Eleanor Cloake & Der Silberner Prinz win UK Pony Club National Championship 2007 for the Whaddon Chase Pony Club.
Earlier this year we produced music for Eleanor Cloake and her stunning horse Prinz. Prinz has a very extravagant trot which we felt needed music to really show off and complement this. We chose a version of the Can Can which would be very different but at the same time "work" with his movement and create an enjoyable experience for the audience and judge. We were delighted that Eleanor and mum, Mary, said they liked our choice.
We were thrilled when on 20th August Eleanor competing in the UK Pony Club Nations finals won her Open Class and then went on to take the overall championships in a ride off against the winners of the other sections.
Along with Eleanor we also produce the music and aided with the floor plans for:
Jen Englishby and Woltiare - 3rd overall and winners of the Associates Class
Jen Dewhurst and Norma Jean - 3rd in the Open Class
Sam Darvil and Petra - 7th in Open Class
Below is Eleanor's own report on the event:
Back in May, my mum asked me if I wanted to do Dressage to Music. "No way", I said, "It is far too complicated to sort out a floor plan and the right music and put it all together". So I didn't. But then, my sister Henrietta had John put together some music for her floor plan with Roly my love of a life time pony - and a spark of enthusiasm ignited. I really loved the music that John gave their trot work (The Gumby Cat from Andrew Lloyd Webber), so I thought I would give it a go. Little did I know that John had been secretly thinking about possible music and once I had worked out a suitable floor plan, he very quickly came up with some absolutely fab music by Vanessa Mae.
The funniest bit was actually riding to the music once it had been recorded. It is one thing to watch the video, with the music playing but completely different to actually go into the school and try to get it right. Prinz was rather bemused by the whole thing, and I did have to leave the music playing in his stable for an hour or so, until he stopped spooking at it!
We had one attempt at riding the routine through under test conditions at the Area 7 DTM qualifier and then in a mad moment, we entered for the Pony Club Dressage to Music Championships at Shelford Manor, Nottinghamshire - that was yesterday, 20th August. I had the most fantastic time, scoring 77.25% and really thrilled to win the open class, and then going into the ride off against the winner of the first day's restricted class, and the winner of the Associates Class (Aspley Guise RC's very own Jen Englishby). To my delight, Prinz won the ride off, and the judge commented, "very appropriate music, well suited to this active horse's way of going".
The final bit to the story is that John Mears also organised the music for Jen Dewhurst and Sam Darvill who had been persuaded to have a go at dressage to music. They came third and seventh respectively in the open class. So, I thoroughly recommend freestyledresage.co.uk to guide any one thinking of doing dressage to music.
Eleanor Cloake
Photographs courtesy of John Britter Photography