British Showjumping National Championships – Friday 4th August Roundup

British Showjumping National Championships – Friday 4^th August Roundup

Starting off the championship classes for the day was the National Children on Horses Championship Final in the Tack & Tailor Championship Arena 1, where Emily Gulliver and 8-year-old Fleur de Nuit 8 took the title. She claimed her second championship of the week with the only clear round of the class. When asked about her horse, Emily commented, “she listened to everything I asked her to do and was really adjustable. We’ve only had her since September of last year, but she’s quite loving and she loves cuddles.”

With the only double-clears, Jess Hewlitt finished first and second in the Under 21 Championship Final in the Tack & Tailor Championship Arena 1 with Ilmar HBC (Kenny) and Hipster, respectively. Jess commented on her round, saying, “it’s our first time at nationals, it’s just a privilege to compete in this ring. I thought the lines were good. It was a nice track and a fun jump off with lots of turns. Kenny is such a big character, and it really shows in the ring.”

Lisa Jones and Zevusina BZ (Blue) won the Equissage Pulse Senior British Novice Championship Final in the Tack & Tailor Championship Arena 1, winning the jump off of 24 combinations. According to Lisa, “the jump off couldn’t have gone any better. That was probably the fist time I’ve raced that fast in a jump off, but I knew we were going to have to do something really special to win.” Though the combination has only been together for 6 months and Blue has mostly done unaffiliated showjumping, they discovered Blue is a “little pocket rocket”, so they decided to go for it.

Over in the UNIBED Championship Arena 2, Hannah Webber took the National Grade C Championship with Kristalanda II. When asked about her round, Hannah commented, “we were focused on going clear, but after we had the pole down, I knew we had to go forward. I took a risk, and it paid off! I broke my leg in January and only just got back on in May, and she just stepped up to 1.30 level this year so this was a big test for her and I’m really happy with how she’s jumping at the moment.”

Continuing on in the UNIBED Championship Arena 2 was the National Grade B Championship Final, where Julian Mincher and 10-year-old Carter Rouge claimed the victory. Julian was very pleased with the result, adding “he had a little injury, so he’s just been off since April. This is probably only his third show back, so I didn’t really come in here with high expectations. The second round, when I jumped into the double, he half-pulled off his overreach boots. I could hear him flapping. I didn’t know if it was his boot or his shoe, so I had to look down and saw it was his boot and carried on. He won the Grade C final last year so it’s nice to have done the double and won the Grade B this year.”

The National Senior Rider Championship title went to Emma Jo Slater and Freule TN (Beau), with second going to Emma and Kimba Flamenco (Codi) in the UNIBED Championship Arena 2. The two combinations jumped to the top of the class after a competitive jump off, with Beau taking the win by one hundredth of a second. The Buckinghamshire-based rider commented, “they were both pretty quick. With Beau, I was aiming to go second, because I didn’t think she’d go as fast as Codi, but she’s a little speed horse”.

Mark Edwards and Flying Tinker II ultimately claimed the victory after a challenging Horse of the Year Show International Wild Card Qualifier Incorp National 1.40m Championship, that saw 68 entries in the Tack & Tailor Championship Arena 1. When asked about the 12-year-old horse, Mark said, “Flying Tinker is a super little horse, he’s really careful and quick. Everything went as planned. It was a tough track. There was only one clear in the first round when we went, but he’s been on form lately, so we were quietly confident.”

The National Para Club Equestrian Grade III title went to Evie Toomes and Jack Sparrow II in the UNIBED Championship Arena 2. After a clear round a pleased Evie commented “I was really pleased with my round, I decided to focus on how he felt in the arena instead of asking too much of him. My main focus was to have fun! My season has included a lot of highs and lows especially with plenty of appointments meaning we had to miss shows we would have liked to attend. I’ve had Jack for 2 years, we had a slow start with various issues with health from Jack and I so I’ve been getting to know him and working on the basics. Jack has a big heart and loves being turned out with his best friend Spud the Shetland and his pet chicken!”

Conquering the National Para Club Equestrian Grade I was Yorkshire-based Sarah Steel riding Topwood Teddy. Sarah commented, “I’m really pleased with Ted, he always likes to have a look at the outside and see what other people are doing rather than concentrating but today I was really pleased with him! So far this season, we’ve competed at 5 para competitions, and we’ve won all five so I can’t ask for any better. We’ve got camp in a few weeks and then he’s having some well-deserved time off. I thought the course today was built nicely, with colourful fences.”

Finishing of day 4 of the British Showjumping National Championships in the UNIBED Championship Arena 2, Jordan Phelps and Toyland Detective (Noddy) took the National Para Club Equestrian Grade IV title. The Wiltshire-based rider commented, “he was a really good boy, he is the best thing in the world! It was our first year in doing para-classes, so we just wanted to have fun around the course. After our recent success this season, I will be giving him some much needed time off in September, followed by riding club over the winter.”

For the full result list from Friday 4^th August 2023 please visit: https://members.britishshowjumping.co.uk/Live/Show/10015148