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Local Dressage Rider Selected for England!
14 members of the BD Central squad are travelling to represent England at the British Dressage Amateur Home International.
Local Rider and Coach Alison Kenward from Little Horwood who joined the squad this year with Rachel Harris' Langarth Sebastian is aiming for a top ten placing and a win for Team RUBY. Alison is passionate about pure and freestyle dressage and is the official press officer for the event, Alison will also be writing about the competition for Chiltern and Thames Rider Magazine. Alison is a keen supporter of regional dressage and will be working with the region's young riders over the winter and on into 2010. Alison has set herself a personal "Perfect Ten Challenge" and is aiming to retain her place on the squad in 2010 and to post some 10s on her score sheets for excellent performance.
Alison will be competing her own Roughway Jack after the Home International in a bid to qualify for the 2010 Winter Championships. Alison is currently training with James Burtwell after being awarded a Winchfield Equestrian training bursary. "I was so flattered and proud to be awarded the bursary as James is an incredible coach and his input has fast tracked my development and confidence. Frank is very kind and his support has been a wonderful morale boost. I wouldn't be on the squad without Rachel who has enabled me to compete in dressage,"said Alison.
The logistics of transporting 14 team horses and their riders is a mammoth task! Alison and team mate Northamptonshire rider Ben Franklin have taken list making to a new level. The horses will be travelling with Eric Gillies Transporters and the riders and equipment in three horseboxes. Attention to detail has been the key to preparing for the Championships with the horses being assessed for health and fitness by Chiltern Equine Vet clinic at a recent training camp and riders briefed on how to keep their horses happy and in peak condition away from home. Nothing has been left to chance, the region lead by RDO Km Moloney began preparing for the Championships 16 weeks ago when the skeleton squad was announced; from coordinating farrier's visits and packing spare sets of shoes shaped for each horse, to making sure all the tack fitted well and riders were balanced, Team England is ready to win.
Each rider has a large team of professionals looking after them and making sure they are ready to focus on their job- riding an accurate test under pressure. The attention to detail is essential to make sure the riders can add flair and expression to the mix and work with their horse to produce a winning performance.
"It's the small changes that add up to the bigger scores. I have my saddle checked and adjusted by master saddler Ted Boggis from RB Equestrian and I in turn work with world class physiotherapist Phil Pask to keep my spine aligned and my 'core muscles' strong. I feel more in tune with Sebastian and that gives me the confidence to perform".
Alison Kenward.
Solitaire Dressage
01296 711143
alison.kenward@btinternet.com
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