SWINDON rider Georgina Tapner won the Medium Bronze Championship at the Petplan Equine Area Festival Championships on Bugatti Il last week.

Bugatti II is a six-year-old Chestnut gelding sired by Belissimo M and is owned by Castle Eaton-based Tapner, the wife of Australian eventer Paul.

The partnership clearly impressed the judges at the competition held at Hartpury College, with a stylish performance achieving a winning score of 68.77 per cent.

Tapner was delighted with Bugatti II’s performance in an exciting atmosphere, with some outstanding dressage tests and exceptional combinations competing for the Medium Bronze title.

“I’m an eventer, I know everything about eventing, but I haven’t got a clue about dressage – I’m just trying to feel my way through,’ said Tapner.

“This is our first time at the Petplan Equine Area Festival Championships, so I couldn’t be more proud.

“He’s very solid at Medium now, so I’m able to enjoy him a little more. He’s never been to anything as big as this, so I really wanted to get into the prize giving and the indoor arena to give him that experience.”

Tapner, who trains with Amy Woodhead and Charlie Hutton, hung up her eventing boots two and a half years ago and purchased Bugatti as a pure dressage horse as she has always enjoyed flatwork.

The Petplan Equine Area Festivals, now in their 19th year, provide riders across the levels from Preliminary to Intermediate II, with the chance to experience the thrill of competing in top competition style conditions.

Twenty seven Area Festivals took place all around the country in 2017, with over 4,200 horse and rider combinations taking part.

A further eight Area Festival Finals were then contested to gain qualification for the Championships at Hartpury.