‘She takes everything in her stride’: rising star impresses the judges at NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships

A young mare rose to the occasion under 2025 national champion, Sadie Smith, on the opening morning (Wednesday 15 April) of the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships at Addington, in which there were also first wins and new partnerships blossoming.

Sadie earned the winning sash in the Baileys Horse Feeds novice freestyle gold with Times Rococo, a five-year-old by Ibiza and out of a Negro mare. She is owned and bred by Peter Belshaw of Times Dressage.

Sadie’s score of 76.95% meant she finished ahead of Alice Oppenheimer in second by almost two per cent. Alice scored 75% on Sarah Oppenheimer and Caroline Dibden’s mare Headmore So Sapphire, and 74.45% on Sarah Oppenheimer’s Headmore Forever Ruby, securing Alice two places on the podium. Mares took all three of the top places in the class.

Sadie was full of praise for “Coco” at her first championship.

“She takes everything in her stride,” she said. “I have a really lovely relationship with her; I’ve ridden and produced her from the start, and she tries so hard.

“Even though she’s young, she can maintain a lovely frame. She is nicely balanced for her age, too. She’s lovely for me to ride as she’s so uphill.”

Although a touch insecure in her walk, Coco earned marks back in her trot and canter work, scooping plenty of 8s.

“I love doing music classes with the young horses because you can use a lot of the arena and get them used to going into the corners,” said Sadie.

“I’ve used this music (Curse of the Ice Queen/Snow White and the Huntsman soundtrack) for years. It’s emotive and beautiful. I seem to have a stamp of horse, and this music suits a lot of them.”

HorseHage prelim gold: ‘Winning is a huge bonus’

He’s been the bridesmaid in the past, but today Eli Lovell secured his first winter championship crown in the HorseHage prelim gold.

Eli piloted Parchioness G, a six-year-old by Incognito. “Pascha’s” lack of mileage on the competition scene barely showed in his consistent test, in which he scored 7s and 8s across the board.

“I knew if he could go the way I know he can, we would do reasonably well,” said a delighted Eli. “But [winning] wasn’t something I was expecting; it’s a huge bonus.”

Eli shepherded the gelding through a slight spook in the canter and quickly regrouped. Pascha’s trot work, according to his rider, shone throughout the test.

“He’s not very old, and we’ve not been to many shows,” said Eli, who sourced the gelding from Holland before selling him to Sophie Bennet a year and a half ago. “We didn’t really enter regionals until the last minute, and we got a last-minute wild card, too.

“I bought him as a four-year-old and, thinking he’d be small, thought he’d be perfect for Sophie. But he just kept growing, so I recently started riding him and I’m really enjoying him.”

Eli and Parchioness G topped the podium with 72.87%, more than one per cent clear of Tahley Reeve Smith and Sarah Stoute’s Shu Fu gelding KI Smargd in second on 71.73%.

Edwina Hutton-Potts and Uno Macho van de Kiekenhoef matched Tahley’s score, but the latter pipped her to second place by 1.5 on the collective marks.

Winter Area Festival Championships: a new partnership shines

It was a close-run contest in the medium silver at the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships, but Alice Begg and her eight-year-old mare Noraly, topped the podium with 70.22%, just 0.2 of a penalty head of Imogen Swann and her own 10-year-old gelding SJL Good Looking. Hayley Sykes and her own Nuit Noir were third with 69.28%.

For Alice, the victory was particularly sweet. Her partnership with Noraly, who came from Holland as a blank canvas, is still less than a year in the making. Their win marks Alice’s first Area Festival Championships sash.

“When I got her nine months ago, she’d never been to a competition,” she told H&H. “There was a lot to work on.

“We’ve spent the last nine months doing everything we can and working very hard at home – she has a brilliant brain. For her to come here with no mileage and rise to the occasion is amazing. She thrived in the atmosphere.”

Alice worked hard on the mare’s extended canter in the build-up to the championships, which was richly rewarded with an 8 and two 7.5s.

A grade V para rider, Alice took Noraly in the CPEDI2* at Harpury’s spring international this year, and is aiming the mare for more internationals in future.

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