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Christine Cockerton from Barford Saling in Essex has won the Petplan Equine Elementary Open Championship at the Petplan Equine Area Festival Finals on Evaldo. After qualification at Brook farm Area Festival in October 2015 the pair spent the winter preparing for this prestigious event held at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire from 6th – 10th April 2016.

Evaldo is a seven year-old dark bay 16.2hh gelding sired by Vivaldo owned and ridden by Christine. She has been competing through the levels for three years and the partnership clearly impressed the judges achieving a combination winning score of 70.75%. There were 30 competitors in this section and it was a closely contested competition.

Barford Saling based rider Christine Crockerton was delighted with Evaldo’s performance in a highly charged atmosphere with some outstanding tests and exceptional combinations competing for the Petplan Equine Elementary Open title. “I am delighted with this win especially as he was written off as a five year old - I was told he would only be suitable as a companion. After seeking second and third opinions Christine managed with help from her vets to bring him back to full fitness and they’ve never looked back. “I put it down to growing pains,” said Christine. “He was a compact 16hh when we bought him but then he grew and grew. It just took time to build his balance and strength but he’s 100% right now.”

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 Christine and Evaldo 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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• Petplan Equine offers comprehensive insurance cover for horses and ponies aged from 30 days. Established 27 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.
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