Leg 2 of the Event Rider Masters held at Bramham International Horse Trials
Chinease rider, Alex Hua Tian yesterday celebrated his triumph on board Don Geniro, for the second leg of the Event Rider Masters (ERM).
Overnight leader Clark Montegmary (USA), riding Loughan Glen, had a ‘costly’ pole in the morning’s showjumping, and despite his double clear cross-country, he finished just behind triumphant Alex in second.
Said Alex ” I can’t believe it, we were dead last at Chatsworth and to be here having won, it’s absolutely extraordinary”
Alex, being the only rider to represent China in the Olympics, told us what’s next “So now with my two Olympic contenders they are both aiming for Barberry, one of them will compete at the ERM and one of them will compete in the normal three star, then it’s decision time for which one will go to Rio” said Alex.
With a nice £16,000 under his belt from his ERM win, Alex continued “I have to thank Chris and Lisa Stone for their support of the ERM classes and series and hope that, long may it continue”
Clark Montegomary shared his thoughts on the new Event Rider Masters series “I really love running in this format with the cross-country at the end and we can all watch and see the time, and where it is” he continued ” We can run the horses more often, the shorter format is a little bit easier on the horses, I think it’s where the sport should go”
Only 10 of the riders captured a clear round for the showjumping prior to the ERM cross-country course. Izzy Taylor was the highest-placed British rider following the jumping. However, a very disappointing cross-country run, with time faults and penalties, meant she dropped down the board, finishing in 24th.
Jonelle Price (NZL) riding the breathtaking Hanoverian mare, Faerie Dianemo, elegantly climbed the leaderboard to finish in third. Jonelle rode a beautiful dressage test finishing on a score of 42.9, the following day’s showjuming and cross-country proved a breeze for the pairing as they finished both sections without adding any additional penalties.
Gemma Tattersall, who has her sights set on Rio, demonstrated just how costly one pole in the showjumping and time faults for cross country can be. Despite the pairs strong dressage test, which at one point saw her in joint first with another rider, the day to follow meant the pair finished in 11th place.
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Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.