The Trinidad & Tobago Equestrian Association held the local leg of the inaugural hosting of the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s Regional Jumping Challenge on Sunday 6th December at Saddle Valley Stables in Santa Cruz.
In this competition, riders and horses compete against their counterparts in the Caribbean region by riding over the exact same course in each country. The top two scores at each height are used as the team scores for each country. Barbados was leading with the only 12 faults over 8 rounds and the Cayman Islands was running in second place with a “cricket score”of 40 faults. Jamaica decided not to host their leg for 2015. T&T was the last to hold their competition.
At the higher, 1.0m, level, the first rider to go was Adelle Stollmeyer on ex race horse, Audacity to Hope, followed by Hadley Rahael on the grey warm blood, Viking Thunder, and then Jordanne Brown entered on the diminutive throughbred foundling, Mr. Wings.
All three riders got clear rounds, which was an excellent start for Team T&T.
The riders went back into the ring in the same order of go to jump the exact same course for a second time. This time, Stollmeyer on Audacity to Hope knocked one rail down for 4 faults when the horse got too close to a vertical. Rahael on Viking Thunder duplicated her effort in the first round and had a double clear round. Brown on Mr. Wings had an uncharacteristic two fences down for 8 faults.
Rahael ‘s and Stollmeyer ‘s scores were used as the team scores for the 1.0m level so the team went forward with only 4 faults.
There were only two riders for the. 85 level, Dr. Kelly Camacho on the warmblood, Miramis, and Amy Costelloe on ex racer, Eye See Dee.
Camacho was the first to go and had a clear round on Miramis. Costelloe did very well, getting only one knockdown for 4 faults on the inexperienced Eye See Dee.
As a result, Trinidad & Tobago went into the last round with a total of 8 faults, needing two clear rounds to win over Barbados.
Costelloe on Eye See Dee rode first and unfortunately had one refusal and one knockdown for 11 faults. Camacho on Miramis had one knockdown for 4 faults.
Team T&T’s final score was 21, putting them second behind Barbados in the CEA Regional Jumping Challenge, for 2015.
In the other classes Anja Taylor won the .70m level on Out of the Blue and Asha Bansee won the crossrail level with a double clear rounds.
Hadley Rahael
