National trip for Acclaim

Tuesday 2nd June 2009, 2:58PM BST.

Nicola Blandin driving Carrwood Acclaim, with Kerry Blandin on the back in last year's Welsh Nationals

JERSEY carriage driver Nicola Blandin has qualified for the National Carriage Driving Championships to be held at Windsor in September.

Back in partnership with her Welsh pony, Carrwood Acclaim, after giving him the winter off to rest, the pair recently competed at the Brighton Horse Driving Trials – the first National qualifying event of the season.

Having been crowned 2008 intermediate champion, Blandin has now moved up to compete in the Open pony class, which features harder tests and challenges.

Despite winning the class in the end at only their first attempt, the three days of competition were not all plain sailing for Team Blandin, with gale force winds and a feisty Acclaim making the dressage stage of the competition a particular challenge.

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