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Following a wildcard qualification at Pachesham Equestrian in Surrey, 21 year old Hannah Jannaway from Basingstoke in Hampshire has won the Petplan Equine Advanced Medium Open Championship of the Petplan Equine Area Festival Finals on Coady Bays Gold Dust. These prestigious grassroots championships were held alongside the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire from 15th – 19th April 2015.

Riding Coady Bays Gold Dust, a 12 year-old gelding owned by Hannah Jannaway, Hannah impressed the judges who awarded the combination a winning score of 73.14% in the Advanced Medium Open Championship from among 27 horse and rider combinations.

“Although he was a bit fruity at first, he warmed up well,” explained Hannah. “When I finished, I thought it was a good test but was unsure if I’d get the marks – so I’m really pleased! I really enjoyed his medium trot, we’ve been working hard to keep him soft in the neck and he felt supple throughout, which was great.”

Both horse and rider were young and inexperienced when they first became a combination eight years ago. The time spent growing up together is evident in their partnership and have taught each other everything they know – although Hannah insisted it is very much a team effort, particularly with trainer Yvonne Nailor.

“As a four year old, he went through a little bit of a troubled stage – I spent a lot of time getting chucked off onto the floor but now he’s an absolute dream horse and so positive in his training. We hardly ever have any bad days; he’s literally perfect in every way. It may have taken us a bit longer to get to advanced medium but that’s just because we both hadn’t done it before.”

Now in their 16th year, the Petplan Equine Area Festivals give riders across the levels from Prelim to Intermediate I the chance to experience the thrill of competing in true championship conditions, in a relaxed and friendly environment. More than 3,680 (an increase of 32% on last year’s series) grassroots dressage riders from all over the UK competed at 19 Petplan Equine Area Festivals across the country from July to November 2014, for a chance to qualify and compete for one of the coveted titles.

British Dressage’s Chief Executive Jason Brautigam said: “Since taking up the reins at British Dressage, I have been impressed with the success and popularity of the Petplan Equine Area Festivals series, which is most definitely one of the jewels in our calendar. Thanks to Petplan Equine’s on-going support of these championships, which goes above and beyond their sponsorship contribution, the series has seen a staggering 32% increase in participation year on year and next year we are adding a further three venues to the series.”

Charlotte Collyer, Senior Marketing Executive at Petplan Equine, added: “We are delighted to see how important the Area Festivals have become to amateur and aspiring dressage riders. Not only have we witnessed a meteoric rise in the number of combinations competing over the past year, with the introduction last year of Intermediate I classes, the popularity is clearly matched by the rising talent at grass roots level. We are delighted to be part of a series which provides the perfect showcase and celebrates the talent that is out there. We would especially like to congratulate Hannah Jannaway on her fantastic win and wish her the very best of luck for the future.”

Further information about the Petplan Area Festivals and how to qualify for next year’s finals is available from the Petplan Equine website at: www.petplanequine.co.uk/area-festivals/area-festivals.asp.

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For more information please contact:

Name	Telephone	Email
Andrea Worrall at The GPC	01608 654040	[email protected]
Tilly Tayler-Levy	01608 654040	[email protected]

• Petplan Equine offers comprehensive insurance cover for horses and ponies aged from 30 days. Established 25 years ago, Petplan Equine understands the evolving equestrian market and strives to enhance knowledge and understanding of the equine world through employing horse enthusiasts and working closely with the equine industry.
• Petplan Equine is part of the Petplan brand. Founded in 1976, Petplan is the UK's largest pet insurance provider, offering comprehensive cover for dogs, cats, rabbits and horses.

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Media enquiries: for further information, please contact:

Andrea Worrall at The GPC by email: [email protected] t: (01608) 654040