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Following qualification at Field House in Staffordshire, 24 year old Beth Barnett from Hereford in Herefordshire has won the Petplan Equine Prix St George Championship of the Petplan Equine Area Festival Finals on Sheepcote Delight. These prestigious grassroots championships were held alongside the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire from 15th – 19th April 2015.

Riding Sheepcote Delight, an 11 -year-old Mare, owned by the rider, Beth Barnett, Sheepcote Delight impressed the judges who awarded the combination a winning score of 71.01% in the Petplan Equine Prix St George Championship from among 28 horse and rider combinations.

“I’m not entirely sure it’s sunk in; I’m really pleased with how she went” announced Beth. “She had one little mistake at the end of her first medium trot but the rest of the test felt very solid and consistent. I loved the tempis, we can sometimes muck those up – me, not her, it’s amazing how counting and riding can be so difficult – but we managed both sets with no mistakes.”

Beth and Dela, as Sheepcote Delight is known at home, became a partnership when the mare was just 18-months-old. Bred at the Pincus’ Sheepcote base – Dela has the same mother as PDS Elementary Open FSM 2015 champion, Sheepcote Suncrest – the combination have trained with David Pincus since day one and Beth explained that no one else has ridden her other than herself:

“I used to event but after a bad fall, I decided to concentrate on dressage and Dela was the first horse I bought to do this after love at first sight when she was first born. So it’s all me, her, our mistakes and our learning but she’s so willing and she really tries, allowing for our errors as we teach each other.”

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