REPORT
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Area 10 Qualifier &
Autumn Hunter Trials |
14th October 2007 |
The
Hunter Trials hosted by Lodge Farm, Matfield, in conjunction with Sevenoaks Riding Club,
saw teams from Kent, Surrey and Sussex competing for places at British Riding Clubs’
Festival of the Hunter which will be held at Aston Le Walls, Warwickshire in June 2008.
Sevenoaks
Riding Club’s Senior Open team were convincing winners of their section of the Area
10 Hunter Trials Qualifier for the second year running.
With Jo
Thomas (Kruja Roslyn) taking first place, Laura Reeves (Hedera Hat) second and Sharon
Richardson (Zeptepi) fourth, the Sevenoaks Stags leapt ahead of their nearest rivals on a
mere 6.8 penalties. Sara Roberts (Hi Harry) was the dropped score but even if her 21.2 had
been included they would still have been ahead of the second placed club, Royal Oak, who
finished with a team score of 43.2.
The
Senior Open Section gave a clean sweep to Sevenoaks R C as the qualification for the
highest placed individual not in the winning team went to another Sevenoaks rider, Sonia
Theobald (Safron).
Our
Junior Open team of Khia Cadney-Moon (La Gioa), Alice Burgess (Ballygowan Ludo), Emma
Howard (Paddy) and Lizzie McCready (Irish Elegance) were runners up to Rother Valley, who
also won the Junior Novice and Junior Pairs. The Sevenoaks team of Sam Leggatt (Llanarth
Ceridwen), Susannah Jeffery),Alice Burgess (Cracker) and Vicki Lawrence (Louis) were
third.
Although
our Senior Novice riders produced some good clear round they were spread between three
teams, none of which were placed.
It was
so near yet so far for Bradbourne R C, when less than one time penalty separated the top
two Senior Novice teams. Janet Phillips (Silvern Conetta), Ros Buckfield (Guiness XI),
Marisa Turner (Danny’s Limerick) and Lynn Bright (Murphy) ended on a team total of
9.2. Ardingly’s experienced team of Nicci Hill, Christine Hartfield, Nicky Gurden and
Jane Taggart were just ahead on 8.4 penalties.
Bradbourne
had some consolation for its near miss when Carole Cooke (Budding Annie), who is the
current British Horse Society Novice Cross-Country Champion, and Dick Robinson (Finnigan)
won the first running of a new BRC competition, Novice Pairs.
Around a
hundred riders took part in the Open, Novice and Minimus sections available to non-team
riders.
The Open
sections began in early morning mist that became denser as the class progressed, making it
difficult to see the first fence from the start box. This did not unduly hamper these
experienced riders and there were a good number of clear rounds. The winner was one of
only two men in all the Opens, Steve Spice riding Purdy.
By the
start of the Novice the mist had cleared, with sunshine for the rest of the day. Fourteen
year-old Lizzie McCready was the only rider all day with a clean sheet. She won with Irish
Elegance finishing spot on the optimum time.
A
temporary fence, an innocuous hurdle with straw bales, caused many of the stops in the
Minimus; perhaps because it was unexpected for horses familiar with the permanent fences.
The winner on a clear round and 4.8 time penalties was Anna Weeks riding Ferdy.
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