A decade worth of memories at the Petplan Area Festivals
Over a decades’ worth of memories have been enjoyed at the Petplan Area Festivals…
The Petplan Area Festivals are all about the journey - gaining new experiences and having the chance to compete at some of the UK’s biggest venues all while dancing with your horse and making memories to last a lifetime. We met up with two riders who have done just that; Evelyn Little and her gelding Bindro T who has made the series their aim for over the last ten years and Alice Pullem and her fifteen year old mare, Cheeky Wee Red who’ve recently made their debut at Grand Prix after starting their journey seven years ago fresh off the racetrack.
Evelyn Little: Dino’s Story
The seventeen year old KWPN gelding (Obelisk X Negro) known at home as Dino was brought by Evelyn from Ryan Shannon as a fresh youngster who had been living his life in a field. “He was the start of my dressage journey and we’ve been learning as we go” Evelyn told us.
When they first started the Area Festivals Evelyn was completely new to dressage, so the series gave them their first experience of a championship event. “All the way through the levels, it has been an achievable championship to aim for, and my main focus. It’s a very supportive series, and the venues that host them go all out to make it feel special every year,” Evelyn commented.
Starting their journey back in 2011 they qualified straight off the bat for the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships after coming second and third in the Prelim and Novice restricted, as it was then known. “It was our first year competing at BD and it truly was the blind leading the blind, he was only five and I didn’t have much experience.” However, that did not stop them from making their debut at the championships and winning with 71.77%.
“It was back when you had to do two tests at Novice in the Area Festivals. In the first test we fell out of canter and came 3rd in our group, but back then only half the group went through to ride the test again (against the best of the other group), so for the next test I made sure I was ready for anything. It was amazing, but it’s a bit of a blur now.”
Since then, they’ve qualified at every level each year from Elementary to Advanced Medium until 2016. “We’ve had a few top 10 placings at Hartpury, and I’ve always enjoyed competing there,” Evelyn said. Dino then took a year out from the Petplan Area Festivals as he competed for Canada at the World Equestrian Games with Bert Sheffield where they came fourth.
Heading back to the Petplan Summer Area Festival Championships at Arena UK last year was a trip down memory lane for the pair, “I hadn’t competed at that venue since Dino was 5! We competed at Inter I Bronze where we came 8th, it was a great show.” Originally Evelyn wanted to get to Prix St Georges with Dino but once that was ticked off the next aim was Grand Prix, “We did our first Inter II last year and fingers crossed we will finally do a Grand Prix test this year and I shall have the biggest smile on my face when we do!”
Throughout their journey together they have grown as a partnership in more ways than competing, “I’ve learned a lot about Dino through these events, he trusts me completely, but is more sensitive than he makes out. We took a bit of a break from competing just before covid as we both lost our nerve at the championship events so we started a bit of jumping. His confidence and schooling made picking up a different discipline so much easier!” Evelyn said. They then came back stronger and more refreshed than ever.
Talking about the Area Festivals Evelyn has loved the atmosphere of the shows, “Although the combinations seem to get better every year, it still feels achievable. The sponsors are very generous, awarding sashes, rugs and rosettes and they always seem genuinely interested in the back stories of those competing in the series. You also get to see such a great range of breeds and types competing.”
Evelyn wants to give those of you reading a bit of advice, “If anyone’s been considering this series, but not made that leap yet just do it! You have to be in it to win it! I started with not a clue as to what I was doing. I turned up to my first championships just hoping to stay on and enjoy myself.” She also wants to give this reminder, “I was so unprepared to win that I didn’t video or take pictures of anything and didn’t pack the bubbly. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone!”
Alice Pullem: Rosie’s Story
Running a total of twenty-two times Cheeky Wee Red (Pastoral Pursuits X Swynford Elegance) won three and placed in five of her races, earning over £8,500 for her owners before retiring at six. The chestnut mare then arrived at Alice’s yard in 2014 at the same time she was looking for an eventer to produce, “A good friend of mine knew Rosie’s owners in the syndicate and before I knew it the deal was done for the princely sum of £600!”
However, it was clear after a few sessions with cavaletti poles that Rosie was not a fan of jumping but loved the groundwork, “She tried her heart out! Mind you she always knew best, and any miscommunications resulted in a deep sigh from little Rosie – it was never her fault!”
And so, a dressage diva was born! A year later in 2015 she won her first Area Festival at Elementary and came second in the Novice. However, a field accident Rosie was left with an injury that stopped their plans to go to Hartpury the next year, “She had a two-foot gash down the inside of her hind leg. For a while it was touch and go if she would even survive, let alone return to the dressage arena again.” Four months of box rest later and Rosie’s fear of anyone in a white coat, she recovered but it took even longer for her to be fit and ready again to enter the arena.
They came back with a bang, winning at Advanced Medium before stepping up to Prix St Georges in 2018, which was a very busy year for the pair Alice tells us, “Rosie had her “special year”- It kicked off when she was asked to lead out the RoR parade at the Ayr Scottish Grand National. She then had a couple of wins at the Scottish RoR Championships later in the year as well as winning the RoR National Special Dressage competition at Aintree, the highest-level dressage competition for ex-racers in the UK.” Then to top it off she qualified at the Area Festivals in Prix St Georges and was voted RoR Dressage Horse of the Year.
Through lockdown they continued their training with Pammy Hutton over zoom, whom they have trained with since the start of their dressage career. When competition resumed in 2021 it was like the pair never left the arena winning three sashes at Prix St Georges and Inter I, qualifying for both the winter and summer championships.
Alice then had to take a break from riding, due to a hip replacement “Obviously, I wasn’t going to be able to ride for a while and my other two horses were sent away to keep them busy but Rosie kept me company at home. She was the first horse I rode seven weeks after my operation,” Alice commented. It was only two weeks later they were back out qualifying for the Summer Area Festivals, “there was no time to waste!”
After attending the Petplan Summer Area Festival Championships at both Prix St Georges and Inter I they gained their first few points at Inter II with the help from Eilidh Grant, “She made her High Profile debut at Aintree. We thought it might be the last time Rosie made it to the Area Festival Championships but conveniently the Middle Tour Championship are going to be held at the same venue in 2023 so we hope to return there this Summer.”
However, their final aim couldn’t wait, they had once more milestone to hit. “On 25 March Rosie and I put on our brave pants and went down the centre line at our first Grand Prix – and delivered an amazing 62.83% for our first outing,” Alice said.
Going on to say, “Without the Area Festivals to aim for Rosie wouldn’t have had anything to compete at, as she was never going to be competitive at the Premier Leagues. With the help of these competitions, she has been able to improve all the way up the dressage levels. Not bad for an ex-racing chestnut mare, with an attitude!”
Want to take part in the biggest affiliated series in dressage? Check out the page below where you can find out about how to qualify, the rules, handy tips and expert advice and other rider stories.