News
D&H Associated Championships 26: Day six
- Written By: British Dressage | Maddie Hinchliff
- Published: Wed, 11 Nov 2026 18:30
The final day of the D&H Associated Championships saw the perky Part Bred British Native Ponies and vivacious Veteran Riders draw the championships to a close with standout scores and superb performances, bringing to an end six memorable days of competition, camaraderie and celebration at Addington Equestrian.
Part Bred British Native Pony
Leading the way in the Part Bred British Native Pony Championships was Conwy-based Anita Jones, who made the trip to Addington with her own Machno Hercules and Emily Everett’s MCS Shaunie’s Gift (pictured). Known at home as Hercules and Shaunie, Anita took home a Championship title on both horses in the Preliminary 6 and Novice 5 classes. Anita competed both horses in the Prelim Championship, but ultimately, it was Shaunie who was crowned the Gold section and overall champion on 72.500% by judges Julia Catling (E) and Brenda Evans (C). Hercules followed in a very close behind with 71.800%, leaving him sitting in second overall. Speaking about the highlights from her tests, Anita told us that ,“Their attitude and how they took in the atmosphere was my highlight. They were so confident and just gave me everything in the arena – I was so proud of them both for that.”
Anita’s second title of the day was won by Hercules, who topped the Novice Championship leaderboard with 70.167%, taking the overall and Silver section win. Speaking about the six-year-old Welsh cross gelding, Anita told us that, “Hercules only started his BD career in June and has already been out competing at Elementary.” She also explained that, “Because I’m in the Prelim Gold, we are against the big warmbloods. We do hold our own, but the championships opens that door for us to be able to compete against horses of the same type.”
Shaunie also only recently started her BD journey, having joined at the end of May. Telling us about the nine-year-old mare, Anita explained, “She has been a little bit more tricky to ride, so we’ve worked really hard on her contact and her suppleness. And it’s nice because she’s now starting to really shine."
Anita has been competing in BD with different horses since 2004, and this marked her fourth Associated Championship experience, “I just love the atmosphere and how nice and friendly everybody was. The camaraderie was amazing – people that you didn't know you, or who I knew were all clapping and congratulating everybody. It was just so nice to have that atmosphere. It was lovely.”
Looking forward to her future aims with these two horses, Anita shared, “Hercules has qualified for the novice Area Festivals, but my goal is to do an Advanced Medium at the end of spring with him, and he will be coming up for sale after that. Then for Shaunie, it'll be just about getting her owner back on her, and for them to have a great career together.”
In the Prelim championships, Liz Mather completed the top three lineup, as well as winning the Silver title aboard Donna Roana with 69.100%, and Philippa Corney took the Bronze title aboard Dunmore Rocket, who scored 67.200% to finish seventh overall. In the Novice championships, Shelly Harriss took second place overall on 68.417% aboard SHD Lonbraj and Samantha Britton finished third with Southway Twice as N’Ice on 68.250%. Clare Williams won the Bronze championship title, finishing fifth overall on 67.084% aboard M. Kilgreaney Dana Realta, and Gillian Hasberry won the Gold title on St Flannans Aguila with 61.417% to finish 16th overall.
Veteran Rider
Headlining the Veteran Riders, Sally Morgan and Jennie Minary became the only two riders to achieve over 70%, with Sally claiming the highest score of the veteran riders on 70.856% to win the Advanced Medium 5, and win the Prix St Georges on 65.000% with her ten-year-old gelding Negroni JR. Competing in front of judges Linda Waller (E) and Kim Ratcliffe (C), Shropshire-based Sally earned her Advanced Medium win by a margin of just under four percent, and she described the ride on Negroni as, "a joy to ride.” Focusing on the highlights from her test, Sally told us that, “His trot work is wonderful and consistent; at the Associated Championships this was very evident in the marks with several 8.0’s including both half passes in the Advanced Medium. The sun shone on us in this test (which was great as it was quite cold!), and both judges seemed to like him, leaving us just one mark just shy of 72% and the other over 70%. The PSG saw us make a few mistakes and shows we have more areas to develop and build upon, it was not our best test to date but Negroni still did me proud winning overall.”
Sally has been competing in BD with Negroni since June of 2025 and describes him as, “An absolute delight to ride, he loves working and learning and tries his best with everything you ask of him. We gained a direct qualification at both BD Winter Championships and BD Summer Nationals at Advanced Medium (and music at winters). We enjoyed a seventh place in both straight and music at the Winters, but a miscommunication at the Summers was costly! We have been building the work and started competing at PSG in July this year, and after just two tests we decided to focus on the Area Festivals for the summer, where we won at the championships. We still have a lot of work to do at PSG, but we are also focusing on Inter I work.”
Telling us about her experiences at the Championships, Sally described the event as, “Extremely well run, a great venue, and everyone was very friendly. It’s great to have a fun competition that is a bit more relaxed, that still allows you to go out and get experience in a competitive environment. The veteran rider classes were large, so it shows there are a lot of us ‘oldies’ still wanting to be the best we can be!”
Looking forward to her next goal with Negroni, the pair have achieved their Winter Regional qualifications for PSG and Advanced Medium, and in their training they are focusing on building on the advanced movements such as the pirouettes and tempi changes, as Sally is hoping to aim them for their first Inter I very soon!
