This glorious long, hot summer is winding to an end and there have been plenty of fantastic memories made! An unprecedented heatwave and England’s wonderful World Cup run have helped to make this season truly great, however one dynamic duo have put the cherry on the cake for us! Hayley and Teal, our favourite agility team, have been absolutely smashing it in competitions around Europe! Here at The Insurance Emporium, we are always excited to catch up with them! Here’s an update on their successful summer!
Qualification quality!
After a slow start to the year and poor weather hampering their training, things took off at a fast pace as the summer began. May and June saw Teal win his fourth, fifth and sixth championship tickets! “It’s been a big few months as the height of the agility season approaches!” explained Hayley. With these championship tickets, Hayley and Teal have now guaranteed qualification for the championship event at Crufts in 2019! Through their successful performances, Teal also gained enough points to help qualify them for the Crufts ABC semi-final at Discover Dogs, taking place in October.
Agility in Austria
Decked out in their Team GB gear, Hayley and Teal then headed to Europe to compete in the European Open Championships. “We’ve been working so hard on our fitness and strength as well as our general skills in preparation for international events,” explained Hayley. Over two runs, Teal qualified as ‘top dog’ and beat some of the best canines in the world by 0.5 seconds! “I was so pleased with how he handled the crazy courses, the 40 degree heat and also the speed at which he was running!” Unfortunately, Teal took a pole early in the final and they didn’t come out on top.
Keep on Rockingham!
The week after they returned home from the continent, Hayley and Teal were straight back into action in the Olympia semi-final at Rockingham Castle. Far from the heat of mainland Europe, rainy Rockingham saw them qualify for the London Olympia Horse Show in December. The second day of the event saw the duo in the British Open Semi Final. In Hayley’s own words, “Teal was incredible on a crazy course and won the event for the third year running, qualifying for Crufts 2019”.
Conquering the world…
Shortly after we spoke to Hayley, they went to compete in the International Mixed Breed Championships where Teal came second in both individual jumping and team agility. The real big one, however comes in a few weeks when Hayley and Teal compete in the FCI World Championships in Sweden! This is possibly the biggest event on the calendar for our duo. In the weeks before the competition kicks off, Hayley said that they’ll mostly be “resting and recovering whilst we can, ready to build back up to the biggest event of the year!” We wish them luck and can’t wait to see how they get on at the World Championships!
As we progress through the year things seem to be getting more and more exciting for Hayley and Teal! We can’t wait to hear about their appearance at the FCI World Championships, so keep your eyes peeled for an update! We’re very proud to say that we cover Teal on his adventures with one of our Dog Insurance policies. If you’re looking for some insurance for dogs, it might be worth considering The Insurance Emporium. Our Dog Insurance policies come with a 20% Introductory Discount* and include cover for Vet’s Fees up to £8,000^! Head to The Insurance Emporium to find out more!
*20% Introductory Discount is available for the first 12 premium payments on lunar and calendar monthly policies or one premium payment on annual policies.
^Vet’s Fees covered up to £8,000 on Lunar Monthly Lifetime Gold policies.
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