Festival Focus: Championship bound

From surprise wins, to homebred horses and championship dreams, this year’s Petplan Area Festivals have delivered plenty to celebrate. With out final three summer competitions highlighting more special stories and tickets secured to the championships held at Arena UK at the end of the month. 

Alison Lee and LKF Million Dollar Bill 

Speedgate Events  

Speedgate Events’ Petplan Area Festival (14 – 16 August) saw Alison Lee and LKF Million Dollar Bill achieve stand-out results in the Prelim classes! Alison and Tilly (as she is known at home) won the Prelim Silver with a fabulous score of 68.97% and finished in second place in the Prelim Freestyle Silver with an even better score of 71.48%.  

Tilly is a six-year-old homebred, co-owned by Lynsey George and Alison, at LKF Sport Horses, Alison shared, “I’m a showjumper by trade and Tilly is actually bred to event, but we’ve taken it slowly with her, as she was so big and weak as a four- and five-year-old, her body wasn’t ready for jumping.” Leading the pair to crack on with flatwork instead, “I pride myself on producing young horses and the way they need as individuals, not what the industry dictates, so they can hopefully have long careers” Alison explained.  

The duo started their BD journey in September 2025, Alison shared, “It was less than successful: lots of additional movements, rein back, rear and spin, not really required at Prelim level! So, to come away with a win and a second at the Area Festival in less than a year since we started, with a homebred, was pretty incredible and rather surreal!” 

The 16.2hh mare, ‘hasn’t been the easiest,’ Alison described, “Occasionally spoiling a good test with an unexpected explosion. She is a typical mare and likes for her opinion to be heard!” Having only decided to give freestyle to music a go three weeks before the end of qualifying, Alison shared, “deciding on what music was tricky, as everything I like to listen to was deemed ‘too fast,’ I then suggested Quest to Kelly and Tony at Equidance, who worked their magic at top speed, giving me two weeks to get four qualifying scores. With such a short time frame, I forgot to ask Lynsey if she liked Queen... she doesn’t... but she says they’re growing on her since I’ve qualified.”  

Alison has desperately wanted a sash, having not won one since her showing days as a child, “We felt I had a good chance in the music, we had excellent qualifying scores and as soon as Fat Bottomed Girls starts to play, I start to smile and the mare and I both seem to relax. So, to come second was amazing but at the time I was disappointed as the sash was out of my reach, as we didn’t have such high expectations in the straight class.”  

However, the hotly contested Prelim Silver class was where they finished on the top step of the podium, “We were ninth to go and to go straight into the lead at that stage was a really nice feeling, but we all felt it wouldn’t last. However, as the scores kept coming in and we weren’t moving from the top, we were trying to keep our excitement in check!”  

“Then in came the very last test,  Amelia & Thorneyside Sugar-Ray, and I must admit all sportsmanlike thoughts left my brain! They did the most wonderful test to watch and I thought that that's my sash gone again! To be beaten by the final rider seemed so unfair, I had to go for a walk while Lynsey and Yazz waited for the scores to come in. When I got back to the lorry I was greeted by YOU'VE WON YOUR SASH, but you've got to share it! Which in all honesty was the nicest outcome. Amelia was lovely and her pony had been in rehab following an injury, so to share the top spot with her was extra special. We've agreed to meet up at Arena UK & support each other.”  

Alison is now looking ahead to the championships, “It’s my birthday the day before we travel down, in the meantime, we’ve finally started jumping, with the hope of a winter of British Showjumping and some Eventing for Tilly.”  

Millicent Dethick and Santos Spectacular © SBM Photography 

Bury Farm Equestrian Village 

Millicent Dethick and Rioja IV won the Novice Bronze class at Bury Farm’s Petplan Area Festival (22 – 24 August), with an impressive score of 70.06%. The duo also finished seventh in the Prelim Silver with another good score of 68.33%. That was not the only win Millie took away from the Area Festival, topping the leaderboard in the Prelim Silver with her other ride Santos Spectacular, with her highest score of 71.90%.  

