European Junior Young Riders and Pony Championships

PHOTOS: ŁUKASZ KOWALSKI

Making HISTORY

ANNABELLA PIDGLEY MADE BRITISH DRESSAGE HISTORY AS THE NATION’S FIRST EVER INDIVIDUAL MEDALLIST AT AN FEI JUNIOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS. IN OLIVA NOVA, SPAIN, HER EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCES WON BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND FREESTYLE SILVER WHILST OUR JUNIOR AND YOUNG RIDER TEAMS SHOWED MUCH PROMISE ON THE EUROPEAN STAGE.

RIGHT: AN EXCEPTIONAL WINNING RIDE IN THE JUNIOR TEAM TEST FROM ANNABELLA PIDGLEY AND SULTAN DES PALUDS FRH EARNED 75.45%, GIVING AN INDICATION OF WHAT WAS TO COME OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS OF INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION. THEY TOOK INDIVIDUAL SILVER (75.38%) AND FREESTYLE SILVER (80.11%), ONLY BEATEN BY GERMANY’S TRIPLE PONY EUROPEAN CHAMPION, LUCIE-ANOUK BAUMGÜRTEL AND ZINQ HUGO FH. RIGHT: JESSICA MCCONKEY AND LADY GAGA AT FULL THROTTLE: A TEAM TEST OF 68.53%, HELPING THE BRITISH YOUNG RIDER QUARTET TO SEVENTH, WAS FOLLOWED BY AN ENCOURAGING 25TH IN THE INDIVIDUAL TEST FOR THE NETHERLANDSBASED BRITISH YOUNG RIDER DUO. ABOVE: THE JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL MEDALLISTS: GERMANY’S LUCIE-ANOUK BAUMGÜRTEL FLANKED BY ANNABELLA PIDGLEY AND AUSTRIA’S PAUL JÖBSTL, A PODIUM THAT REMAINED UNCHANGED FOR THE FREESTYLE.

LEFT: CHARLOTTE MCDOWALL AND ALIVIA ACHIEVED 66.76% IN THE YOUNG RIDER TEAM TEST BUT SOME UNCHARACTERISTIC MISTAKES IN THE INDIVIDUAL KEPT THEIR SCORE IN CHECK. NONETHELESS, THEY SHOWED HIGH QUALITY WORK FOR THE FUTURE.

REPRESENTING HER COUNTRY AT HER FIRST FEI CHAMPIONSHIPS, JUNIOR RIDER GEMMA OWEN ACQUITTED HERSELF WELL, POSTING A SOLID 67.81% WITH SIRIUS BLACK, TO HELP HER TEAM TO SIXTH OUT OF 16.

LEFT: METTE DAHL AND FLORINA 146, AT THEIR FIRST JUNIOR EUROPEANS, SCORED 64.36%. SADLY, FLORINA 146 HAD A REACTION TO THE SAND AND UNDER VET’S ADVICE WAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION; HOWEVER, THE EXPERIENCE GAINED FOR THE PAIR WILL BE INVALUABLE.

RIGHT: ALL SMILES AT THE OPENING CEREMONY: YOUNG RIDERS CAITLIN BURGESS, JESSICA MCCONKEY AND CHARLOTTE MCDOWALL.

ABOVE: THE JUNIOR COMBINATION OF HOLLY HERSLAKE WITH LAURA SUMMERS’ KWPN MARE EXTASIA ON THEIR WAY TO 68%-PLUS IN BOTH THE TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL TESTS.

GREAT BRITAIN’S RUBY HUGHES AND GRACIE MORGAN PUT UP AN ADMIRABLE CHALLENGE IN STRZEGOM, POLAND (11 – 15 AUGUST 2021) FOR THEIR FIRST FEI EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCE, SHOWING MUCH PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE.

RIGHT: GRACIE MORGAN ALSO PUT UP A CREDITABLE PERFORMANCE WITH THE HOME-PRODUCED ELLA, SCORING 69.86% IN THE INDIVIDUAL TO FINISH 29TH OUT OF 63 COMBINATIONS.

LEFT: RUBY HUGHES (13), COMPETING AT HER FIRST FEI PONY EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, ACHIEVED A TOP-20 FINISH WITH HILKENS SHOWGIRL IN THE INDIVIDUAL TEST WITH 71.37%, NARROWLY MISSING OUT ON THE FREESTYLE.

LEFT: BEST OF THE BRITS IN THE FEI YOUNG

RIDER EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, CAITLIN BURGESS AND CHOCOTOF ACHIEVED 13TH IN THE TEAM TEST AND 15TH IN THE INDIVIDUAL TO SECURE THEMSELVES A PLACE IN THE FREESTYLE. SADLY, CHOCOTOF DIDN’T MAKE IT THROUGH THE SECOND HORSE INSPECTION, BRINGING THEIR CAMPAIGN TO AN EARLY CONCLUSION. THIS WAS A BIG BLOW, TAKEN PHILOSOPHICALLY BY CAITLIN. “TO COME IN THE TOP 15 TWICE, WITH A HORSE I

TRAINED MYSELF, AT OUR FIRST

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IS BEYOND

WHAT I COULD HAVE ASKED FOR.”