Petplan Summer Championships 25: Day Five

The final day at the 2025 Summer Area Festival Championships saw four outstanding winners take their place at the top of the podium; read about the Prelim combinations who showed star quality and warmed the hearts of the spectators on the final day of action.  

Petplan Prelim Freestyle Bronze 

Winner: Martha Eldred and Pompidou, 75% 

Herefordshire’s Martha Eldred gave her young talent Pompidou the best of experiences in the Prelim Freestyle Bronze, riding to a win on 75%.  

"It’s amazing! I wasn’t sure how he would be, it’s his first season competing and his first stay away show,” the young rider commented about how it feels to take a title at Arena UK, “I had no expectations and he was epic.” 

Speaking about her stunning grey five-year-old, who’s by Bon Courage and out of an Osmium-sired mare, Martha said, “I backed him myself with the help of Laura Frost who I train with, he’s just been perfect. He’s very cuddly and he’s a very chilled boy.”  

“All of it,” Martha laughed about what felt like the highlights from her winning test, “he felt mega. He really went in the ring and felt like he knew exactly what needed to be done. He’s been loving it here, he had a good sleep last night and he’s taken the whole experience really well.”  

Martha, who works for Laura Frost, “dressage is still very new to me. I work for Laura and she’s been an amazing support.”  

“It’s been so much fun, and the series has been ideal for him in his first season. We’ve both really enjoyed it, it’s such a lovely atmosphere.” Pompidou will now enjoy a little holiday before Martha aims to step him up through the levels and continue on her Area Festival journey.  

Pint-sized powerhouse Doolittle and his BD Youth jockey Delilah Esberger-Hancock did a great job on their big day out to finish second with 70.371%, whilst Tracey-Louise Muir and her own mare Dancier Diva (Dancier x Rotspon) matched their score to earn third after an artistic countback.  

Petplan Prelim Bronze 

Winner: Charlotte Blair and Equador, 69.921% 

Charlotte Blair may have only ridden ten BD tests in the run up to the Petplan Area Festival Championships, but the Suffolk-based rider produced a title winning test at her first attempt, earning the Petplan Prelim Bronze title with her own Equador. Their winning score was a fantastic 69.921%, topping a 34-strong class of brilliant Bronze combinations.  

Speaking about how it feels to win at her first major championship, Charlotte said: “It’s incredible, I was just so excited about coming here - when I won the qualifier I was over the moon! He was such a good boy, and it’s been so windy! I was just so happy about how he went in the class it was enough, and then I had to wait to watch the last ten scores come in. When I found out I won I just burst into tears in the lorry with my mum, I was just so excited.”  

“My mother will say I always get my circles wrong! So I was so focused today on riding them the right size,” the rider admited about her test in the Petplan arena, “when I came down the final cente line I just beamed, I think when I looked back at the photos I was smiling in every single one. He was such a good boy and he kept it together.” 

The well-matched partnership looked a picture in their prize giving, and Laura talked about their journey to date: “We’ve only been doing British Dressage this year, we’ve just started. He was a show horse before so this is another thing off his bucket list. He did really well as a lightweight hunter, he won Windsor and went to HOYS. He’s brilliant, he just does everything you want him to do.” 

“He was the first horse I bought for myself. He was actually a gift from my late grand mother,” she reflected thoughtfully on the special connection between her wonderful horse and her family, “she told me to buy my horse of a lifetime. He’s been every bit of that. I got him at four and took him really slowly, then took him into the showing world. Everything you ask him to do he tries his heart out. He’s the biggest softie, at home I sit down in the stable with him, he’s just the nicest person. He’s talented and lovely.” 

Katrina Ellis and the stunning Silverstor IV earned the runner up spot on a great score of 68.968%, and Emina Newton completed a wonderful Bronze top three with Zoe Smith’s gelding Hubert II earning 68.413%.  

Petplan Prelim Silver 

Winner: Liz Park and So Tangelo, 73.175%  

Liz Park and the Tobiano So Tangelo were runners up in Novice Bronze, and went on better in the Prelim Silver to secure a title of their own on an impressive 73.175%, in front of Jane Peberdy, CJ Tupling and Suzi Douglas Osborne.  

The win was full of emotion for Liz, whose overcome personal trauma this year, showing an admirable strength of character and humility. Her win represents the special horse-human bond, and all the benefits it brings, that truly transcends sport. “I’ve had a really difficult summer person, if it wasn’t for my coach Jennifer Bowman I wouldn’t be here, she’s been so supportive – along with my husband and my kids. It’s an absolute dream come true, I can’t believe it. This happens to other people, it doesn’t happen to people like me. He’s just like ‘hold my beer mum I’ve got this’, 2025 is going to get better and he’s done it for me. This means everything.”   

