On Saturday 22nd, four Hurst students travelled to Golden Cross Equestrian Centre in a bid to qualify for the NSEA (National Schools Equestrian Association) Dressage Championships held in October. Two team members rode Prelim Test 13, and two riders completed Novice Test 28. Mette D rode the prelim test with her 4 year-old horse, Zakinthos, at his first ever show. The judge complimented the young horses’ potential and said that the pair would go far once the horse was more relaxed and confident in the arena. They received a very respectable 63.6% for Zakinthos’ first outing. Next it was the turn of Polly D, riding Star of Wicklow, who scored 64.0% and was only just out of the placings in the competitive class.
For the Novice section Harriet and Ralf B briefly hung up their show jumping boots and learned a dressage test! Harriet’s horse, CBH Clover Lining, had a very strong start to his test, but unfortunately, the excitement of the occasion got the best of him, and he dropped some marks, finishing on a score of 63.1%. The stars of the show were Ralf B and his mare Skyline, who produced a lovely test and an impressive score of 69.3%, which was enough to get them 4th place individually and qualify them for the NSEA Championships. The judge said that Skyline is “a stunning horse showing lots of potential”. Congratulations Ralf!
The three best scores from the team members were then combined to produce a final score of 196.9, which resulted in the Hurst Team coming 2nd. This great result means that the team has qualified for the championships later this year!
“ A huge well done to everyone who took part, especially as an unexpected road closure made getting to the showground rather challenging and caused many competitors to be delayed. Good work team! ” Tracey Pargeter, Head of Equestrian