A fantastic weekend away to the NSEA Eventers Challenge National Championships at Hickstead for our Equestrian Team.

The team travelled to Hickstead. When we arrived, we settled the ponies into their stables and set up camp and BBQ for the evening. We managed a quick course walk to see what the jumps would be like in the morning. We had lots of time to watch other riders compete and walk the course again on the following morning. We were the last team to go in the 90cm and there were very few team clears.

Anna led the team out, with a fast clear round, ultimately placing her 8^th as an individual, only 0.63 off the winning time! Lilah rode next and was riding beautifully until her pony suddenly spooked going towards the water, resulting in a sad departing of ways!

This put the pressure on the remaining two riders, who needed to go clear to ensure a placing in the final standings. Freya went next, on her sister's pony, and flew round with a clear, leaving Emily to finish the class. With amazing poise and determination Emily flew around on Magic ensuring a team clear and only 3 seconds slower than the winning team to take Silver!

Phoebe then rode as an individual and did a lovely clear round, just slightly too slow for a placing. We then had a couple of hours break, out of the sun to relax and refuel before walking the 1m course. This was up to height and had some tricky combinations and several very narrow skinnies!

Lilah was the trailblazer and rode with extraordinary determination, particularly after having fallen in the first class, to have one run out and the rest of the course she flew around. Anna went in second and having taken the 2^nd jump down, which was proving to be the boggy fence, rode a speedy round after that. This left us needing two clears from Phoebe then Emily. Phoebe rode brilliantly for the first clear round, just 17 seconds from the optimum time. Emily was a calm as ever, at least on the outside, and flew round the course, with her pony clearly loving being in the big ring, taking all the shortest lines to finish clear and just 0.75 from the optimum time! With four more teams and 10 individuals to go there was a tense wait, while we watched other teams go, but with fences being knocked down we realised we had won the class and become National Champions! Emily was also crown individual National Champion, which is exceptionally difficult in an optimum time class.

A fantastic result and a superbly successful championships. Well done girls.

Alex Ireland - Head of Equestrian

Watch a video of the King's Equestrian Team competing.