Riding Roundup

The term has started in fine style for the riders with two weekends of success at National and Regional level.  On the first weekend of the term we had three teams representing both Cranleigh and Surrey at the National County Championships at Bury Farm in Buckinghamshire.  The Mini show jumping team of Issy Hollidge, Will Millard, Freddy Moore and Lulu Garlick competed against 29 other county teams over a two round competition jumping the biggest, most technical track that they had ever tackled!  As one of the youngest teams taking part they did phenomenally well to finish in fifth place.  The intermediate show jumpers were led by Freya Hough who finished seventh individually in this competitive class, having won the County Competition to claim the right to represent Surrey at the Championships.  She jumped in the team also, along with Chantelle Phillips, Jess Pilling and Lucy Collecott but it is fair to say it was not their day!  Josh Moore was one of the youngest competitors in the individual Open show jumping, competing as the Surrey representative and finishing just outside the placings after the two rounds of jumping.

The dressage team of Chantelle, Lulu, Lucy and Josh produced some fine riding to take fourth spot in a competition which showed just how much the standard of dressage riding in school competitions has improved over the last two years.  Chantelle represented Surrey as their individual rider too.

Over this last weekend three dressage teams took part in a Regional Qualifier for the National Championships in October, with our Blue team of three; Charlotte Livingstone, Jess Edwards and Maria Mark winning the team competition to take top qualifying spot.  Just behind them were the team of Caileigh Faure, Chantelle Phillips, Amelia Adorian and Lulu Garlick in third, with Charlie Johnson, Amy Scheijde and Lucy Collecott finishing in fifth.  Both Jess Edwards and Maria Mark picked up individual qualifications too, as did Amelia Adorian in the Elementary test where she finished in second spot.

Our mini show jumping team of Maria Mark, Imogen Fortescue, Lulu Garlick and Jess Edwards continued our success of recent weeks at this level by winning their competition, with a second place individually for Lulu with a third place following this for our novice team, where Amy Scheijde took the place of Imogen.  Over the Easter holiday the mini and novice Arena Eventing teams secured national qualifications at a regional qualifier with individual qualifications for Jess Edwards in the mini and Katie Legister and Sophia Elliot in the novice.

Director of Riding, Sophie Spear, comments; ‘I am delighted by the way our riders are developing at all levels and all disciplines. They work hard to fit their riding around their other sporting activities and they deserve the success of the last few weeks.’