A 15-YEAR-old Tavistock girl and her dancing Dutch riding pony have been selected to represent Great Britain in British Dressage. 

Ella Glennon and her seven-year-old Dutch pony Amden Supreme Golden Dancer, called Leo, have been regularly competing at the Medium Silver events and were long-listed for the Dressage European Championships earlier this year. 

They will now be representing Great Britain at Addington CDI in Buckinghamshire later this month after receiving scores allowing them to qualify for the event at recent competitions such as Premier Leagues and High Profiles. Ella has also been longlisted for a European-level event in August.

Leo has been with his owners Ella and Debbie (Ella’s mother) since he was a yearling. Having backed him and brought him on themselves they decided to take him to McTimoney Animal Chiropractor in the South Hams when the demands of his work progressed to higher levels. They felt he was struggling with balance and was quite restricted in his movement, especially through the forehand (the front half its body). 

Chiropractor Eulalia Speaight started treating Leo in January of last year for general maintenance to help improve his performance. 

She observed significant change between his first and second treatment, with Ella then reporting that his movement appeared less restricted, allowing her to progress with him more quickly and as she and her trainers worked with Leo, they referred back the areas of his work and body which were still feeling stiff, allowing the relevant treatment to be given and exercises to be recommended.

Debbie said: ‘All of our horses are now having treatment as we were so impressed. We have five and three are currently at GBR level: Leo, Storm who is six years old and Joey, who we’ve recently taken on for the owners. Our main focus is working on our horses’ balance and suppleness. 

‘We can take up to two for international shows but only one is eligible to do the European Championship every year. Ella began by competing in premier league shows, obtaining a qualifying score 68.5% which allows eligibility to compete in an international show. It’s the first time she’s ever achieved this and she’s utterly thrilled. Having trained Leo herself makes this a huge achievement.

‘Ella’s first international show will be this week in Gloucestershire, starting today (Thursday, March 16), continuing through to Sunday. If competitors gain a qualifying score again here, this puts them on the pathway to the Europeans - Ella is already long-listed for these but has to prove herself at these international shows.’