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Theresa Smyth from Bridgenor in Shropshire has won the Petplan Equine Medium Open Championship at the Petplan Equine Area Festival Finals on Brownscombe Francisco. After qualification at Kingswood Equestrian Centre Petplan Equine Area Festival in September 2015 the pair have spent the winter preparing for this prestigious event held at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire from 6th – 10th April 2016.

Brownscombe Francisco is a British bred nine year-old gelding sired by Fontainebleau owned by Louise Danton and ridden by Theresa. It was a hotly contested competition with less than 2% separating the top five with Theresa not only earning the title but also achieving a personal best with a score of 69.80%.

Bridgenor-based rider Theresa Smyth was delighted with Brownscombe Francisco’s performance in a highly charged atmosphere with some outstanding tests and exceptional combinations. “I’m over the moon! We compete him quite lightly, so I didn’t have any expectations – although of course I wanted to win, “ admitted Theresa “I went out last week to give him a run and he won both classes, so I was quietly confident. He definitely feeds off me so I had to calm myself down a little bit so as not to stress him too much.”

Petplan Equine Area Festivals, now in their 17th year provide riders across the levels from Prelim to Intermediate I with the chance to experience the thrill of competing in true championship conditions. There are 19 Petplan Equine Area Festivals around the country with almost 4,000 horse and rider combinations taking part with the aim of qualifying and winning one of the coveted titles.

Kate Hopkins, Marketing Executive at Petplan Equine, commented; “Participation in the Petplan Equine Area Festivals increases year on year and the standard rises at every Championship. We are delighted to see how important the Area Festivals have become to amateur and aspiring dressage riders. We are really proud to sponsor a series which gives riders at the grassroots level a chance to showcase the depth of talent that is out there. We would especially like to congratulate Theresa and ‘Sisco’ on their fantastic win and wish her the very best of luck for the future.”

British Dressage’s Chief Executive Jason Brautigam said: “I am so impressed with the level of participation in the Petplan Equine Area Festivals series. This amounts to an astounding 47% of all British Dressage members qualifying to take part in the series, which is something to be applauded. Petplan Equine’s on-going support of these championships has helped us develop the series into something which is now part of the sport’s fabric; they’re intrinsic the calendar.”

Further information about the Petplan Equine 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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