Festival Focus - Rockrose Equestrian
Kicking off the 2023 Summer Petplan Equine Area Festival season was Rockrose Equestrian, 14 – 16 July! The Scottish riders made their way down the center line in front of judges to hopefully gain their place to the Petplan Equine Summer Area Festival Championship at Arena UK in October.
Petplan’s picks!
Attending two Championships in their first year together as a partnership Louise Doherty and six year old Playing it Cooley are back once again this time in Novice Bronze, where they took the win at Rockrose with 71.74%. They also go their dancing shoes on for the first time scoring 69.72% in the freestyle to secure that red rosette.
Known as Cedric, Lousie brought him mainly to event but have been enjoying their time between the white boards, “I bought him from Richard Sheane at Cooley Farm directly as a four year old.” Training with Sarah and James Oakden at their competition yard in Fife, they also have lessons with Ian Woodhead too. “I’m an amateur rider with a busy day job as Head of Marketing Communications for Standard Life, it’s so valuable to have such a great support network. I couldn’t make it all happen without their help,” Lousie told us. It was only their third time competing the freestyle test Louise said, “He was on his toes in the atmosphere and was also quite excited in the warm-up for the straight class but then gave me the best test he ever has!”
Going on to say, “I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved in our two years together both eventing and dressage. He was actually second in the BE100 class at Forgandenny on the Sunday too - a truly versatile horse.” They’re now looking forward to continuing their Eventing career where they are heading to the Scottish Eventing Championships at BE100 and then the 1* at Osberton at the end of the season. Then finishing it all off by going to the Petplan Equine Summer Area Festival Championships in October before he enjoys his winter holidays.
Young rider Megan Brown and her thoroughbred gelding Joker O' Shannon are heading to their first championships together. After a very late start to his dressage career, being broken as a seven year old Shannon has come a long way Megan told us, “He had been left to mature due to confirmational issues, I was really his last chance. My late instructor helped me break him in, although I thought that was going to be impossible as he didn’t take well to the idea, however his talent started to shine through.”
Starting their journey together at Talland they got to compete at Advanced level, they then moved to train with Marie Kent and Bobby Hayler-Wright where they are now practicing the PSG movements. Now thirteen years old the gelding loves to show off his extended trots and flying changes, “He loves both those movements and is always giving 100% effort through all of our tests.” It was certainly rewarded as they won the Advanced Medium Silver with 65.43%. Talking through their day Megan remembered, “Rockrose had such a wonderful atmosphere, everyone was so laid back and happy. All the stewards, judges and prize giving girls where absolutely amazing, even though I was a complete emotional wreck after his test.”
Megan wants to thank her amazing support team for helping her achieve her dreams, “Marie has had us as clients for years and has helped me mentally get out and do shows like this. I am a new client of Bobby’s but in just a short few week she’s kept me on the right track and pushed us to achieve our full potential. Behind the scenes my mum has been working so hard to get us to where we are - from mucking out, top groom and driver. She was just as emotional as I was when my name was called in the prize giving.” They are hoping to move up the levels together, but Megan is already proud of the progress they have achieved together, “He’s not the most straightforward chap to ride at times but he makes me so proud and I’m really lucky to have him. As long as he’s happy and healthy to compete then we will.”
It was worth the ten-hour trip to Rockrose for Helen Duffy and Feder as they took home two titles in the Advanced Medium and Freestyle Bronze. Buying the mare as an unbacked three year old due to an injury with her half sister, they originally competed in British Showjumping up to 1.30m but when Helen made the move up to Scotland six years old they focused on the flatwork. “We didn’t have an arena or much in the way of fences so we took up dressage.”
They’ve been training with Sue Grice (who also qualified in for two classes at Rockrose) and have gone from Elementary to PSG, with the aims of Inter I by the end of the year. Helen tells us what it’s like to train with Sue, “She’s a very empathetic trainer who has a very horse-centred approach and has helped develop my confidence in setting up and riding the more difficult movements.” Due to their location they get lots of snow, so can’t train uch over the winter so all of their scores really do count, “I hadn’t competed since last September and so every test I did was to qualify for Area Festivals, luckily we managed to get our scores!”
Dancing their way to the top of the podium with their Abba medley was Rebecca Winstanley and Samurai VI with 68.70%. Starting their partnership two and a half years ago they compete regularly with their team Holmside Hall's Half Passed It In Quest and this is their second time at the Area Festivals.
