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Well, thankfully Friday was a beautiful day and the dressage finally got under way. There was a flurry of activity at Twin Palms from the early hours, with riders getting their horses prepared for the day's events, especially in light of the fact one of the classes was 'Best Turned Out'.
For this class the judging was meticulous taking three main points into consideration.
The horse - was it groomed to perfection, the mane plaited, the hooves oiled, eyes, ears & nose clean, even so far as checking under the tail! These horses had to be gleaming.
The riders - were they wearing the correct attire, hair in a hairnet (where appropriate!), a jacket, white/beige jodhpurs, stock, tie pin, can you see your reflection in those boots? No! Why not?
The tack - .just how clean? Not a saddle flap left unturned, girth, or bridle left unchecked, bridle straps not in their keepers! Oopps ... the inspection was rigorous.
Our judge whilst being rightly very strict, was also looking primarily for effort made by the rider, not what mum, dad, friend or a groom had done. The result was an overall excellent standard, so a big well done to those that went that extra mile.
The winners? Well that was a tie between an adult and junior rider. Britta Tappendorf, and her beautiful horse Liron, making the grade, alongside a young Florence Finzi with a beautifully turned out MissPrint. A special mention must go to Florence, who I know does everything herself, after her mum confessed to knowing absolutely nothing about horses, or tack or turnout. So, well done Florence, keep it up.
A big thank you to the judge for that event, and watch out for the next 'Best Turned Out' as I have been told the standard will now be raised in line with this week's winners. Get the saddle soap out, quick.
The next class, Working Equitation B, tests horse and rider through a range of activities. This class is newly designed for this season, and the first set of riders to complete the challenge did so brilliantly.
Gabriella Scopes's usual mare Flicka was out of action for this week's event. However, Gabs went on to claim first place on Bling. Close on her hooves was Florence and MissPrint, with Lucy Lunt Bell and Dakota coming in third.
The Newcomer class was mixed for Juniors and Adults, and it was Ellenor McDonnell who grabbed first place riding India and fifth on Ruby. Manon Cote rode exceptionally well on Sirocco who found the judge's car a really scary object ... but Manon controlled her mount skillfully and they claimed second place.
The main class - Preliminary - had a fabulous turnout of riders with Trish Fryer on AsgoodasGold going in first. Trish, along with Anne Koheji on Fine Art, entered the class as HC (Hors Concours - not competing) as a precursor to the next Dressage League show, giving themselves and their horses a dry run. And they certainly set the standard for the class, which was followed by some exceptional riding from all the competitors.
In the Junior section, some beautiful riding by Natasha Park with Lucia won the day. Young Rania Hanbali and her lovely horse Bingo are the ones to watch as they claimed second place in their first dressage competition, while Minnie Minor brought Pearl into her first dressage event and rode a delightful test for third place.
The Adult section brought out some marvellous demonstrations of teamwork. The winner was Britta Tappendorf and Liron - her young Andalusian horse, simply stunning to watch. Undoubtedly, we will be seeing a lot more of this pair.
Another magical pair was Maggie Andersson and Banjo who have been training hard. It was their first competition together and their hard work was rewarded as Maggie steered Banjo to second place. Striding into third place was Kat Rushton and Angel; fate and coincidence played their part here, as Kat's original mount was unable to take part, and Angel's original rider was taken sick, so the pair joined forces and proved to be a force to be reckoned with.
SHOW JUMPING: BREEF Show Jumping Championships will take place on Friday from 8.30am at the Mounted Police Centre in Budaiya. The six classes will be Green Horse/Clear Round for juniors and adults, followed by two other junior classes. After prayers there will be three adult classes culminating in the Grand Prix.
DATE CHANGE: Twin Palms Riding Centre, will hold their second dressage event on Friday, January 22. This re-scheduled event will see the Novice, Elementary and Medium tests being performed, and promises to provide some fantastic riding demonstrations. Entries should be submitted to Twin Palms by January 19, and forms and tests can be found on the Twin Palms website: www.twinpalmsridingcentre.com
RESULTS
Preliminary-Adult: 1 Britta Tappendorf & Liron; 2 Maggie Andersson & Banjo; 3 Kat Rushton & Angel; 4 Dawood Salman & Titan; 5 Virginie Dreyer & Athos and Zain AlThawadi & Glasur.
Preliminary-Junior: 1 Natasha Park & Lucia; 2 Rania Hanbali & Bingo; 3 Minnie Minor & Pearl; 4 Aislinn Cote & Rakard and Florence Finzi & MissPrint; 6 Kate Addison & The Chief.
Newcomer: 1 Ellenor McDonnell & India; 2 Manon Cote & Sirocco; 3 Dawood Salman & Titan; 4 Lucy Lunt Bell & Dakota; 5 Ellenor McDonnell & Ruby; 6 Millie Jones & Dilmun Max.
Working Equitation B: 1 Gabriella Scopes & Bling; 2 Florence Finzi & MissPrint; 3 Lucy Lunt Bell & Dakota.
Best Turned Out: Britta Tappendorf & Liron with Florence Finzi & MissPrint
