Le Mieux National Dressage Championships 2017
Friday at the Le Mieux National Dressage Championships 2017 was a different ball game to the first day. For a start, I had my sponsored rider, Josh Hill, competing. Having known both Jackie and Final Highlight, his ride and owner respectively, for quite some time I had an emotional tie with them. Jackie was up bright and early to get Finn plaited up. Having shown at county level I can always rely on Jackie to turn a horse out well. As you may have noticed Jackie isn’t your typical owner!
Pushing the wheelbarrow up and down, filling waters and making sure Finn was spotless. Jackie is very much hands on and adores Finn. To be fair Finn is not only just a fantastic mover but he is also a super cute chap. Very friendly and loves a fuss. Jackie has been a fantastic supporter of both Frog and Field and Josh Hill Dressage. She always has endless enthusiasm and will offer a helping hand whenever needed.
Finn wasn’t due to compete until lunch time so that left me enough time to do a quick mini shoot with Equine Construction. They needed some images for an article and I was happy to help to capture some images of their fantastic young dressage horse plus them as a couple. Fingers crossed for a long relationship with this fantastic company and I can’t wait to see images in print.
LeMieux National Dressage Championships 2017: Final Highlight struts his stuff
Before Finn strutted his stuff I did get a chance to watch some fantastic dressage, including the unstoppable Charlotte and her many rides! Just phenomenal to watch and she ended up cleaning up there. Amazing result after amazing result. She also creates come epic pictures so I’m always there with the camera when she’s out.
Finally, Finn’s time to shine came around. After a brief warmup, they entered the ring. It’s quite a hectic atmosphere with loads going on and I wouldn’t have been surprised if Finn had been a little bit on his toes. The horse has matured so much recently he didn’t bat an eyelid and he went out there and danced his socks off. Soft, supple and eager to please he looked a picture out there. Josh had the biggest smile on his face and we all couldn’t be happier for them both.
LeMieux National Dressage Championships 2017: 3rd for Josh Hill Dressage
After a nail biting, few minutes the scores were in and he only went and got 3rd. Top three place in the Novice Gold Championships. Such an awesome result for them both. I am over the moon for everyone involved. Jackie has been unlucky with her horses and to see her pride and joy strutting around that arena couldn’t have made me prouder. Finn looked phenomenal and I really do believe the best is yet to come for this gorgeous boy.
Think it goes without saying that the afternoon ended in some celebrations. That evening we took advantage of the free party that was laid on. The party finished at 9pm so a bit short and sweet. In all honesty we were all so tired we didn’t really mind and were grateful for our beds. I must say the Le Mieux National Dressage Championships really is a lovely event. Well worth a visit, you get to see top horses plus do some shopping and enjoy a glass of bubbly whilst watching some incredible riding.
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