“Last year we got a wildcard qualification but Simba went lame 3 days before so we couldn’t make it, which is why this win and direct qualification means so much to me,” Rebecca told us. Training with Bobby Hayler-Wright and Victoria Hayton in the run up to the competition, who Rebecca has found very helpful in her progress. Talking about their love for the music, “He gives a little wiggle and excited tail swish when it’s time to start! Competing at the Area Festivals is just so much fun.” As much as Rebecca loves competing she also takes pride in the show prep too, “I also absolutely love turnout for competitions, I spent about four hours bathing, plaiting and tack cleaning to make sure Simba looked pristine, only for the rain to ruin it!” They are looking forward to the championships and many more freestyles to come.
Tracy Thirlwall, an amateur rider who works full time as a self-employed hairdresser took home two titles, Prix St Georges Freestyle Bronze and Inter I Bronze with her mare Tapaidh Frankie. The ex-racehorse loves to please but Tracey never imaged they’d be competing at this level together, “She can be quirky and gets very tense but for some reason she loves it at Rockrose. She’s as happy and relaxed as she’ll ever be out competing here.”
In between riding and full time work Tracey also teaches, so her days starts at 5:30am each morning to fit it all in. “We don’t tend to have many lessons as I find it difficult to fund them and fit them in, but my trainer Chrissie Havis is so supportive and is always on the end of the phone. She watches my videos and tries to help me as much as is possible. She’s been a fantastic help to us and brought us on from Novice.”
They have had a lot of success in Rockrose winning the RoR Novice and Elementary Scottish Championships and Advanced Medium and the PSG Area Festival classes last year. Tracey loves riding the music, that’s what keeps her returning to the venue, “I truly am “having the time of my life”, which is my canter music, with this little horse so as soon as the music starts, I just have the biggest smile and really enjoy riding the test!” She was thrilled with her test, as she talks through her day, “We managed to be on time to the music and got all of our counting right in the flying changes so was delighted to find we’d won out of a big class with some lovely horses.
We were the only competitors in the Inter I and had only done a few in the lead up to but we had qualified so we gave it a go.” Their aim was to get the qualifying score of 63% but they exceeded that with 64.55%. They are now looking forward to the RoR National Championships at Aintree in August as well as the Petplan Equine Summer Area Festivals later in the year.
Rockrose Equestrian Winners
Petplan Equine Preliminary Bronze
Jennifer Coffey and Cloneycavan Count, 72.15%
Petplan Equine Preliminary Freestyle Bronze
Rebecca Winstanley and Samurai VI, 68.70%
Petplan Equine Preliminary Silver
Grace Smith and Matty Menlo, 72.01%
Petplan Equine Novice Bronze
Louise Doherty and Playing it Cooley, 71.74%
Petplan Equine Novice Freestyle Bronze
Louise Doherty and Playing it Cooley, 69.72%
Petplan Equine Novice Silver
Sophie Isaacs and Donaigo Ace, 69.65%
Petplan Equine Novice Freestyle Silver
Kate Mcdiarmid and Master Tom, 70.93%
Petplan Equine Elementary Bronze
Imogen Casely and Parvadean Estelle, 68.09%
Petplan Equine Elementary Freestyle Bronze
Evie Maclean-Yuille and Faerlie Superstitious, 68.14%
Petplan Equine Elementary Silver
Abbie Taylor and Absolute Pride, 69.41%
Petplan Equine Elementary Freestyle Silver
Sue Grice and Cwmenfys Matilda, 70.90%
Petplan Equine Medium Bronze
Lynda Cardno and Eton II, 70.15%
Petplan Equine Medium Freestyle Bronze
Lynda Cardno and Eton II, 70.67%
Petplan Equine Medium Silver
Aimee Aspinall and Lavanya MC, 72.75%
Petplan Equine Medium Freestyle Silver
Susan Duck and Tiger Bay, 67.50%
Petplan Equine Advanced Medium Bronze
Helen Duffy and Feder, 67.09%
Petplan Equine Advanced Medium Freestyle Bronze
Helen Duffy and Feder, 68.22%
Petplan Equine Advanced Medium Silver
Megan Brown and Joker O' Shannon, 65.43%
Petplan Equine Advanced Medium Freestyle Silver
Gillian Margaret Brown and Goruchel Peter Pan, 67.61%
Petplan Equine Prix St Georges Bronze
Joanna Wilkie and Romeo XX, 65.64%
Petplan Equine Prix St Georges Freestyle Bronze
Tracy Thirlwall and Tapaidh Frankie, 66.58%
Petplan Equine Prix St Georges Silver
Linda Barnes and First Miss Sunrise AS, 67.16%
Petplan Equine Intermediate I Bronze
Tracy Thirlwall and Tapaidh Frankie, 64.55%