10:10am Sunday 22nd November 2009
By SNJ Sport
A YOUNG dressage rider has her sights set on Laura Bechtolsheimer’s dressage crown after her most recent victory in the arena.
Jade Guyton, 16, from Minchinhampton, is celebrating becoming the Junior Champion at the ‘Search for a Star’ Under 21 Dressage competition which was held at the Unicorn Centre, Stow-on-the-Wold last month .
Jade, who is currently studying for her GCSEs at Deer Park School, Cirencester, was able to enter the competition with a ‘wild card’ entry, earned at a recent UK-under 21 assessment day.
Winning the competition with a score of 84.50 entitles Jade to line up with the UK U21 team at an event at Wicklow, Ireland, next July.
The Search for a Star competition, which attracted young riders from all over the UK, marked former VWH pony club member Jade’s first big win riding Cassin, who is her own seven-year-old bay gelding, based at Mark Phillips’ Aston Farm stables in Cherington.
Jade, who is currently trained by Rob Lumb, is clear that her future lies in the dressage arena, despite early forays into the world of eventing.
“It was doing the eventing on my old pony that first gave me the dressage bug,” said Jade, who hopes to one day represent GB at the Olympics.
“I find the dressage really rewarding, getting the movements right. I’ve only got one ride at the moment and as he is quite young I feel I need a more experienced horse to take me further.”
But Jade is happy to go on as she is for the time being, mixing with some of the dressage world’s biggest names.
“I didn’t realise Matt Frost was going to be judging the competition until he walked into the arena,” she added.
“He was really kind and helpful - and he couldn’t find anything too wrong with my test!” Jade’s mum Emma is certainly proud of Jade’s achievements, adding: “Jade really deserved to win - she rode her socks off on the day of the test.
“We need sponsorship to be able to take Jade to the next level. We are hoping that a local business might come forward to help soon.”
If anyone would like to sponsor Jade, please call Emma on 07967 582096.
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