DORSET’S Charlie Sawyer celebrated twice at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships, winning both the Childéric Saddles Elementary Silver and Dodson & Horrell Novice Silver Championships.
In a hard-fought Childéric Saddles Elementary Silver Championship, 25-year-old Sawyer, from Winterborne Zelston, and the giant 17.3hh Contrendro son, Chico Too, secured top spot with a score of 73.13 per cent.
The first seven combinations all broke the 70 per cent barrier, but Sawyer and the 12-year-old gelding got the nod with an expressive, accurate performance that earned them top marks across the board.
This is a first national title for the Dorset-based rider, who trains with Carl Hester and is also a UKCC Accredited British Dressage coach.
Sawyer said: “I’m absolutely over the moon.
“I came here to be happy with a top 10 finish so to achieve this is amazing.”
Their win is all the more remarkable as ‘Chico’, who is owned by Sawyer’s mum, Sarah, was forced to undergo a two-and-a-half year rehabilitation following kissing spine and arthritis of the facet joints.
In the Dodson & Horrell Novice Silver Championship, the pair’s confident and expressive performance was awarded 77.37 per cent, one of the highest scores of the championships.
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