last updated on June 30, 2010 10:16

The country’s leading para riders produced high class performances at the inaugural British Para National Dressage Championships held at Dressage at Hickstead, Sussex 22 – 24 June 2010.

Held alongside Hickstead Premier League, and being part of the selection process for the World Equestrian Games, the championships attracted all the main contenders and gave them the opportunity to showcase their talents on home turf. The championship classes at all grades produced some stellar performances from seasoned campaigners and in an exciting new initiative, the five open championship winners; Emma Sheardown, Lee Pearson, Jo Pitt, Deb Criddle and Sophie Wells, went on to compete head-to head in a freestyle to music finale.

Lee Pearson and Gentleman (pictured), a nine-year-old German-bred gelding by Gullit, took top honours in the freestyle with 78.75%, 1.25% ahead of Emma Sheardown and Purdy’s Dream. Pearson commented: “I’m really pleased with both my horses. Gentleman really delivered again and Zion was a superstar coming within 2% of Gentleman each time. He’s only six years old and just gets stronger and stronger - he really wants to work where as Gentleman is more like I’ll do it if you make me! They’re very different in character. It was a great competition and the format helped to make the show more interesting.”

The toughest battle of the show was run in the grade 1a category where relative new kid Emma Sheardown beat the formidable forces of Paralympians Anne Dunham and Sophie Christiansen to lift the title. The 25 year old from Grantham in Lincolnshire shot to victory in 2009 when she won a gold and a silver individual medal at the 2009 Para‐Equestrian Dressage European Championships. Sheardown is now vying for selection for the World Equestrian Games that take place in October in Kentucky. She commented:

“It was an amazing week; I’ve been trying to beat Anne [Dunham] and Sophie [Christiansen] ever since I started in para dressage so to finally achieve it is incredible. Our test times were quite late on the first day but I managed to stay relaxed which is so important for getting a good walk and Eddie [Purdy’s Dream] worked in really well – he just keeps getting better and better. It sounds silly but it’s really hard to feel what’s good and what’s bad in the walk, I’m still learning so much. We did a good job at Hickstead, now we’ve got to keep our focus for Hartpury and not try too hard so as to let tension creep in.”

“It was a very good experience and will certainly have helped to raise the profile of para-equestrian,” said Michel Assouline, World Class Performance Coach for Para-Equestrian Dressage. “The show has a lot of atmosphere and is a great way of presenting the para-equestrian scene to the British public - especially the freestyle - people could really appreciate the good riding.”

“Hickstead is a great venue - a really smart set up with great facilities, plenty of space and the team there really couldn’t be more accommodating,” added Assouline. “The horses love it - there’s much atmosphere but, with a lot of preparation and careful planning, they cope well.”

Emma Sheardown and Purdy's Dream

The Champions:

FEI Grade 1b Team (Restricted)
Melissa Nicholls with Dippenhall, 65.00%

FEI Grade II Team (Restricted)
Alex Sutton with Gazel, 66.90%

FEI Grade III Team (Restricted)
Georgia Wilson with Broganslade Baustaire, 67.59%

FEI Grade IV Team (Restricted)
Julie Blanchard with Ucaro, 67.34%

FEI Grade 1a Individual
Emma Sheardown with Purdy’s Dream, 74.75%

FEI Grade 1b Individual
Lee Pearson with Gentleman, 73.91%

FEI Grade II Individual
Jo Pitt with Estralita, 72.86%

FEI Grade III Individual
Deb Criddle with Pavaroti, 69.33%

FEI Grade IV Individual
Sophie Wells with Pinocchio, 71.13%

FEI PE Freestyle
Lee Pearson with Gentleman, 78.75%

For full results click here