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Following qualification at Houghton Hall in Cambridgeshire, 18 year old Alice Wotton from Twinstead in Suffolk has won the Petplan Equine Elementary Open Championship of the Petplan Equine Area Festival Finals on Belcanto Des Anges. These prestigious grassroots championships were held alongside the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire from 15th – 19th April 2015.

Riding Belcanto Des Anges, nine year-old gelding owned by Sara Wotton, impressed the judges who awarded the combination a winning score of 72.01% in the Petplan Equine Elementary Open Championship from among 29 horse and rider combinations.

“He’s been really good,” smiled Alice. “We’ve only had him a year, and he’s competed at just four affiliated shows – I really didn’t expect to do so well. He’s never seen anything like this [a championship] 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.

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 Alice Wotton 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	panda@thegpc.co.uk
Tilly Tayler-Levy	01608 654040	media@thegpc.co.uk

• 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: panda@thegpc.co.uk t: (01608) 654040