On Sunday 13th October, 2019, The Barbados Equestrian Association hosted “Beads of Hope” at the Congo Road Equestrian Centre, St. Phillip, Barbados. This was a stable fellowship and fundraising one-day event whereby all profits went to the Bahamas Relief Effort via the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (CDEMA) in Barbados. Seven representatives of the Trinidad and Tobago Equestrian Association (TTEA) accompanied by parents and TTEA Vice President, Mr. Vashish White, competed in this event to support this worthwhile venture and to underscore Trinidad & Tobago’s solidarity with the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
Owner of Congo Road Equestrian Center, Coach and Pan American Games Competitor, Mrs. Roberta Foster, extended her gratitude to the Trinidad and Tobago delegation for their participation and support of the “Beads of Hope” initiative, which was also attended by Barbadian Minister of Creative Economy, Culture and Sports, The Honourable John Andrew King.
Trinidadian riders Asha Bansee, Jaime Fletcher, Justynne Fletcher, Annabella Hill, Charlotte Mack, Sandhya Moll and Patrice Stollmeyer were each paired with a Barbadian counterpart to compete in the equestrian disciplines Dressage, Show Jumping and Cross Country Eventing. The wining team was the one with the least combined penalties.
National Show Jumper and FEI Level 1 Coach, Sandhya Moll, along with her Barbadian teammate, Tammy Pinto, emerged victorious at the eventful “Beads of Hope”. Mrs. Tammy Pinto earned the highest dressage score of the day and coupled with Moll’s clear round in the show jumping event on the mount, Lord Blackadder, both ladies were the overall champions. Moll also competed in the Dressage discipline on the stallion, Man in Black. She rode USDF First Level Test 3 and with a final score of 65.417% she also emerged champion in this category.
Veteran FEI Level 2 Coach, Patrice Stollmeyer, also competed in the dressage event showcasing her talent on the horse Royal Diadem. They made an outstanding pair as they competed in the USDF Second Level Test 3, the second highest level test ridden on the day. With a score of 64.000%, Stollmeyer placed 1st and was declared champion in this category.
Adult rider, Asha Bansee also competed on the stallion, Man in Black, in the USDF Training Level Test 3. Whilst she was pleased with her final score of 62.931%, it was not enough to earn a placing missing it by mere decimal points in comparison to the very competitive Barbadian riders.
Young adults Justynne Fletcher and Annabella Hill also competed in the USDF Training Level Test 3 with Fletcher entering twice. Annabella Hill received a final score of 60.172% on the mount Rasmus. Fletcher received final scores of 62.069% and 58.793% on the mounts Rumba and Valentino respectively. Her test on Rumba was well ridden and resulted in her being Reserve Champion in the young adult category.
Nine year old Jaime Fletcher and 11 year old Charlotte Mack both competed in the USDF Introduction Level C. On the mount Rumba, Mack received a final score of 64.250%. Fletcher’s final score of 65.75% on the horse Clover Lucky Chance earned her Reserve Champion in this category.
All young riders had a final challenge of a dexterity test. An obstacle course outlined to test rider/horse capability. The course developers put a lot of effort into making this enjoyable for the children, which proved to be a lot of fun. The representative members of the TTEA were extremely happy and proud to be a part of this venture and wish the Barbados Equestrian Association every success in its endeavours for the Bahamas Relief Effort.
Written by Asha Bansee