Report : Area Dressage to Music

Saturday 22 June 2013

This year’s Dressage to Music Area 6 Qualifier for both the National Championships and the London & South East Championship was held at Berkshire College of Agriculture on Saturday 22 June hosted by Naphill Riding Club.

The classes ranged from Preliminary through Novice, to Elementary and also included Pas Seul and Pas De Deux, which is performed to music in costume.

Fortunately, the competition was held indoors as the weather at the end of June and on the last day of Royal Ascot was more like early April!

Two Club members took part in the competition. Caroline Geary and her lovely grey, Jay Court contested the Novice Nil British Dressage Points. She rode to YMCA, Music To Watch Girls By (Andy Williams), Love Comes Quickly, The Pet Shop Boys and In The Army Now, by Status Quo, which really suited the combination. They scored 65% to come 4th= in the London & South East qualifier and 5th= in the National Qualifier.

Mercedes Cottrell and her elegant bay Hanoverian, Ravytan Bay 7 riding to a Spanish medley were 7^th with 66% in the Elementary.

Congratulations to both of them.

It was great we were able to send competitors to the event and hopefully some members will start to think whether they would like to do it next year, particularly as the Club has a good past record of success in this competition.

NEWSFLASH . . . . . We have no heard that Caroline and Jay Court have qualified for the National Championships!! Good Luck to them.

Jay is a 19 years young, 15.1hh Welsh Cob x Thoroughbred who was my Christmas present from my husband 8 years ago. He was originally bought to be a "happy hacker", but we've done Unaffiliated Dressage for a few years, recently attempting Elementary. We did our first Music Class in October 2012, coming 2nd at the C&T Champs. I think being from Wales, Jay is naturally musical, and his Welsh background has certainly influenced our music choice! . . . a Tom Jones compilation