Kanselier bows out on a high note

Her speed horse, Kanselier, is to retire at 18 at the end of the year after jumping his last HOYS class at the NEC on Sunday.

The pair first hit the spotlight when they qualified for Olympia when Ellen was just 16. Kanselier has twice won Speed Horse of the Year at HOYS, including last year.

He did not manage to repeat his success but he did go out on a high, winning the Xerox Special Events Services Cup.

Kanselier is suffering from damage to the ligaments in one of his legs and is being monitored closely by his vet. If he is fit enough, he will jump at Olympia in December before retiring for good.

"Kanselier has always been such a gentleman and I'm really sad to seem him retire," said Ellen. "He has had a fantastic career and has been incredibly loyal to me. We really know and understand each other well and I'm going to miss him loads."

Ellen and Tina Fletcher jumped five clear rounds in the Puissance competition to tie for first place. Ellen, riding Ladina B and Tina, with Promised Land, cleared the formidable wall at 7ft 2in to the delight of the crowd.

Ellen also took the Sky Sports trophy with CS Online, the Jump4Joy trophy with Equimax Ocolado and was second in the HOYS.co.uk Championship with CS Online.

Dan Neilson, 20, from Saltburn, had the ride of his life with Chauvanist to win the Vinopolis Speed Horse of the Year.

Northallerton's Paul Barker had taken the lead in 57.93secs with Temple Ryfield but Dan, who was last to go, clocked 56.76 seconds for an emphatic win and 3,375 in prize money, beating Barker into second place. Robert Whitaker, with Rostaar, was third.

Dan had won the Young Riders Championship of Great Britain with Chauvanist with the only double clear of the class.

The show produced some excellent performances from Yorkshire, especially from Abbie Farmer, who took the Supreme Ridden Pony Championship and the 1,000 first prize.

She was riding the five-year-old Charn Secret Charm by Lechlade Quince out of Charm Secret Rose, bred by Pam De Pree and produced by the Emmerson family, from Stokesley. Abbie produced an excellent show led by Sarah Emmerson in the lead rein show hunter.

The Emmersons also had a seventh in the 133cm show hunter with Julie Blythman riding Westerby Firelight.

Freddie Welford (Thirsk) had two thirds in the lead rein and 122cm show hunter pony riding the eight-year-old Littlebriars April Louise by Mybella Statesman. Jerome Harforth, from the Stanley Grange Stud, produced the winning 138cm Charlotte Morgan Show Pony and reserve champion with Tarynn Rudd riding the four-year-old Moluccas Perfect Peppercorn, while full brother Moluccas Saffron Surprise ridden by Mia Harrison was eighth in the 128cm section, both by Sedgelands Masquerade bred by Sue Grimshaw.

Wayne Merryweather was delighted when offsprings out of Goldsborough Princess Royal were seventh in the 128cm and 138cm sections. Rosamel Dark Prince was ridden by Holly Aitken and Rosamel Golden Promise by Lucinda Elliott. Lucinda also had a fourth in the native coloured with Lynsey Birtwell's Login Lucky Lad.

Sarah Ambler (Halifax) had a second in the large non-native coloured, riding Endeavour. Liversedge riders Philippa Hoyle and Jim McTiffin had a third and ninth, respectively, with GW Dubya and Mr Morrow. West Rounton's Paul Langrick had a fourth with Liz Stevenson's Shadow Dancer and an eighth with Spirit of Darkness in the coloured sections.

Michaela Wood (Harrogate) made her debut at the Birmingham event by clinching the large hack and coveted Topham Barnes Hack Championship. Michaela was riding the Royal Angel by Wizard King. Angel is produced by Nigel Hollings, who said he was very pleased with Michaela's first season and was also runner-up in the large intermediate show riding type.

Charles Le Moignan (Doncaster) had a third in the small hack with Whalton Razzamatazz besides having a third and fifth in the Topspec lightweight hunter, riding Sutton Place and Regal Wood. Stanley Grange Stud had a third in the hacks with Danielle Purvis riding Holtress Wise and Wonderful and Simon Charlesworth riding last year's winner Baydale Venus. Simon also had a fourth in small riding horse riding Tonya Teasdale's Military Crisis.

Jack Cochrane, riding the six-year-old Hallmark IX, took the lightweight cob and the Equifax and Equabell Cob Championship and delighted owner Rosemary Hetherington, from Middleham. Jack also took the small hunter riding Victoria Clayton's 10-year-old grey gelding Sir William John. Vicky Smart (Thirsk) had a third and eighth with Rogers Revenge and Chivola in the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse Championship.

Simon Charlesworth won the prestigious Cuddy Supreme In Hand Championship by taking the horse section and then the tricolour. Simon was showing nine-year-old mare Catwalk by the legendary Java Tiger. John Thomas's two-year-old Scallywag II took reserve. Wakefield's Dawn Gant and Paul Smith's brood mare Kirkhamgate Lady Rhiannon was sixth.

Sarah Challinor scored a double with Sue Hughes's seven-year-old Dartmoor stallion Pumphill Buckthorn, taking the Mace Group Ridden Mountain and Moorland Championship. Sarah also took the Thistledown Mountain & Moorland Working Hunter Pony Championship.

Skipton's Claudia Pye rode Sue Cooper's Starcrest Mel Aur into fifth place in the Thistledown Intermediate Mountain and Moorland Working Hunter. Oliver Shuttleworth (Ilkley) was runner-up in the Brineton first ridden, riding Waxwing Thumbs Up, and Lauren White had a seventh on Pumphill Cascart. P Armitage (Wakefield) had success in the miniature ponies with a first and third in the stallion section with the nine-year-old LTDS Wildcard and 12-year-old Mostly Minnies Key West.

Additional reporting: Malcolm Bewsher.