little improved on their first week's scores, while the others did not quite achieve such good scores.  However, the weather conditions were poor and affected the going in the arenas.

Team Test

Individual Test

Freestyle

Results From Week One at Vidauban CDI

Five of the Pony Squad went out to the CDI in Vidauban, France and Phoebe Peters & SL Lucci made a great start to the season by winning all 3 of the Pony Tests including scoring a massive 80.33% in the Freestyle.  Phoebe and Lucci were part of the 2012 Pony Euros team so are experience international competitors whereas team mates Rose Hugh-Smith & Holsteins Derwisch and Ollie Stokes & Carlsson made  succesful international debuts with scores in the Team Test along with Isobel Berrington & the experienced GB team pony, DHI Langar.

Team Test

Individual Test

Freestyle

Jumping Selection Policy

The British Showjumping Pony Team Selectors are led by Claire Whitaker and they hold Viewing Trials to see the pony and rider combinations jumping at different venues. 

For 2013 the Viewing Trials are:

In addition, there are likely to be teams sent to selected Nations Cups, including the 2013 BIP at Fontainbleau.

2012 Double Gold Medal winners -Millie Allen & Song Girl

Eventing Selection Policy

The British Eventing Pony Squad will be selected by Chairman of Pony Selectors Sarah Hancox and her team of selectors.  Ponies must be between 142cm (14hh) and 148cm (14.2hh) in height without shoes. As a minimum, ponies are expected to compete in at least one, preferably two, Pony Trials prior to the Withington Manor Pony Trial. If the Selectors feel a combination is ready, they will be invited to enter Withington and the subsequent British Pony Championships at Brand Hall.

Invited ponies will be expected to compete at both Withington Manor and Brand Hall in order to be considered for the European Championships. Brand Hall will be the 2013 Final Trial.

The key dates are:

More information here

Charlotte Bacon & Three Wells Breeze competing as individuals at the 2012 Pony European Championships

Dressage Team Selection Policy

The British Dressage Pony Squad will be chosen by selectors, Jenny Ward, Sarah Pidgley and John Robinson and announced soon after the 16th June.  A key part of the selection process is the performance of ponies in the FEI Team Test, where they are expected to be achieving consistent results at 68% or above.  In particular, the selectors expect the ponies to compete at at least two of the following nominated competitions:  Mysercough Premier League, Keysoe U25s Show, Addington CDIP and Somerford Park Premier League.  They must also compete at the compulsory final trial at Wellington Premier League (6-9 June). 

Other factors such as age of pony and experience of rider may be taken into account when picking the team, and less experienced combinations that the selectors consider to be demonstrating the potential to score 68% may also be sent to an International competition to give them valuable experience this year.

The key dates are:

6-10 March	Myerscough Premier League
16/17 March	Keysoe U25s Show
29-31 March	Addington CDI
10-12 May	Addington Premier League
24-27 May	Somerford Park Premier League
6-9 June	Wellington Premier League
After 16 June	Announcement of Championships Squad

Those riders & ponies selected for the 2012/13 winter training are:

Pony Squad:

Amber Barton & Doctor Little, Rebecca Bell & Valido's Sunshine, Isobel Berrington & DHI Langar, Alex Hellings & Dublin, Ruth Hole & Bernwode Brokat, Bethany Rose Horobin & Gigolo, Rose Hugh-Smith & Holstein's Derwisch, Alicia Patrick & Schermeers Hof Arendsoog, Phoebe Peters & SL Lucci, Ollie Stokes & Carlsson

Pony National Training:

Emily Attwood & Benthli, Rebecca Bell & Valido's Starlight, Oliver Booth & DHI Good Luck, Angus Corrie-Deane & Cadnam Stellata, Clare Hole & Bernwode Chantal, Lara Kuropatwa & Don Joshi, Alicia Lee & Danger 36, Megan Roberts & Machno Countryman, Alexandra Rowe & Lightning Lumiere, Angus Rowe & Leonties Double, India Sheridan & Anjershof Rosanne, Abigail Uden & Rain Dance

 

Reserves: Emma Bond & Twylands Tiffin, Oliver Williams & Topstar

Phoebe Peters & SL Lucci

2012 Team Members

Erin Williams & Dynasty

2012 Team Members

Ruth Hole & Bernwode Brokat

2012/13 Pony Squad Members