Millie, looking back on an amazing achievement, shared, “I feel so grateful to be able to compete both Spider [Santos Spectacular] and Rioja on behalf of their owners Sarah Newman (Spider’s owner) and Platinum Stud and Louise Jenkins who owns Rioja.” Having worked so hard with both horses, Millie is so proud of their tests, “they both showed how talented they are.”  

If she had to pick a favourite moment, Millie said it would be, “trotting down the centre line at the start of each test. There is no better feeling than trotting down the centre line!” Walking us through the highlights, Millie shared, “For Spider’s Prelim test, he has a very natural canter which makes the canter work the easiest part. We have been working very hard over the past month on the halt, so I’m really pleased to have achieved high marks for this. For Rioja’s novice test, I was super pleased with her relaxation in the walk and her canter throughout the whole test.”  

Millicent Dethick and Rioja IV © SBM Photography 

Millie has only been competing in BD competitions for two years now and felt the Area Festivals were a great way to get into dressage, “This will be my first time qualifying for the championships at Arena UK!” Spider’s owner Sarah Newman, backed and produced him from three-years-old, Millie explained, “I started riding Spider in May 2026 where he tested me a lot to start with, but has really shown how talented he is out competing in the last few months.” Describing the gelding, “He is gorgeous and he knows it, always coming home with a lovely picture after a competition.”  

Rioja, owned by Angus Humfrey, Jade Deter and Louise Jenkins at Platinum Stud, has been ridden by Millie since the mare was three years old when she started her ridden career. “She’s a stunning 17.2hh mare who is super cuddly in the stable and loves to hack out. At only five years old she has a super exciting future ahead of her” Millie shared.  

Millie plans to step up to Elementary level with Spider in the immediate future, and both horses are getting prepared for the Area Festival Championships at the end of September, “which we are super excited about” Millie concluded.  

Victoria Shanks and Mr Warrior © Paul Dobson

Northallerton Equestrian  

At our final Petplan Area Festival of the summer, Victoria Shanks and Mr Warrior took to the Arena in both the Elementary Silver and Medium Bronze at Northallerton Equestrian (28 – 30 August). Vicki and Warrior walked away with two amazing results, winning the Elementary Silver with a great score of 67.50% and fourth in the Medium Bronze with 65.61%.  

Sharing how she felt to achieve those results and securing their ticket to the championships, Vicki shared, “I was so shocked, but so happy, I was just hoping for a top ten placing!” Despite Warrior feeling a bit tired after the Elementary class Victoria explained how he pulled it out of the bag, “I didn’t think we had it in us to get a good score in the Medium Bronze as well.”  

Vicki’s favourite moment of the day was seeing her mum’s face when she found out that they had won: “everyone was so lovely, coming up to me and congratulating me. I then realised I don’t land from my holiday in Tenerife until the day before I’m due to compete at Arena UK for the championships!” Reflecting on their tests, Vicki shared, “I was pleased with how our lateral movements felt and how obedient Warrior was feeling, then the comments on our harmonious partnership, saying what a willing, happy chap Warrior is.” 

The big show atmosphere is what drew Vicki to the Area Festival series, “it's the chance to give your horse the big show experience but with a lot less pressure than the Regionals. I sometimes feel out of place as he is not your typical dressage horse, but people at the Area Festivals are always wishing you good luck and congratulating you. It feels like they are genuinely happy for you.” 

Vicki bought the now 16-year-old gelding when he was only three, she explained, “he’s the best £1,000 I’ve ever spent.” Warrior also doesn’t have any recorded breeding Vicki shared, “his breeder told me he was the outcome of her mare, who was an Irish Sports Horse, escaping in with a young coloured colt and then along came Warrior on Remembrance Day 2010.”  

“He is my horse of a lifetime, he loves his food and he is just the happiest boy. He is such a huge part of my life, and I couldn’t have asked for a better horse to be enjoying dressage with.” Vicki shares that the 15.2hh piebald is, “the first horse I’ve competed on at affiliated dressage, we started out at Prelim Bronze and are now competing at Medium and hoping to compete in some Medium music next year.”