BASINGSTOKE dressage rider Hannah Jannaway made the most of her wildcard qualification from Pachesham Equestrian in Surrey, as she rode Coady Bays Gold Dust to victory in the Advanced Medium Open Championship of the Petplan Equine Area Festival Finals.

This prestigious grassroots championship was held alongside the Winter Dressage Championships at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire earlier this month.

Jannaway, the owner of Coady Bays Gold Dust, a 12-year-old gelding impressed the judges as they built off competition from 27 other partnerships and won the event with a winning score of 73.14 per cent in their class.

Talking after her victory the Basingstoke dressage rider said: “Although he was a bit fruity at first, he warmed up well.”

“When I finished, I thought it was a good test but I was unsure if I’d get the marks, so I’m really pleased.

“I really enjoyed his medium trot, we’ve been working hard to keep him soft in the neck and he felt supple throughout, which was great.”

Both horse and rider were young and inexperienced when they first became a combination eight years ago.

However, the time spent growing up together is evident in their partnership and they have taught each other everything they know, although Jannaway insisted it is very much a team effort, particularly with trainer Yvonne Nailor.

The 21-year-old added: “As a four-year-old, he went through a little bit of a troubled stage. I spent a lot of time getting chucked off onto the floor, but now he’s an absolute dream horse and so positive in his training.

“We hardly ever have any bad days; he’s literally perfect in every way. It may have taken us a bit longer to get to advanced medium but that’s just because we both hadn’t done it before.”

The Petplan Equine Area Festivals is now in its 16th year and give riders across all levels from preliminary to intermediate.

This gives the riders the chance to experience the thrill of competing in true championship conditions, while still being in a relaxed and friendly environment.

In total over 3,680 riders took part in 19 area festivals held right across the country.