Lower Stanton St Quinton’s Kitty Boggis scored a deserved win in the Moore Stephens CIC** International section, highlight of three busy days of competition at the Longleat International Horse Trials.

The event drew big crowds to the Marquess of Bath’s superb estate near Warminster and organisers John and Jessica Coulson produced some cracking sport, with the sun shining throughout.

This was despite the fact that both had been ill on the run-up, with Jessica in hospital with pneumonia just 10 days earlier.

They were also delighted to welcome Lord Bath, in all his renowned finery, and Lady Bath to lunch at the event.

Kitty and her mount General Opposition lay 8th after dressage but rose right up the order with clear show jumping and cross country rounds, to just pip Oxfordshire’s Izzy Taylor.

“My horse really deserved this win – he hasn’t been out of the top three all season and hasn’t had a fence down,” said Kit ty.

“His dressage was very pleasing – he just got a bit tense in walk – and he jumped brilliantly.

"It was a strong cross country test with plenty of questions, made that bit trickier by undulating ground which can unbalance the horse.

"It was very nicely designed and the going was as good as it could be at this time of year.”

Kitty was also fifth in the Open Intermediate on Boondoggle, having his first run since jumping clear cross country at Badminton in May.

Highworth Aussie Paul Tapner and Marlborough based Kiwi Andrew Nicholson were 5th and 6th in the CIC** on Sensational Sydney, improving on 9th in 2008, and Parkmore Repecharge.

Both riders featured in the KBIS Novice Regional Final, with Andrew leading the way on Deborah Sellar’s six year old Quimbo, whose remarkable dressage score of 21.4 left runner-up Rodney Powell somewhat disgruntled.

“I didn’t expect to get a dressage mark of just over 22 and still not win!” admitted the Bishopstone rider, who partnered Marguerite Boucher’s seven year old Cotton King.

Paul was less than a mark behind in third on the seven year old stallion Wickstead Didgeridoo, 9th in the World Young Horse Championships in France last autumn.

Marlborough based Aussie Stephen Way topped the Open Intermediate on the mare Secret Picnic, beating another world class field.

Andrew Nicholson leads the Mitsubish i Motors Stately Homes Challenge after the third leg in the series at Longleat, with the fourth leg at Wilton to come in August, before the final at Highclere.

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Wiltshire duo Hannah Mace and Lucie McNichol are among eight riders named on the GB squad due to contest the European CIC** Team Championship in Hungary, in early July.

The CIC** is an International two-star championship, formally known as the Rural Riders European Championship.

It runs every two years for those at the pinnacle of their Riding Club career and is funded by British Riding Clubs along with TriZone Boots and British Eventing.

Hannah, 26 and based at her family run Wickstead Farm Equestrian Centre at Highworth, has been named with the little 15.2hh bay gelding Toy Boy III.

The pair, who has been together for five years, were also on the GB team at the CIC Championships in 2007 and Hannah has since given birth to her first daughter.

“I was thrilled with his result in the trial at Brigstock, where he was 8th in an open Advanced Intermediate section,” said Hannah.

“It was very hot there but he coped and that was a good test, as it’s likely to be hot in Hungary.

"It was the first AI section I’d done and it was nice to make the top ten, with all the big names in act ion.”

Lucie, 23 and from Chippenham, will be making her GB team debut with the nine year old Zeus of Rushall, who has been in great form throughout the selection process with fourth placings at both Brigstock and Withington Manor.

“I was delighted with his performance in the Brigstock CIC** - we led after dressage and jumped a double clear but, with the Championships coming up, I took him steadily cross country,” Lucie commented.

“He has been to France before but this will be his longest trip – you do get a bit worried about your ‘baby’ going all that way but he will be very well looked after.”

The horses will travel out this Saturday (27th) with the riders flying over to Hungary on Monday.

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Tockenham pony show jumper Jessica Mendoza came home with the top individual title on offer from the Freudenberg CSIOP International in Germany.

The 13 year old won her second Grand Prix title on the trot with the great Tixylix, following on from victory at Moorsele in Belgium, over a course she described as ‘one of the most technical’ she had ever attempted.

“The course was horrendously big, in the deepest mud you’ve ever seen – terrible conditions,” dad Paul Mendoza took up the story.

“The re were 65 in the class and just three went clear – it was up to 1.45m in height and the ponies just couldn’t get out of the ground that well.”

The sun finally broke through the clouds for the jump-off, where Jessica produced a superb clear from the opening draw.

“The others couldn’t get near her time – our chef d’equipe Clare Whitaker had said ‘it’s about time we heard the British National Anthem’ just before Jessica went in so she felt she had to go for it!”

added Mr Mendoza.

Jessica also won the ‘Small Tour’ title, in a one round speed class, on her up and coming mount Razorlite who ‘jumped and galloped her socks off’ to enable the National Anthem to be played a second time.

The hugely talented youngster came close to hearing God Save the Queen for the third time as she was on the GB team that was second in the Nations Cup competition, just pipped by Sweden.

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Local duo Gillian Horton and Helen Cole were among the winners at the first of two BE one day events to be staged at West Wilts Equestrian Centre this season.

Swindon based Gillian won a BE100 section at the busy Holt venue on only her second BE run of the season with Pendragon VI, after completing on her d ressage score of 29.5.

Helen, from Calne, topped a BE90 section on Clare Hawkings-Byass’s gelding Bullet With Wings, who was at only the second BE event of his career.

Potterne’s Frankie Price was second on the mare Darsharp, following up a win at Wiltshire College last month on Silvano.

Top Under 21 international Georgie Spence was runner-up on her Novice ride Jovial Valentino and Chippenham junior Alicia Hawker was second in her BE100 section on her pony Abbotts Murfy’s Law, also a winner at Wiltshire College.

Caron Roberts and Ellie Compton were both second at BE90 level, on the six year old Lady Frisky and My Putra.