Alongside Sally, Buckinghamshire-based Jennie Minary took the overall win in the Preliminary 6 Championships aboard her 16-year-old Irish Sports Horse Westwinds Mackenzie. Known affectionately as AJ at home, this pair scored 70.500% in front of judges Penny Connolly (E) and Rachel Crook (C). With a combined age of 77, Jennie told us that, “He was bred in Ireland at Westwinds stud run by Alice and Jennifer Kehoe, and was evented before I bought him two years ago. I’d had an eight-year break from competing as I’d retired my previous horse and circumstances prevented me from getting another horse for a few years. I tried a few horses before I saw AJ; he was older and bigger than I wanted but when I sat on him, I knew he was the right horse for me. He settled in really well and has adjusted to his quieter life but will still pop a few logs in the woods.”
“He produced a lovely consistent test and it was fab to get 8.0’s for his walk. AJ coped beautifully with the sashes and rosettes in the prize giving but really struggled with the music and applause in the lap of honour – I did have to apologise to the other riders for our lack of control and manners!”
Talking about how they prepared in the run-up to the championships, Jannie told us, “We don’t have a manége, so he does most of his schooling on hacks and the occasional arena hire. We did a couple of competitions last year, but when I saw that the Associated Championships were coming to Addington it became a goal to compete in them at Prelim and Novice as we are both classified as Veterans. We also did a Summer Area Festival and came second but chose not to go to the finals.”
This was not Jennie’s first experience of the Associated Championships, however, as she has previously competed in them with her old horse. “They provide such a fabulous opportunity for so many competitors to experience a Championship atmosphere on horses which would not necessarily qualify for Area Festivals or Nationals. Sara Green and her team were amazing and the whole show ran like clockwork. The stewards were so helpful and friendly even when they were freezing on Monday! Thank you to everyone who was involved.”
This fabulous pair actually competed in a total of four classes over the championships, earning placings in three of those, as well as Jennie judging alongside her riding: “I am a List 4 judge and attended the championships as a judge on two days, so it was a busy few days!”
Looking forward to her goals for next year, Jennie and AJ will be aiming for the Winter Area Festivals at Prelim and Novice, and then the Associated Championships again at Novice and Elementary.
As we bring the 2026 D&H Associated Championships to a close, we would like to extend our thanks to our title sponsor for their generous support. This year marked the first Associated Championships in partnership with D&H, and we are incredibly grateful for their commitment to the sport and for helping to make the event such a success.
Competitors looking to continue their journey with D&H can find expert nutrition advice, feeding guides and product information on the D&H website, as well as on their social media channels, which can be found below.
Finally, thank you to the competitors, volunteers, officials and supporters who have made this year's championships so memorable, and we look forward to welcoming you back next year, you can also already register your interest for next years championships, you can find the form on the page linked below.
Results – winners from each section, with the overall winner from each class marked with *
Part Bred British Native Pony
D&H Part Bred British Native Pony Bronze Introductory 3
Connie Lunn and Dazzling Queen Arna, 63.296%*
D&H Part Bred British Native Pony Preliminary 6
B – Philippa Corney and Dunmore Rocket, 67.200%
S – Liz Mather and Donna Roana, 69.100%
G – Anita Jones and MCS Saunies’s Gift, 72.500%*
D&H Part Bred British Native Pony Novice 5
B – Clare Williams and M. Kilgreaney Dana Realta, 67.084%
S – Anita Jones and Machno Hercules, 70.167%*
G – Gillian Hasberry and St Flannans Aguila, 61.417%
D&H Part Bred British Native Pony Elementary 5
B – Sapphire Sloan and Glynebourne Eleri, 61.953%
S – Samantha Britton and Southway Twice as N’Ice, 67.813%*
D&H Part Bred British Native Pony Medium 5
B – Elizabeth Griggs and Harri Coeswen, 65.667%*
S – Kathy Babb and Hammerwood Ruscha, 62.500%
D&H Part Bred British Native Pony Advanced Medium 5
S – Amy Cox and Tinkerbell II, 65.066%
G – Alice Petternell and Fourseasons Sienna, 66.185%*
D&H Part Bred British Native Pony FEI Prix St Georges
B – Amy Cox and Tinkerbell II, 57.574%*
Veteran Rider
D&H Veteran Rider Bronze Introductory 3
Michelle Surridge and Strahard Little Bob, 67.046%*
D&H Veteran Rider Preliminary 6
B – Michelle Surridge and Strahard Little Bob, 67.400%
S – Jennie Minary and Westwinds Mackenzie, 70.500%*
G – Amanda Bettle and Southwood Florence, 68.400%
D&H Veteran Rider Novice 5
B – Helen Mills and Jaleo Gris Z, 67.584%
S – Julie Matthews and Fairytale Romance, 70.333%*
G – Georgina Stuart and Lifestyle 11, 66.750%
D&H Veteran Rider Elementary 5
B – Liz Julier and Swiss Maid, 68.360%
S – Rachel Onions and For Elise, 69.844%*
D&H Veteran Rider Medium 5
B – Susan Penny and Kjango, 64.750%
S – Mandy Keen and Jackpot IV, 68.667%*
D&H Veteran Rider Advanced Medium 5
B – Mandy Keen and Jackpot IV, 65.461%
S – Sally Morgan and Negroni JR, 70.856%*
G – Nicki Holt and Charisma IV, 63.882%
D&H Veteran Rider Prix St Georges
B – Cheryl Tuff and Ritter Sport, 57.500%
S – Sally Morgan and Negroni JR, 65.000%*
G – Nicki Holt and Charisma IV, 57.941%
