12:00pm Saturday 4th July 2009
BRITISH Riding Clubs’ (BRC) Festival of the Hunter ran over two days last month and was blessed with blue skies and beautiful sunshine. The senior challenge and showing classes took place on Saturday and the junior challenge and combined competitions on Sunday.
The new format for the festival, which included a new show jumping phase, was met with some trepidation by competitors, but on the whole proved a resounding success, with BRC receiving excellent feedback.
The senior novice challenge team title went to Meon RC. They were represented by Fiona Rogers on Dollar, Rachel Walker (Brown Bear), Barbara Wood (Simply Seamus) and Helen Vernon (Kreischim).
Huntingdon and District RC led the way in the senior open challenge with a team win.
Representing Huntingdon were Jenna Stone (Claypotts), Alexandra Brookman (Lady B), Kelly Murdoch (Bay Storm) and Amelia Newman (Skip Along).
The senior pairs saw Longton RC as champions. Longton’s riders were Samantha Rippon on Basil Fox and Helene Chorley with Lightburn Sonny Boy.
The showing classes provided a high standard of competition and judges commented on the quality of the horses shown.
The working hunter horse was won by Nikki Williams on Kings Fiddler (New Forest RC) and the working hunter pony title went to Amelia Sanderson riding Brookshill Morning Glory (Bay RC).
Nikki Reeder on Collier (Aspley Guise RC) took the ridden cob championship crown home. The working cob class was headed by Christine Watts on My Fair Lady VII for Deben RC.
The hunter classes, judged by David Ingle, saw tough competition.
Victoria Littlewood and Mosstown Marz took the title home with them for High Fen RC.
Sweeping the board in the middleweight hunter and novice hunter was Stephanie Woolley on King’s Cruise from Malvern Hills RC. Despite only being a fouryear- old, King’s Cruise took everything in his stride and wowed the judges in the supreme championship. Victoria Littlewood and Mosstown Marz were reserve champions.
In the junior open challenge, Selby secured a win riding with a team of three consisting of Alice Walker (Monklands Boy), Jessica Hardwick (State Supreme) and Christian Alderidge (Hidden Extra). Aimee Beare and Pittoresque travelled from the Isle of Wight to secure the individual title.
The novice challenge class had a large number of entries but coming out on top were Radnorshire RC with Edward Jones (Oaksey), Megan Powell (Suduko), Freddie Powell (Peanut Butter) and Eleanor Owens (Squiggles Pride). West Oxfordshire RC’s Jenna McKay on Houdini’s Odyssey were junior novice champions.
The pairs class was won by Elstead RC, represented by Scarlett Flourenzou and It’s B’cos and Freya Lawes with Bunowen Jewel.
The newly introduced combined competition was won for the juniors by a surprised Jodie Stokes and Tinkerman (Rugby RC). In the Senior competition Helen Forster and Naphtalia De Layne took the title home for Stoneleigh RC.
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