Sunday saw the start of the three-day showpiece, the UAE National Dressage Championships, which was held last night at the Emirates Equestrian Centre (EEC).

The opening night featured the Team Championships Finals.

Four teams qualified, each consist of at least one junior and three senior riders. Each rider was required to ride a set test at their level and the top three scores are calculated for each team to decide the winners.

Impressively, all the riders on the qualified teams were from the EEC. The teams competing were The Chicky D’s, Lilian’s Teens, Too Hot 2 Trot and the Dressage Divas.

The Dressage Divas stole the show, on the night. The Divas barely scraped into the Championships, having just two points separating them and the proceeding team.

The Divas proved their worth on the night with a winning combined score of 67.1%.

The night started out with a little hiccup, as the first rider to compete, Hannah Runnels, junior rider for the Dressage Divas almost left the arena as her pony Dunabit got a fright from the PA system as it turned on.

Runnalls recovered well to manage a safe score of 60%, and this new combination seems to be improving with each ride.

Alyssa Ritters, also a junior rider but competing in this class as a senior, proved to be the team’s star of the evening, producing a superb Preliminary test on her young mare Special Edition.

Ritters scored an impressive 74%, which turned out to be by far the best score over all for the evening.

The two senior Divas, setting themselves quite a task, were competing on the two highest levels ridden in last night’s competition.

Tracy Gill competed the stunning grey Lusitano gelding Tao Balalao in the Medium level, and Janis Jackson rode her impressive KWPN gelding Vedo in Advanced Medium both earning credible scores of 62.1% and 65.1% respectively.

Jackson comments “It was a surprise that we qualified! I can’t believe we won; it’s a real credit to the team. Well done Divas”.

The runner-up team was Too Hot 2 Trot, who came in on a combined score of 63.7%.

This team was an EEC family affair, with part-time instructor Sarah Smith, well-known instructor Diane Crabtree and the two Khairallah’s, Christine the ever-tolerant and obliging EEC Yard Manager and her young daughter Sarah.

This team had the biggest following on the night as you can imagine.

Lilian’s Teens finished in third place. This team was made up of, as the name suggests, of teenage riders, all friends and students of Lilian Sternvad.

Sophie Brown, Shakira Muller, Kirsty Stroud and Karin Lindbom are a talented group of young up and coming riders.

The Chicky D’s finished in the final position. Team riders were junior Holly Jones, Amanda Brewer, Denise Vertigen and Lucy Chalcraft.

The Chicky D’s had the highest qualifying score going into the Championships, despite losing their best horses to injury late in the season. However, Their determination showed as they continued to earn points for their team throughout the season on borrowed horses.

Lilian Sternvad, Dressage Coordinator and UAE Dressage Group Committee member said “I am really proud of the teams tonight. The aim of this competition is to bring a bit of comradely into a sport that can be very individualist. It’s been great to see the teams working together and the senior riders coaching their younger members over the past few weeks. This is what it’s all about”.

The fantastic set up for the competition and favourable conditions of the arena surface are a credit to EEC Manager Paul McAuley. McAuley, ever supportive of the younger riders, donated much appreciated chocolates to all the junior riders of the teams.

Monday will be the first night of the Individual Classes of the UAE National Riders Dressage Championships.

Classes to be held tonight are Preliminary Juniors, Mini Juniors, Pure Bred Arab Class, Medium and Advanced Classes.

Entry is free of charge and all are welcome.