“I was second yesterday and I thought ‘oh well I won’t be that lucky again’, I was drawn second to go today – he was really rideable, he went in and was a bit more sparky. He just blew me again, to come out with a percentage like that in a setting like this, is just unbelievable.” 

Talking about the horse who’s been by her side for many years, she continued: “People talk about their horse of a life-time and he has been mine. He was bred by Angela Scott who was a great friend of mine. I was there on the day he was born, she always said he should’ve been my horse; I could never have afforded a horse like him. When he was four, before she died, she gifted him to me,”  

“He’s 12 now and he’s been amazing,” she said about her multi-talented gelding, “he’s led kids' ponies, he’s field mastered, he’s been eventing, he hacks, hunts, does everything. This year, I thought I need to focus on what he’s good at, and that’s dressage.” 

“I often joke I’d sell one of the children before I sell him,” she said about ‘Tangie’ who truly means the world, “he’s part of the family. I was there the day he was born and he’ll be with me until the day he dies, regardless of what we do or don’t do.” 

Liz has recently qualified as a Barrister, having undertaken a law degree as a law student: “It was a childhood dream that never came to fruition. I’ve secured pupilage now so from next September I become a practicing Barrister. At the moment I work in the civil service in policing, I can’t wait to start my long-awaited dream.” 

The Cumbria-based rider concluded with an inspiring message on making the dream work and fitting everything in: “Sometimes things happen in life where you remember life is really short and precious. You don’t know what’s around the corner, or what’s coming to change the path you’re on. If you want to do something you have to find the time, the energy and the motivation. I’m very lucky to have supportive friends, family and kids, I’m very lucky but you have to make the most of it.” 

Jon Revell continued to collect placings with Julie Smith’s charming gelding Sheepcote Fiorucci, riding to second place on 70.159%; Laura Smith and the Secret-sired chestnut Silvadoris earned 69.683% for third.  

Petplan Prelim Silver Freestyle  

Winner: Jon Revell and Sheepcote Fiorucci, 73.334% 

Jon Revell earned two top five placings before concluding the week with a poignant win in the Petplan Prelim Silver Freestyle, scoring 73.334% with Julie Smith’s Sheepcote Fiorucci in the final class of the Championship.  

Jon’s win marks a special victory for rider and owner, as Julie told their story: “I’ve had serious spinal surgery with a deteriorating condition, I got to every test thinking this could be the last one and I can’t ride much at home any more. I’ve got the most amazing physios at the Hereford Physiotherapy Clinic and they’re the reason why I’m here to watch and support. We found an arrangement that works for both of us. Jon said ‘I’ll help you exercise him’, so I said ‘why don’t you ride him’.  I’m just so proud. I can’t ride six days a week anymore and I thought Jon might as well compete him, as he goes so well for him.”  

“I haven’t competed or ridden for six years, I didn’t have a horse,” Jon, who works for David and Serena Pincus said, “Then I started helping Julie out, I’m back out of retirement officially now! He’s an absolutely delight to work with and ride, I can’t stay that enough, he’s a bay unicorn.”   

Speaking more about the bay gelding who’s home-bred by the Pincus’s, Jon continued: “He’s a delight. To start with I was taking him out for fun, and it escalated really quickly! He’s just such a joy, he’s like a labrador at home. He gives you such a nice feeling, and I’ve never won anything like this. Really I’m still learning to ride him, so horse is the same and he’s just such a nice horse. I’m so pleased Julie is here to be part of this and I’m really grateful to Serena Pincus who trains me.” 

“He felt really easy, light and he was so with me. He danced his way around,” Jon said about his test set to elegant yet dramatic music, which Jon commented on with great humour, “the first time I heard the music I didn’t like it! It’s personal taste isn’t it, it’s not what I’d choose! The more I ride it the more I think how much it suits him, the judges obviously liked it too!” 

Jon overcame deep sadness on his way to this win, which he credited to his beloved horse Treacle, who passed during the championships due to severe colic, where she was playing a role as companion to Sheepcote Fiorucci. “This is for her, it’s just so bittersweet. She was the apple of my eye, I adored her. I really was mortified, she was my first-born child. I came back to do the Novices yesterday but I rode so badly, I was as white as a sheet. Today, I picked myself up a bit and thought for his sake, I need to get on and do him proud.” The BD team extends sincere condolences to Jon, as well as congratulations on achieving an amazing result in the memory of his special mare.  

Emily Westwood and the Irish-registered gelding The Graduate earned 71.204% towards the end of the class for a fantastic reserve champion placings, whilst Emma Harrison and her elegant black mare Palymyra Karenina completed the final top three of the week on 70.926%.  

FULL RESULTS