Maisie Scruton - Junior European Championships, 10 – 14 July 2013

Dressage rider Maisie Scruton of Westella, Hull will be heading to Compiegne in France to compete for Britain at the Junior European Championships, 10 – 14 July 2013. Maisie (16) rides her own Sandro Hit-sired Hot Chocolate 43.Maisie has been on the British pony team for the past two years with the striking Rembrant DDH and they would have been in contention for this year’s team but Maisie decided she was ready for the step up in age category to juniors. Her new ‘horse’ partner is Hot Chocolate 43 and in just six months of competition, they’ve notched up 12 top five placings from 14 starts including at win at Compiegne CDI in the team competition.The British Junior Team has had moderate success at the European Championships in its 30 year history only managing a medal on one occasion. What the programme has done is help to produce medallist of the future with team gold and individual bronze Olympic medallist Laura Tomlinson one of the notable ‘graduates’. Other Brits who’ve gone on to success at senior level after young riders include Fiona Bigwood, Maria Eilberg, Becky Moody, Andrew Gould and Hannah Biggs.Along with team-mates Chloe Vell and Gabrielle Lucas, the pair set off for Compiegne, some 40km north east of Paris on Monday ahead of the opening ceremony on Tuesday 9 July. The competition gets underway at the 10-hectare ‘Stade Equestre du Grand Parc’ with the Team test on Wednesday, continuing Thursday when the team medal will be decided. It’s then down to individual honours with two days of the individual test to qualify for a coveted freestyle place when the individual European Champion will be crowned on Sunday. Follow the action on http://dressageeurope.compiegne-equestre.com/ or British Dressage will be on Facebook and Twitter with updates.