1.10m Just for Schools Championship – British Showjumping National Championships
St Margret’s School, from Aberdeen, took the 1.10m Just for Schools Championship concluding what was an exciting first day of competition at the British Showjumping National Championships. The team consisted of Charley Hamilton, younger sister Natasha and Jessica Fox. Proud runners up were Kings of Wessex Academy from Somerset, who themselves had not had a disappointing day of competition.
The youngest member of the St Margret’s School team, Natasha, aged 12, commented: “It was meant to take us 9 hours to get here but there were roadworks on the way down so it ended up taking 12 hours! We’ve only been riding together for the past few weeks, but have really enjoyed the show so far.”
Charley, aged 14, went on to produce a flawless clear round in the Individual Competition jump off. Riding Novella II, a nine year old mare owned by Sarah Hamilton. With barely a second time difference between the winning pair, fellow team mate Jessica, took second place on All Saints allowing St Margret’s to dominate the 1.10m class overall.
Charley’s mum commented that “It’ll be a great show if Novella and Charley win their HOYS qualifying class tomorrow too. Fingers crossed!”
The new incentive which was brought in last year has proved increasingly popular, organised by British Showjumping in conjunction with The Pony Club and British Riding Clubs. It allows schools and colleges across the UK to submit teams of three or four riders and individuals within a specific height category: 70cm-1.10m. Each of these height categories are underpinned by a league table to determine who makes it through to the Championships as well as there being two direct qualifiers. For more information on Just For Schools, visit http://www.britishshowjumping.co.uk/membership/Just-for-Schools-Membership
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.