20 March 2012
The prestigious Pony Club Winter League Show Jumping and Dressage Championships 2012, generously sponsored by Dengie Horse Feeds Ltd the UK's leading manufacturer of fibre-based horse feeds, are being held at Warwickshire College, Moreton Morrell, on March 31st - April 1st.
The Championships are the pinnacle of the Dengie Winter League for around 200 Pony Club competitors who have been taking part in qualifiers, at Novice and Open level, during the winter months. Over 300 preliminary rounds have been staged, accommodating a substantial 5000 competitors, with successful riders battling it out at one of nineteen Area finals in a bid to claim their golden ticket to the coveted Dengie Winter League Championships.
The Dengie Winter League Show Jumping was first introduced in 1995 and has become an iconic starting point for grassroots show jumpers in The Pony Club; the introduction of the Open level Show Jumping in 2006 has also allowed more advanced Members the chance to tackle bigger fences. The Dengie Winter League Dressage was introduced in 2007, and has gone on to quickly gain equal status to the show jumping, with many of its grassroots competitors going on to enjoy success at The Pony Club Championships in the summer.
Gabriella Bligh, from the Monmouthshire Branch of The Pony Club, took part in the Winter League Novice Dressage finals in 2011, before progressing on to The Pony Club Championships where she won the Intermediate Championship. Gabriella will be returning to the 2012 Winter League Dressage final at Open level, showing the ladder of progression The Pony Club's competition structure provides. ''The 2011 Winter League Championships were a fantastic experience for many reasons'' comments Gabriella, ''the standard of competition was high, competitors came from all over the country, even from Ireland, and there was a friendly atmosphere so I am really excited to be attending again in 2012 for the Open level''.
The 2012 Dengie Championships look set to be hotly contested as always, and spectators are welcome to attend the event. Further information can be found on the website at
www.pcuk.org
