The Trinidad and Tobago Equestrian Association held their Show Jumping Super League Finals on Sunday 25th October at Saddle Valley Stables in Santa Cruz.
The Super League is made up of a total of 3 competitions held during the year. The riders and their mounts are tested on their skill and accuracy by jumping a challenging course of obstacles. Each competition has its winners, who are awarded points depending on their placings. These points are tallied after the three competitions and an overall Champion in each jumping division is determined. In these Super League competitions, riders and horses jump over two rounds per class aiming to clear all rails. The rider with the least faults in both rounds is declared the winner. If there is an equality of faults after both rounds, the fastest time in the second round is used to determine the winner. Riders get double points for riding in the Super League Final.
In Sunday’s competition the Mid League riders went first, jumping a challenging Fédération Équestre Internationale designed course of 1.0m height, with 10 jumps and two double combinations, amounting to 12 jumping efforts, for the first round.
Fifteen year old Jordanne Brown riding Mr. Wings and Adelle Stollmeyer, riding ex racer, Audacity to Hope, both jumped perfect clear rounds in Round 1 at this level. In round 2, where there were 8 jumps with 1 double combination, both riders had one knockdown, both at the Liverpool jump, for 4 faults each.
Brown’s time of 45.17 seconds, a little over 2 seconds faster than Stollmeyer ‘ s time of 47.72 seconds, put her in first place with Stollmeyer grabbing the second place rosette.
Brown, who had won all of the Mid League classes this year, was declared Champion in the Mid League division with Stollmeyer being the Reserve Champion.
The Mini League level followed, with a height of 0.80m. Hadley Rahael, riding Miramis, continued her winning ways. She accumulated just 4 faults in total, edging out Dr. Kelly Camacho, riding Eye See Dee, who had 8 faults, over the 2 rounds.
When the year’s competition points were tallied, Dr Kelly Camacho emerged as the Champion in the Mini League, with Amy Costelloe and Quiet Bid retaining the Reserve Champion trophy.
Hadley Rahael, who had successfully competed at 1.10m level earlier in the year, was announced the High League Champion.
For the first time, a Micro Mini league was introduced, with low jumps, designed to encourage young riders. Ten year old Isabella Powell won both of her classes, with Maeghan Koury placing second.
No competition can be held without very many people working as a team and for giving of their time and energy. So a thousand thanks on behalf of the TTEA to all those who volunteered their time!
Most of these riders benefitted from a recent clinic from Colombian coach, Jorge Verswyvel, who spent a week in Trinidad recently working with over 15 riders, of all ages and stages.
Mr. Verswyvel was Colombia’s Individual National Show Jumping Champion for 8 years. He also won Team Gold and Individual Silver in the South American Championships in 1963, and Individual Gold and Team Silver in the Bolivian Regional Games in 1971.
The TTEA’S next competition will be the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s Regional Jumping competition which will be held on Sunday 6th December. T&T riders will compete against Barbados and the Cayman Islands in this team competition.
Tessa Stollmeyer Secretary General Trinidad & Tobago Equestrian Association