IT WAS showjumpers turned divas taking the trophies in the dressage with jumping classes at the BSJA’s combined training event at Chemin Le Roi. Proving absolutely invincible in both sections, Terry Lihou, an accomplished show jumper and dressage rider at national level, and his charismatic horse @utomatic took the red ribbons in every class they entered, winning two trophies in the combined training sections at prelim and novice levels.

Sanna-Liisa Valtanen riding the French-bred Larsen du Home, usually more at home in the showjumping ring, proved her versatility by also matching Lihou to take two of the bronze trophies at prelim and novice but jumping the higher tracks at 0.95m and 1.05m.

Jo Carre and Lady Larino gave Lihou a run for their money but was just piped into second place and had to settle for the runner up spot in two of the dressage with jumping classes.

Two local riders qualified their horses for the national combined training finals taking place at the Winter Dressage Championships in Solihull in April.

Emma Dorey and Snaffles Purple Patch will be contesting the prelim and novice championships and Lisa Torode and Jouvence du Sire the open section.

In the final weekend of the Chemin Le Roi Summer Dressage Series, it was young talent who posted the highest scores over the two days.

George Farnon and Bureside Thunderbolt achieved 67.24% in their elementary 43 test while 12-year-old Shelley Tostevin and Ottergayles High Society matched this score in their novice 33 class.

Farnon and his coloured pony Midnight Brilliance had recently returned to the island after competing at Addington EC in the UK’s under-21 summer championships where they won the novice freestyle to music class and also took the overall freestyle accolade with the highest percentage of the championships on a score of 76%.

That was a particularly outstanding achievement as the opposition included some of the Irish young riders returning from the European Championships.

Midnight Brilliance placed third at Addington in the Elementary Championships and Farnon also took fourth place in this class on Bureside Thunderbolt.

The under-21 championships were based on the results of four tests over the weekend with both ponies performing consistently well.

The final weekend of the Chemin Le Roi Summer Dressage Series was also the last chance for riders to gain valuable points for the £400 leaderboard prize fund and it is Shelley Tostevin and Ottergayle’s High Society who will be taking the first of £250 at the Dressage Championships this month.

This partnership have been quietly improving throughout the season and are now testing their skills at elementary level.

Lihou and @utomatic, who had been at the top of the leaderboard, were in the UK for the last event and therefore left the door wide open for Tostevin to take pole position.

Lihou will take second with Tostevin and her coloured pony Jumping Jack Splash taking the third cash prize of £50.

The Chemin Le Roi Dressage Championships will be taking place on 23 and 24 September and it will be the first time that the new Martin Collins surface will be used for such an event.

‘Holding the event on such a superb surface will undoubtedly be a very memorable occasion for the competitors and organisers alike and we can only go from strength to strength with such a magnificent facility at our disposal,’ said local organiser and BSJA treasurer Jill Browning.

‘We are hoping that our UK Dressage judges for the event, Bridget Berisford-Wright and Adele Burton-Cantley will be suitably impressed with both our local riders and the new all weather surface which should improve on the excellent results that we are already achieving in the dressage ring.’