Hannah Comery claimed the prelim bronze on her debut British Dressage season, while Carmen Gammie secured her second silver of the week at the Winter Dressage Championships. The victories came during day four at Addington Equestrian. Both riders shared their experiences after strong performances.
Day four of the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships and NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championship wrapped up with standout wins in the final classes. Nineteen-year-old Hannah Comery, a former eventer, took the prelim bronze in a 46-rider field, riding Ballylahive Prince to a score of 72.06% at Addington Equestrian. This marked her first season in affiliated British Dressage with the 19-year-old horse she has owned for 11 years. Comery went early in the class at 9 a.m. and waited all day as scores trickled in. She described a tense start due to loudspeaker commentary but noted the horse settled once inside the arena. 'I’ve had him 11 years, so we know each other inside out,' she said. 'He’s one in a million.' Aberdeen-based Carmen Gammie, a chartered accountant at an investment bank, earned her second title, winning the Nupafeed advanced medium freestyle silver with 71.33% on her own Lets Make An Opera M. This followed her prix st georges silver earlier in the week, only their fifth outing at that level. Gammie acknowledged a canter entry mishap but praised the subsequent work. 'I’m a chartered accountant – I work for an investment bank, so it’s kind of just an extreme hobby,' she said.