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Our annual Pony Club showjumping series is now in it's third year, and for 2008 we have decided to run it as a
summer series rather than a winter one after the particularly cold winter of 2007. The competitions will take place during the
summer evenings, and as always riders will gain points for attendence and placing. Those with the most points will go on to compete at
the Championships in September.
The first competition of 2008 took place on Friday 23rd of May. Once again there was a great turn out, and the lighter evenings meant that we could jump outside.
Several riders have moved up a class, and there are more new faces as well.
Emma had managed to build yet another challenging course, which included a stile and some difficult turns, especially when it came to the jump-off. The
Novice class were our trailblazers for 2008, and they did an excellent job, with a number of clear rounds. The Intermediates followed on enthusiastically, with some
fast rounds from Schuey and Prince who thought they were already in the jump-off! The Open riders had a good sized course to jump round, and again the horses were
all very forward going. For Dreamer and Benny it was their first time jumping in the series, and they both produced some impressive rounds.
For the first time it was the Novice class who had the closest jump-off times, with just a fraction of a second separating first and second. Surprisingly
it wasn't the speediest pony who jumped the fastest round! Kate Evans and Tucker took first, with Amelia Ward and Buster just behind in second. Third place went to Emily Gibson-Smith
and Pip.
The Intermediate class was a little quieter this year, with several riders having moved up to Open or now owning their own ponies! However, this didn't mean that the standard was any less, and
each of the riders was as determined as always, a feature that has defined the Intermediates for the last three years! The winner for this competition
was Joanna Lees riding Prince, putting Maddie Curry into second. Last years Novice Champions Alice Evans and Mary were a creditable third in their first Intermediate level competition.
For the Open class it was a real test of skill, with bigger fences and tighter turns worthy of HOYS! First place went to Lydia Boyle-Chambers and Dreamer,
who were on good form all evening. In second were Kristen Holland and Zak, and third went to Claudia Ryan (Dreamer again).
Well done to all who jumped, and we look forward to another exciting series for 2008!
For full results and points tables click here.
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