Anya Dewey Clarke makes history with double Hickstead championship win
Eleven-year-old Anya Dewey Clarke created a piece of history at the Agria Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead, becoming the first rider to win both the Pro Ponies UK Winter 128cm Championship and the Pony of the Year BS Winter 138cm Championship in the same year.
The talented young rider also became the first competitor to claim the 128cm title three times, completing a remarkable achievement during her final year eligible for the class.
Anya produced a brilliant one-two finish in the 128cm championship, with stablemates Kilcreene Snapdragon and Jim filling the top two places. While Jim had won the title for the previous two years, it was 13-year-old ‘Snappy’ who took the honours this time after a thrilling jump-off.
Riding last against the clock, Anya had the difficult task of choosing which of her two talented ponies to partner for victory.
“It was a tough decision to know what to do. I knew that I probably wanted to win on Jim but I wanted to do the same round as I did on Jim with Snappy, and do all the turns,” said Anya.
“I let him go on to the last and he’s got such a big stride, he covers the ground. They are both incredible ponies and I love them so much.”
The 128cm class proved a demanding challenge, with only five combinations from the 22-strong start list progressing to the jump-off. Anya was one of just two riders to make the final round with two ponies.
Less than two hours later, Anya returned to the arena and made even more history, winning the Pony of the Year BS Winter 138cm Championship to become the first rider to claim both winter titles in the same season.
Competing with the mare, who she first rode in the final last year, Anya dominated the six-rider jump-off and finished 3.55 seconds ahead of runner-up Amy Capper and Playboy Van De Zoetwei.
“Last year we were just getting to know each other and ever since that, we’ve kept coming on,” said Anya. “She’s giving me brilliant results and I can’t wait for the rest of the year.
“She is just a dream to ride, she is known as the queen of the yard.”
The historic double capped a memorable day of championship action at Hickstead, which also saw five-star event rider Gemma Stevens claim the UNIBED High-Performance Equine Bedding BS Winter Grades B&C Championship.
Riding Warrior Special, Gemma produced the fastest of six double clears in the jump-off to secure another major showjumping victory, shortly after being named on the British team for next month’s FEI World Championships.
Feature image: 11-year-old Anya Dewey Clarke set two new records at the Agria Royal International Horse Show today (c) Boots and Hooves Photography