REPORT
|
|
BRCs' Festival of the Hunter,
Open Hunter Trial Championship |
Aston-le-Walls, 3rd June |
The days when Hunter Trials entailed
jumping hedges, ditches and the occasional fallen log are long gone and the course at new
Championship venue, Aston-le-Walls in Northamptonshire, taxed riders from the outset.
Typical of the course were several jumps set on banks and combination fences, where they
were followed on the downward side by “skinnies”.
Eleanor Comer and Climate had a run
out at the first of these followed by a second refusal trying to retake the narrow
roll-top from level ground. Having re-mounted the bank, Climate cleared the roll-top at
the third attempt and so was able to continue round the course.
Second to go, Sara Roberts and Ay
Carumba, had a very fast round under the optimum time but had a stop at a “corner”
towards the end of the course. She said that they had come off the bend obliquely, so her
horse faced the widest possible part of the triangular fence, and naturally he said “No!”
Things looked up when Jo Thomas and
Kruja Roslyn came on the course. Jo, with her 14 year-old, little Welsh Cob mare, is one
of the most consistent members of Sevenoaks’ teams both cross-country and in the show
jumping ring. As usual the pair didn’t let us down. They went clear just 8 seconds
outside the time.
Last on the course for Sevenoaks,
Laura Reeves, representing the club as a senior for the first time, produced the team’s
best result. Hedera Hat had a spotless round with just 1.6 penalties for being only four
seconds outside the optimum time. Laura and Hedera Hat finished eleventh out of the 85
competitors in the Senior Open class.
With only 3 seconds separating the
top eleven riders Laura was unlucky not to gain an individual rosette but their
performance helped the team to tenth place and as Sara said “It’s always nice to
go home with more than a commemorative rosette!”
 
RETURN TO REPORTS |