Hodson 15 year old Ella McEwen is the new British Pony Event Champion, after claiming the title at a brand new venue in Shropshire.

The Championship, contested by the country’s best young event riders aged 16 or under and sponsored by Charles Owen, was staged at Brand Hall near Market Drayton.

Ella, who was on the silver medal winning GB team at the 2008 Pony European Championship, finished on her dressage score on Catherston Nutsafe to impress selectors looking to pick this year’s European squad.

“Ella’s dressage test was very good – even though she went wrong!”

commented mum Mrs Ali McEwen. “She quickly realised she had gone wrong and then had a 9 for the next movement, so she kept her composure well.”

The duo took all the direct routes on Janet Plant’s new cross country =0 Acourse, where fences 3 and 10 caused most problems – both were narrow ‘skinnies’ where accuracy was vital.

They again proved faultless in the final show jumping phase to score an emphatic seven point win.

“Catherston Nutsafe is an awesome pony and so talented,” Mrs McEwen added. “Ella was very pleased to win and the new venue was lovely, and in a fantastic setting. It did rain throughout the competition but the organisers had aerated the ground.”

Ella was also lying third after dressage on her second ride Tullibards Macsplash, but unfortunately he had to be pulled out before cross country.

“Tullibards Macsplash has a boot rub before he went to the event – he’d had treatment and seemed OK but when we put his boots on for cross country they rubbed him again and he got a bit sore,” Mrs McEwen explained. “He’s now out in the field perfectly sound – that’s horses!”

Ella, who rides Catherston Nutsafe for Olympic dressage rider Jennie Loriston-Clarke and her daughter Lizzie Murray, is now ‘hoping my victory will get me to the Pony Europeans out in Belgium at the end of July as this is my last year in ponies, before moving onto Junior level next year’.

----------------------------------------- Swindon and District Riding Club have booked their place at the British Riding Club’s NAF National Championships, due to be held at Lincoln this September.

A Swindon team won the Area 18 novice show jumping qualifier at Malvern in emphatic fashion, beating Clubs from several counties, to earn their Championship ticket.

“We were the only team to finish on double clears, and won by 12 penalties over Cheltenham & District Riding Club,” said Club committee member Wesley Morrissey. “Riding at these qualifiers is like going to Badminton for many of our members - it means a lot to them as they work hard to keep their horses and make time to train and compete.”

The team, trained by Caron Roberts, included Idstone mum Toni Besley, with her versatile Welsh part-bred, Mannington, whom she often competes side-saddle.

Joining her were fellow Idstone rider Hannah Booker, currently training in equine massage, with her smart part-bred Connemara Mister Detroit; Wootton Bassett’s Tammie Titcombe, who works at the Old Dairy Saddlery, with her little pony Crystal who also events and Siobhan Smith, who works at Caron Roberts Equestrian.

Brinkworth’s Abbie Newbury, one of the club's youngest members, has also qualified for the NAF National Championships in the junior dressage competition, after winning the qualifier at Evesham with her stunning little native pony Lovely Hill Magic Moment.

“Abbie20was feeling really nervous as it was her first competition representing the riding club, and the first time competing without her mum,” continued Wesley. “Despite getting lost on the way and only having seven minutes to warm up Abbie and Magic strutted their stuff to win.”

Abbie also trains with Caron Roberts and is now aiming for BYRDS (British Young Riders Dressage Scheme), which aims to develop talented young dressage riders.

The Club has been enjoying a purple patch as Monica Howarth and Baile Dare qualified for the recent Festival of the Hunter, after winning won the Area 18 Open Hunter Trial qualifier at Crown Farm.

“Monica and Bailey were the only combination to record the optimum time in the Open Class which was over a big and technical course, which they made look easy,” Wesley concluded. “Monica spotted the Irish Sports Horse when she was on holiday in Ireland and he has gone from strength to strength in his eventing career, recently winning a BE100 class at Belmont horse trials.”

Monica trains with Caron Roberts and Bailey is based at Caron's yard in Wootton Bassett.

----------------------------------------- Lower Stanton St Quintin’s Kitty Boggis has scored her seventh British Eventing win of a highly successful season, notching up a double at the Pontispool on e day event in Somerset on her latest outing.

The 26 year old headed the Open Intermediate section on the ultra consistent bay General Opposition, who had made the top three on all five of his 2009 outings.

This time he completed on a good dressage score of 25.5 to leave Badminton based Jade Lazenby a mark behind and add to the win he scored at Tweseldown.

Kitty rides the 11 year old, who has been given time to develop in confidence and maturity, for owner Jan Jarvis and the pair are now likely to move up to advanced level.

Kitty then topped a BE100 Plus section on the highly promising five year old mare Zidante, who was scoring her third win in a row.

She also finished first and second in the 6 year old section at Mattingley in Hampshire recently on Diana Bown’s Irish bred horse Boundless Flight and Jackie Owen and Gillian Fallon’s mare Starlight IV.

----------------------------------------- Andrew Nicholson will be leading the local challenge at this week’s Bramham International Horse Trials (11 – 14 June), the three star 3 day event staged in West Yorkshire.

The event is also staging a CIC*** (international one day event) for the first time this year, along with the British Under 25 Championship.

The Marlborough based Kiwi, a Bramham regular who won the CCI*** title in 200 7, will be one of the busiest riders at the competition with four rides.

In the CCI*** Andrew has two nine year old horses, Nereo and The Light Fandango. Nereo has two advanced one day wins under his belt this season while The Light Fandango is a new ride but, in just four runs with Andrew this spring, has three top ten placings.

His two CIC*** horses are also in form and youngsters for the future in the form of Epic and Oplitas.

Wootton Bassett based double Olympic champion Mark Todd will join Andrew in the CIC*** with his 2008 Olympic ride, NZB Gandalf, and rising star ODT Mouse.

Foxham based Young Rider European team gold medallist Georgie Spence will be challenging for the Bishop Burton College Under 25 Championship title, with both Skylight and Song for Gull.