Press room

Following qualification at Arena UK in Lincolnshire, 48 year old Deborah Doyle from North Scarle In Lincolnshire has won the Petplan Equine Elementary Restricted Championship of the Petplan Equine Area Festival Finals on Dandy III. These prestigious grassroots championships were held alongside the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire from 15th – 19th April 2015.

Riding Dandy III a 7 year-old gelding, owned by Deborah Doyle herself, Dandy III impressed the judges who awarded the combination a winning score of 70.34% in the Elementary Restricted Championship from among 30 horse and rider combinations.

A dressage combination which also events - Deborah Doyle and Dandy III - pulled out all the stops to secure the Petplan Equine Area Festival Elementary Restricted Championship. The multi-talented pair led the qualifying test with 68.85%, before sealing Round Two with a convincing 70.34%. “I’m thrilled with him,” smiled Deborah. “He was super in the first test and then came out even better for the second. I couldn’t ask for more - he’s so consistent and never lets me down.”

Dandy, an attractive seven-year-old Dutch gelding, was bought from Rebecca Kingswood with eventing in mind, and qualified for the Young Event Horse Finals as five-year-old. Newark-based Deborah trains with Ian Woodhead, reaping the benefits of his background in both disciplines. “We train more than compete, and are working towards medium now alongside the eventing,” said Deborah.

Dandy behaved impeccably during the prize-giving and was very at home between the white boards – this ability and ease in the dressage arena has helped him gain an impressive record of four consecutive BE100 wins. “He qualified for the Young Event Horse Finals as a five-year-old and has been successful since. We’ll do some novice events this year, and aim towards CCI1*,” said Deborah.

Describing Dandy’s character Deborah smiled: “He’s lovely on the yard, you can do anything with him, but he is a character! He has been an angel, though this year he has started to feel his strength!”.

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 Deborah Doyle 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.

Back to Press Room

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.

Note to editors:

Media enquiries: for further information, please contact:

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