Stafford schoolboy vying for three British under-21 equestrian titles

Theo Charnley, an 11-year-old from Stafford Grammar School, has three equestrian titles within his grasp after impressing at a semi-final qualifier in Leicestershire with his five-year-old pony.

The duo are in a rich vein of form after winning two tests, and captured fourth in the British Dressage Quest, which earned them a shot at a national crown in all three events.

Eleven-year-old Theo and his adopted RSPCA pony, George, turned out for West Midlands Dressage Group last weekend and came first in the team prelim semi-final at Vale View Equestrian.

Theo and George recently clinched the SEIB Trailblazers national award in their first full season of competition and they are reigning Carnival of Dressage champions. Meanwhile the young partnership has National Schools Equine Association (NSEA) rosettes in their sights as they prepare to compete next month in Buckinghamshire, while honours are also at stake in November’s British Dressage Associated Championships.

Each side comprised four riders, with the top three scores counting towards the total. The West Midlands outfit forged an unassailable lead when two of Theo’s team-mates also won their tests to canter into the final in November.

The youngster will target individual GB crowns too in Lincolnshire, having bagged the semi-final intro event by a margin of more than three per cent, while fourth place in the individual prelim was enough to see them through to the final.

Fellow Stafford Grammar rider Beatrice Plant (11), riding Bobbie, gained a top-10 individual intro slot.