Paul's done it again! Having successfully seen four horses through to the Summer Regional Championships earlier this year, he's well on his way to repeating this triumph.
Recently wrapping up two wins in the medium classes at Unex Towerlands on the 22nd August, he and Athanasio have already qualified for the Winter Regional Championships. The pair put in a head-turning performance with scores of 68.39 in one test and 71 in the other and they walked away with the double win - there's simply no stopping this amazing horse and rider combination.
But the success didn't end there for Paul. He and Highlander appeared at Norton Heath on the 25th August to compete in the Prix St Georges, and gained first place once more. Paul comments: "I am very pleased - we couldn't have hoped for a better result!"
Then on 1st September, he visited the Orsett Show in Essex to give a demonstration aided by two promising young riders, Bobby Allison and Sam Thake - both under 21 hopefuls. The pair rode beautifully and attracted a large crowd with their elegant presence. All the time, Paul talked the crowd through the ride, which was captivated by the performance. This was another great success for Paul who received no end of positive feedback.
Paul's busy schedule doesn't end here however; he is now preparing for the Magic of the Horse Show, held at Towerlands in Braintree, Essex, on Saturday 20th October. The event is organised by former Olympic Dressage Team member, Tanya Larrigan, who is bringing one of her dreams to life by opening this show. Appearing will be the likes of Tanya, Paul and David Deptford who will be performing various rides to music, and the renowned Mini Marvels who will be doing their own rendition of the river dance. After this event Paul has his own Gala Music Extravaganza to prepare for, which will also be held at Towerlands later this year.
Paul is celebrating another big win at the Affiliated Dressage competition held on Monday 10th September at the Patchettes Equestrian Centre in Aldenham in Hertfordshire. The final of the GP Summer Series, Paul and Martinique won the Grand Prix with an impressive 67% and Paul then went onto win the Prix St George on Highlander with 65.7%, coming second in the Advanced Medium category.
This latest success stands Paul in good stead for the National Dressage Championships, set to take place at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire on 13th to 16th September. As he explains: "Patchettes was a good warm up for the championships, which I'm really looking forward to. It's all in the lap of the Gods really as there are so many good people and horses taking part - anyone could win. But it's just a fantastic thing to be a part of and you just have to hope that luck's on your side on the day."
Congratulations to Paul for finishing eighth in the Grand Prix Freestyle category on Martinique at the National Dressage Championships, which took place at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire on 13th to 16th September. Paul says of his performance: "I'm very pleased with the result. All in all, it was a great event - the weather was good and so was the atmosphere."
Paul also saw several horses cut their teeth at the competition for the first time, saying of their participation: "They were good but a bit green, if you know what I mean! They held their own, but closed down a bit towards the end, probably because the atmosphere is new to them. I have high hopes for them next year though!"