Show Jumping Competition
The Royal Alexandra and Albert School Equestrian Centre held their second Show Jumping Competition on 21st September. Before the day, the show jumping course had been prepared and two new jumps were installed, one of which had signature wings sponsored by Jump4Joy, a world-class show jumps manufacturer. The two new show jumps made the course even better for the forty riders taking part, with thirteen of the School’s own pupils competing in the five classes available.
The level of competition was high with many great riders in attendance. Overall, four riders won the five classes, showing how competitive the day was. Tarryn Poole, Stables Secretary and AI Instructor, was one of the judges. She said of the event, “It was a great day. It was lovely to have such great positive feedback about the event, and to see the riders and how well they improved throughout the classes.”
Daire Farrell, an outside competitor, won the 80cm class on Hollypark Lad and the 90cm class on Dublins Pride. Not only did he take home two 1st place rosettes but also a ticket for the Littleton Manor Equestrian Centre’s XC course. Littleton Manor was the sponsor for the two classes. Year 12 student, Jade Armitage Hughes, won the 70cm class on Tulley. The 1st prizes for 50cm and 60cm classes were won by Zara Keetley on Comet Prize and Tallulah Betts on Giddy, respectively. Both riders had extremely good rounds, and after seeing them at Felbridge during the Show Jumping season it was nice to see how they had improved. Mr Keetley commented that the Equestrian Centre was a lovely venue with a great atmosphere.
Jade Smith, a Year 11 boarder who is currently studying Horse Care at the School, came second in the 70cm class on Dublin. She agreed that the event was success, “I had great day. The atmosphere was really nice, there were a lot of people there, and we competed with some fantastic riders. My mum enjoyed it as well – she came down for the day and had a lot of fun watching.”
The friendly atmosphere in the Equestrian Centre has certainly drawn outside competitors. Yard Manager, Miss Irini Economou, explains, “The idea of these shows is to give our pupils and outside competitors the opportunity to take part in a real competition but to also have fun. We had several comments saying that our yard staff were extremely supportive and welcoming. Many of our visitors said that they would definitely be coming back to compete here in the future.”
But the Stables team aren’t resting on their laurels! The Equestrian Centre has now become a Pony Club Centre and the Stables team are planning competitions for the future. They are also looking to hold Inter-school competitions from grassroots to 80cm/90cm. This is in addition to the British Show Jumping Association shows and Unaffiliated Dressage competitions it currently hosts.
Miss Economou said, “It’s always a pleasure to see so many of our pupils taking part in our events. There was fantastic team morale and pupils supported each other. It was also great to have many outside contestants taking part and winning. We hope to increase the number of competitions we hold and help riders make good progress.”
