Korber wins champs

Equestrian fundies gathered around the showjumping arena at Burlington Stables in Sun Valley on 3 November to watch this highlight class. Four top-ranked showjumpers tackled a course of eight jumps, ranging between 1.3m and 1.45m on four different horses.

While the coveted title was enough to make the riders sweat, there was also R10 000 prize money, and for a rider who cleared all four rounds, R100 000 was at stake. A pin-drop could be heard among the audience, while in the arena, there was pure concentration.

The class saw Korber riding Leandros de Semilly, last year’s South African Riders Champion Govett Triggol riding Louisa, Johan Kachelhoffer riding Capital Castigo, and Anne-Marie Esslinger riding Alessio.

The first round saw the riders on their own horses and as each round progressed, each rider would ride one of the other horses until every rider had ridden all four horses over the course of four rounds.

Each rider was allowed to practice-ride the unfamiliar horses for three minutes before their round.

The first round saw all four horse/rider combinations riding clear rounds, and the tension started to build.

After round two, Korber, who rode Alessio, was the only rider who had ridden two clear rounds. Triggol was sitting on eight penalties after riding Leandros de Semilly, Kachelhoffer incurred four penalties riding Louisa and Esslinger incurred 13 faults after riding Capital Castigo.

Commentator Rogan Asken remarked how the horses learned the course and were faster with each competitor.

Korber’s hopes of winning the R100 000 were dashed after he incurred four faults in round three, riding Capital Castigo. Triggol incurred another four faults riding Alessio, Kachelhoffer rode clear on Leandros de Semilly and Esslinger incurred eight faults riding Louisa.

This meant Korber and Kachelhoffer were tied with four faults after round three which put pressure on both riders to ride a clear round in round four, to possibly enter into a jump-off.

In round four, Korber rode a clear round on Louisa but Kachelhoffer knocked a pole to incur four penalties on Alessio.

Triggol and Esslinger also each incurred four penalties in round three riding Capital Catigo and Leandros de Semilly respectively.

Korber mounted the podium in first place, Kachelhoffer in second, Triggol in third and Esslinger in fourth.

Alessio was awarded as the horse of the class as he incurred the least number of penalties over the four rounds.