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Petplan Equine, a UK specialist equine insurance provider, is delighted to be sponsoring the Petplan Equine Area Festivals 2016/17 for the 18th year. This special competition provided by Petplan Equine offers grass roots riders the opportunity to climb the dressage ladder by qualifying to compete at a prestigious Area Festival.

To participate in any of Petplan Equine’s Area Festivals, which run from August to October 2016, the horse and rider combination must have achieved a minimum of three affiliated scores of 62% or above for Preliminary and Elementary. To qualify for Medium, Advanced, Prix St Georges and Intermediate I the combination must obtain two or more affiliated scores of 60% or above. These qualifying scores must have been gained since January 1 2016.

To compete at the Petplan Equine Area Festivals you need to be a member of British Dressage, but non-members can qualify on ‘Class Tickets’ (temporary BD membership for one class only costing £8), providing they become a full British Dressage member after successfully obtaining their qualifying scores.

A total of 17 Petplan Equine Area Festivals held across the UK will take place in 2016:

Venuw	County	Date
Moreton Morrell	Warwickshire	18-21 August
Gordon @ The Cabin	Aberdeen	20-21 August
Field House	Staffordshire	26-28 August
Colraine	Cornwall	2-4 September
Oldencraig	Surrey	2-4 September
Wellington	Hampshire	9-11 September
Jersey	Channel Islands	10-11 September
Northallerton	North Yorkshire	23-25 September
Moreton EC	Dorset	23-25 September
Brook Farm	Essex	23-25 September
Arena UK	Lincolnshire	29 September - 2 October
Allens Hill	Worcestershire	29 September - 2 October
Ian Stark EC	Scotland	1-2 October
Houghton Hall	Cambridgeshire	7-9 October
Crofton Manor	Hampshire	7-9 October
Warren Farm	Merseyside	14-16 October
Pencoed	Glamorganshire	22-24 October

Petplan Equine has long been associated with this series and is dedicated to supporting riders at all levels in achieving success. To help riders progress in dressage, Petplan Equine features helpful advice from top dressage judge Lindsay Jenkins and international dressage rider Charlie Hutton via videos on their website, accessible to all competitors regardless of whether they manage to qualify this year. Petplan Equine hopes this invaluable guidance will enable aspiring dressage riders to succeed.

"Qualifying for an Area Festival is an incredible achievement for any rider and a true celebration of their consistent performance. Petplan Equine aims to ensure all riders have the opportunity to take part, accomplish their dreams and hopefully flourish within British Dressage ranks," Kate Hopkins, Marketing Executive at Petplan Equine commented. "Petplan Equine’s ongoing association with British Dressage makes them fundamental to the entire membership. We will continue our commitment to give riders the chance to participate in Preliminary Dressage and above. This year, Petplan Equine will be offering British Dressage Class Tickets to unaffiliated riders, to encourage and help them to qualify for an Area Festival. So look out on www.petplanequine.co.uk/ dressage soon for more information on how to get your hands on one."

British Dressage’s Chief Executive, Jason Brautigam said: "With the 2016 season of Petplan Equine Area Festivals ready to get underway, it’s the perfect opportunity for British Dressage to once again recognise the tremendous support of Petplan Equine. The brand is now synonymous with the Area Festivals with nearly 3,500 riders qualifying to take part up and down the country each year. Their popularity is unstinting and Petplan Equine has proudly been there every step of the way which has made for a very strong partnership. On behalf of British Dressage, I’d like to thank Petplan Equine for their continued support of the series and wish all the combinations heading to their local Petplan Equine Area Festival, the best of luck."

The Petplan Equine Area Festivals also offer riders the opportunity to compete to qualify for the prestigious Petplan Equine Arena Festival Final, held at the esteemed Winter Championships at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire in the spring of 2017.

To find out more information about this exciting series please visit our website: www.petplanequine.co.uk/dressage

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For more information please contact:

Name	Telephone	Email
Charlotte Gibbs	(0208) 707 8335	charlotte.gibbs@allianz.co.uk

Follow Petplan Equine social media:

Facebook www.facebook.com/PetplanEquineUK

Twitter @PetplanEquine

YouTube www.youtube.com/user/PetplanUK

• 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.
• 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:

Bridget Jennings or Amy Garland at JB Promotions by email: Petplan-equine@jbpromotions.co.uk t: (01458) 250 200