Top ten success for West Norfolk dressage riders from Terrington St Clement and Upwell

Dressage riders from West Norfolk finished up there among the best of them at a major national championship last week.

Teenager Lily Brackenbury, from Upwell. and Emma Openshaw, from Terrington St Clement, both had top ten finishes in their classes at the Pet Plan Equine Area Festival Championships at Arena UK, near Grantham.

Lily was riding Caroline Ward's Connemara Captain Oats (Surf to his friends at home) and Emma had qualified on Penbretti Diamond Dancer (better known as Daisy) a Trakhener/Welsh cross owned by Judy Bates, who is also from Terrington.

Lily and Surf finished fourth overall in a massive and hotly contested novice section on Saturday as well as taking prizes for the best under-21 rider and best senior horse. On the Sunday they finished tenth in the preliminary class.

It was a memorable weekend for the pair and sealed a spectacular first year competing in British Dressage affiliated events (on top of the horse trials, showing and show jumping classes in which they also excel).

Surf came to Lily a little over a year ago when her other pony was off work due to injury and left Lily with nothing to ride.

The championships were amazing,” said Lily's mum Hayley. “We went there thinking it would be wonderful to be able to squeeze into the top ten so to do so twice and finish fourth in the novice was something of a dream come true. We are all so proud of them.”

Higher in the levels, Emma and Daisy had qualified for the medium section and also the medium level freestyle to music.

Emma said: “When we got there, a cold strong wind was blowing and the outdoor arena was falling apart around us which made Daisy too tense to give her best in the first class.

“But when we went into the indoor arena and they started playing her tune she began to relax and were well pleased with a high mark, positive comments from the judges and ninth place in a massive freestyle class.

"Getting to the finals was an achievement in itself and a top ten finish in that sort of company was the icing on the cake.”