As usual this competition was hotly contested with 58 teams competing to win the British Riding Clubs Teams of 3 Show Jumping at the Royal International Horse Show, Hickstead. Teams are made up of 1 novice horse jumping at 85cm, 1 intermediate at 95cm and 1 open horse at 105cm. All 3 rounds count so the team with the least faults wins and in the event of equality of faults the quickest time taken by all 3 riders decides.
We had 3 teams good teams entered, the Horsham Horrors, Horsham Hippies and Horsham Happies. Unfortunately the morning didn't get off to a great start when I woke at 6.30am to check my phone and find out that Beckii Davies had broken down on the A3 due to the clutch in her lorry going. This meant that sadly her other team members Susie Chasmar and Sam Llewellyn were not allowed to jump.
The other 2 riders doing the 85cm both got their teams off to a great start with Vicky Fisher on Fat Amy for the Horrors just getting 4 faults and Kelly Bowring on Feliod Elegance going clear for the Happies.
The course was put up for the 95cm and first up was Alan Murphy on Westlands Lake Cobweb. His super mare took an uncharacteristic dislike to the Hickstead planks nearly unseating Alan but jumped clear for the rest of the round so picked up 4 jumping faults and time penalties for the Horrors. Next was Olivia MacKay on her young horse Ballylennon Bounty that like many others went a bit green with the big atmosphere, having 1 stop, a pole down and time penalties for the Happies.
As the Horrors were now on a total of 22 penalties and the Happies on 21 penalties it took the pressure off of the 105cm riders as we were out of the placings. Despite this both rode super rounds with Alison Glover on Dancing Ranger just brushing the last fence and Olivia Nolan on Cecelia Woudina going clear.
Our members all rode really well and having spent most of the day watching many riders getting cricket scores, eliminated and falling off they were really unlucky not to go home with a rosette.
Here are the full results - Riding Club Teams Results.pdf (ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com)