Tabasco spices up glorious Osberton

THE sun shone for Osberton International Horse Trials near Worksop at the weekend, which attracted record crowds for the final day on Sunday.

There was plenty for spectators to watch in the main arena, with the CCI one- and two-star events reaching their climax, as well as the six and seven-year-old Lycetts British Eventing Young Horse Championships.

German event rider Ingrid Klimke finished as she had started three days earlier, on perfect form, to win the two-star event.

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“It has been a wonderful weekend,” said Ingrid. “I’m so pleased with the way Tabasco has performed in all areas and very excited about next year.

“I’m so glad we made the decision to come and thanks again to Chris Bartle for advising me.”

Bartle, from the Yorkshire Riding Centre at Markington, trains the German three-day event team.

The atmosphere was tense as Cheshire-based Michael Jackson began his round on Direct Mission – one pole down would have given Emilie Chandler the chance to take the title.

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The crowd cheered loudly as he finished clear to take first place in the CCI one-star.

In the finals of the Young Event Horse Championships, Persimmon – belonging to Jane Murfett and Frank Inns and ridden by Kitty King – took the six-year-old championship.

Jane Heerbeck’s DHI Zatopek B, ridden by John-Paul Sheffield, was crowned seven-year-old champion.

“The Championships were my aim for this year and I’m so pleased to be in this position,” said Sheffield. “It’s been a tough year at times to get this horse to this level but it’s a great result.”

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The four-year-old champion was Cekatinka, by King Colibri out of a Julio Mariner mare. The Dutch-bred mare is owned by Judy Bradwell and was ridden by Rosalind Canter.

The five-year-old champion was Belco, by Hold Up Premier and out of an Ahorn mare. Also bred in the Netherlands, Belco is owned by Hows Racesafe and was ridden by Tom How.

Matthew Wright went home £2,500 better off as the winner of the Cottages4you Accumulator. In joint second place, with £1,250 each, were Sara Bowe and Northallerton’s Nicola Wilson.

The prizes were awarded to the top three riders accumulating the most BE points at Belton International, Hopetoun International and at Osberton.

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Callum Potts, 13, from Westerdale near Whitby will be one of the riders making his debut at the Horse of the Year Show this week.

He will be riding Willowhill Forget Me Not in the Kathleen Wood Children’s Riding Pony class on Friday.

Potts qualified at the Great Yorkshire Show in July and also competed at the Royal International Horse Show in two classes. He will be following in the footsteps of his mother, Carly, and his grandfather, Ian Darcy, who have both competed at HOYS.

Dancing Queen, a six-year-old liver chestnut mare, by Davignon 1 out of a Lemon Tree mare, was the supreme show champion at the British Hanoverian Horse Society’s annual show held at Addington Manor equestrian centre recently.

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She was also awarded the Guardian Cup for the best six-year-old mare and the Alan Akehurst cup for being champion mare.

Dancing Queen is owned by Chris and Nikki Lawton from Longwood, Huddersfield, and has been ridden by Nikki and Rebecca Marsden, an instructor from Rastrick, Brighouse.

The mare qualified for the four- and six-year-old Shearwater Young Dressage Horse Championship at Hartpury.

She is now in training with Lisa Marriott, a grand prix dressage rider from Ormskirk and is competing in British Dressage under the name of Woodcroft Dancing Queen.

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They have now almost qualified for the British Dressage winter regionals at Open level.

Throstle Nest Riding for the Disabled group in Eccleshall, Bradford, have been given £20,000 by the Asda Foundation to complete their indoor riding arena in Fagley Lane.

Trustees from the Asda Foundation visited the group at the stables in June and after seeing the benefits a covered arena would give the disabled riders, they agreed to match the £20,000 the group had already raised.

The group have been helped by riding school customers and Pony Club members to raise the original £20,000. They have also had help from several local companies including Pace Engineering, Sovereign Health Care and Cnet. They are now looking for companies willing to buy advertising space in the arena to give a further boost to funds.

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Anybody who would like to help the RDA by volunteering, fundraising or taking advertising space can contact Jeannette Wheeler on 01274 639390 or call at the stables. The riding school is open every day and there are RDA lessons five days a week.

The main arena at the Great Yorkshire Showground was the setting for the Harrogate Ladies’ College Equestrian Team Challenge.

Three young riders from the college were placed third, taking home a trophy for the first time in the history of the competition. The team members were Emily Robinson, Olivia Robinson and Maisie Axon.

Second place went to the Ryedale Radicals with the Polamites A team the winners.

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An autumn hunter trial is being held at Helen Bell’s equestrian centre at Breckenbrough, Thirsk on Sunday, October 9.

“We have a very inviting, educational, well-built course up to 85cm including our new water splash,” says Helen.

There is also an Open track, Tom’s Challenge, of one metre plus with alternatives at the bigger fences. Course building is also underway for the centre’s first British Eventing affiliated event next year. This will run on March 31 and April 1 with BE90 and BE100 classes.

Schedules for the hunter trial are available at www.helenbellequestrian.co.uk.

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