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REPORT
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Area 10 Intermediate Horse
Trials Qualifier |
Ardingly, 20th May |
The inaugural running of the Intermediate Horse
Trials Qualifier at the South of England Showground, Ardingly, resulted in a win for
Sevenoaks. The team are now looking forward to competing at the British Riding Clubs’
National Championship at Offchurch Bury, Warwickshire, in August.
With wet weather causing the cancellation of many
events, competitors felt privileged to be able to brave the wind and intermittent
downpours, which left water splashes on the dressage arenas as well as the intentional
obstacle on the cross-country course. The organisers did their best to guard against
damage to the ground. Parking was restricted to areas of hard standing and the roads that
criss-cross the show ground, with competitors attention directed to signs saying “Do
not even think of driving on the grass.”
Sevenoaks’ route to the top slot was not
without incident. The competition was for teams of four with three scores to count. Marnie
Moon, who had been lent Sara Roberts’ most experienced horse, Marley’s
Cassanova, was injured in a cross-country fall from a novice horse in an earlier class and
so wasn’t able to continue. As she had already ridden the Intermediate dressage test,
she couldn’t be replaced by a reserve rider, so the team were down to three and every
score had to count.
Sara Roberts, first placed individual in her
section, finished on her dressage score, the only rider in the whole Intermediate class to
come in without time faults on the slippery cross-country phase, despite Harry losing a
shoe in the dressage. Despite an untypical four penalties from Kruja Roslyn’s show
jumping to add to a dressage score of 32, Jo Thomas had only time penalties to add after
the cross-country, and was third in her section.
Eleanor Comer, riding Climate, was in the overall
lead when she set off cross-country; a position that invites caution. Eleanor was sure
that she had gone clear, having chosen a longer alternative at a ditch and hanging-log
combination. When the scores went up the team were stunned to see that she had been
awarded 20 jumping penalties as well as the expected time penalties. An objection was
about to have been lodged, which might have delayed results until the following day as the
jump judge for the fence in question had left by then, when it was announced that the team
had taken first place and qualified for Offchurch even with the disputed penalties.
Eleanor collected her fourth place individual rosette with June saying, “We know that
you won really!”
The Senior Novice teams were less fortunate with
the only placing being the individual fourth place for double clear, Jo Donaldson and Tack
Stitch Ryan. Club member, Janet Phillips, who rides for Bradbourne at Area competitions,
was third on Silvern Conetta. Her team were fifth.
The team of Alice Burgess on Cracker (aka Flaming
Arrow), Khia Cadney-Moon on Out of the Blue (fifth placed individual in her arena), Lily
Gilbert on Lenamore Coco Chanel and Laura Reeves on Hedera Hat, took second place in the
Junior Novice behind Rother Valley. They qualify for the London and South East
Championships.
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