Pretorious staves off her rivals to clinch top prize

A triumphant Celeste Pretorious beat off a challenge from hot favourite Lillian Sternvadt to take the top honours at the end of the two-day UAE National Dressage Championships at the Emirates Riding Centre.

Each rider in their respective sections had first to ride their own mount and then swap horses with one of their opponents as a true test of their riding abilities.

A perpetual trophy of a horse's head cast in bronze was donated by local artist Caroline Morton, to be given to the rider with the highest overall percentage of the evening, regardless of category.

The competition got under way with three riders taking part in a Novice competition, a place in which riders from around the emirates had been hotly contesting since the beginning of the dressage season last September.

First up the centre line was Ann Cass. Representing the Abu Dhabi Royal Stables, Ann put in a credible performance with her mount Bikri to finish with 56.5 per cent, piling on the pressure for her rivals.

Next to go was Celeste Pretorious riding Cheyenne. Celeste, who hails from South Africa, threw very few marks away in her bid for the honours and finished with the excellent score of 69.6 per cent.

The final rider into the arena was Duaa Anwar riding her big black horse Fanegro. The pair put their best foot forward but were unable to match the previous mark, and they finished with a percentage of 61.5, leaving them in second place at this stage.

The evening then continued with the tougher elementary test, containing the movements shoulder-in and simple change to test the more experienced horses to the full.

The riders here were Karen Wilson riding Shaheime, Christine Khairallah with Gigolo and Lesley Ziri on Broadstone Wizadora. All displayed their skills with a polish that kept spectators guessing as Christine took the lead at this stage in a very close run finish. It was then the turn of the riders in the Advanced Medium test, the first time a championship class had been run at this level in the Emirates.

Required to ride flying changes and demanding a high level of collection, the riders had been training for this moment over a long period of time.

First to go was Christina Calin from Zabeel stables with Espratero. With his extravagant movement, Espratero is a firm favourite with dressage followers in the UAE, and he didn't disapoint, turning in a score of 63.1 per cent.

Next to try her luck was Lynn Al Redha with Macbeth, a new partnership this season with their sights set on the Asian Games in Qatar.

This pair also rode a splendid test but Macbeth's exuberance in the flying changes saw him leave the arena with a percentage of 62.2.

Last to go were old hands Lillian Sternvadt riding Zorelli, a seasoned performer who is always a pleasure to watch when performing in the dressage arena. This time was no exception as he finished with a mark of 66.6 per cent, putting him in the lead at the end of the first round.

All the riders then prepared to ride their second tests which held a few surprises. Duaa Anwar recorded a better score on Bikri than she had on her own horse. Christine Khairallah had problems sitting to the very bouncy trot of Shaheime and lost ground in the final placings.

Lillian Sternvadt was nearly unseated from Macbeth when the horse took fright halfway through his test which cost her dear in the final marks.