Search for a Star qualifiers off to a strong start

Photo: 1st Class Images

An incredible trio of winners have got the Search for a Star championship line-up off to a strong start

With the first qualifier for the SEIB Search for a Star Championships taking place on 2 April at Warwickshire Spring Fair, Dallas Burston Polo Club, it’s safe to say that there was a strong pool of competitors keen to take the title. The qualifier was made up of the three new classes launched this spring – part-bred Traditional Gypsy Cob, veteran pony and veteran horse. Judge Richard Ramsay was hugely impressed with the quality of entries and thrilled with the three winners, who he felt were worthy of their place in the championship.

The veteran horse class was taken by former Search for a Star Riding Horse HOYS finalist Atlantic Flight and his owner, rider and breeder, Debbie Fitzpatrick. Following a fight with bladder cancer, Debbie was delighted to be back out. She said: “Having fun is our main aim, Atlantic Flight loves showing off and it’s brilliant to be back out competing. We mainly take part in dressage and showing competitions alongside pleasure rides, beach rides and a bit of jumping. I manage a Covid-19 testing site and so the horses are very much my downtime. It’s great that there’s this new opportunity from Search for a Star, and I’m so pleased we gave it a go.”

Ellie Taylor and her mother Gill Bostock’s gelding Meillion Sovereign took the veteran pony class. They’ve owned the 19-year-old since he was 16 months old, and the pair qualified for Search For A Star as a show hunter pony in 2014, too. Ellie said: “We were delighted to get to the finals, but Meillion Sovereign was maybe a little too pleased to be there and was a bit cheeky, meaning he was unplaced. It’s great to be back at Search for a Star and to have qualified for the finals – this was our plan for the year!”

Megan Godridge and her own gelding Penrock Purposely Puzzled enjoyed the win in the part-bred Traditional Gypsy Cob class. The seven-year-old was bought just broken in 2019, and the pair took the win and overall ridden supreme at the Grassroots Arena UK show in that year. Megan said: “We saw this new class and decided to aim for it this year. I’m thrilled we did so well today. We’ve spent lots of time getting to know each other and have been on several fun rides too.”

The three winners will look forward to competing at the Your Horse Live Championships in November. SEIB Marketing Manager, Nicolina MacKenzie said: “It was great to be back out and about at Dallas Burston. Huge thanks go to Loraine Homer for organising and putting on such an enjoyable – and Covid-safe – show just days after the end of lockdown. I’m humbled by the stories from our winners and chuffed that they have something special to look forward to in the Search for a Star finals.”

For more information, visit seib.co.uk