KATH Miller is relishing her big date next week in the national dressage championships at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.
The Wentnor-based rider and her horse Alexander II earned the chance to rub shoulders with the elite after becoming North West regional champions at elementary restricted level at Somerford Park, Cheshire.
Competitions are held throughout a six-month period and to get through to the regionals, riders not only have to win two of the qualifiers, but also have to win with a score higher than 65 per cent.
The qualifiers compete against each other at the regionals with the class victors now facing the winners of the same class from other regions all over England and Wales next week.
Kath’s horse Alexander II is a 16hh, 10-year-old Belgian gelding, and they are proving a successful double act having also been selected for the home international team in October.
The duo are in action at Stoneleigh on Thursday while the following day, Alexander II will also be competing with Paralympian Alison Moore.
“I bought him as a five-year-old as a project to sell on and hopefully make a few pennies but once he was home he was very different to how he was when I went to try him,” said Kath.
“He was very sharp with a lot of attitude and used to stop dead and rear up if he didn’t want to do what you were asking. I persevered with him because, generally, he had a really sweet nature and I was convinced there was a good horse in there somewhere. By the time I had got to the root of all his problems and fears, we had developed such a good bond that I didn’t want to sell him.”
She added: “In the two and a half years that we’ve been competing, he’s won, or been placed, in every affiliated dressage competition that he’s done (which is now 40).
“We’ve been selected for the British Dressage senior team two years running for both inter-regionals and internationals where the team came third and we had an individual placing of sixth overall.”
Alexander II won the Pet Plan Area Festival at Albrighton at elementary level and went through to the championships at Hartpury, Gloucestershire.
He won the regionals last year at novice level and has done the same this year at elementary level.
Kath has a small livery yard at the bottom of the Long Mynd where she takes in horses to school and re-educate.
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Pictured: Kath astride Alexander II.