Over the first weekend of half term, Cranleigh riders travelled to Buckinghamshire for the NSEA National Championships, an event that this year attracted 750 riding combinations from over 200 schools around England, Scotland and Wales who between them jumped over 2000 rounds over four days of competition!
With a smaller team than at previous championships, it was going to be a big ask for our riders to bring home the honours this year (especially with two key horses out with injury at the last minute) but we knew we had a good chance in two key areas and our riders did not disappoint.
Our Open Arena Eventing (Jumping with Style) team were untouchable with four stylish rounds from Rory S., Madeleine R., Tara M. and Sophia T. (still only in Form 5 of the Prep School) securing the title that they have now won three times in the last six years. Tara had also qualified individually and took fifth spot but went on to ride a foot perfect round in the Advanced Open Championship to take the silver medal, with most in the crowd astounded that it had not been gold for her.
Sophia T then took on a field of much older riders in the pony section of the Advanced Open Show Jumping Championship, qualifying from the first round to contest the final eight, and producing a clear to land on the podium in the bronze medal position.
The Dressage team stepped up to the mark having had to reshuffle combinations as a result of horse injuries, but pulled out all the stops to finish in the silver medal position, less than 1% behind Mayfield, reversing the positions from the National County Final in May this year. Pernille A joined Tara, Madeline and Rory in this team. Madeleine was the highest scoring rider in her Novice team test and then went on to take the silver medal in the Individual Elementary Championship, the hardest of all of the tests, following a seventh in the Individual Novice Championship.
Our younger riders gained valuable experience of competition at this level, narrowly missing a spot in the line-up of the Regional Points League final, but leaving with a real desire to be back next year to go bigger and better.
