Competition hotly contested in Easter Fest pony rider championship classes
KYALAMI – Cheers from anxious parents, instructors and friends were heard from the sidelines as the young showjumpers battled it out for first place.
Some of the top pony riders of the moment zoomed around the Bob Charter Arena at Kyalami Equestrian Park in hopes of winning the championship titles at this year’s Nissan Easter Festival.
Both the pony rider 1.10m and 1.20m championship classes took place in the Bob Charter Arena on Easter Sunday, 21 April.
The competitors of the Pony Rider 1.10m Nissan Championship came out in full force in a bid to clinch the win. Unfortunately some knocked poles, a few refusals and even some eliminations in the class dampened the hopes of all but one competitor. In what seemed to be an effortless round, Salome Nel and her pony Mean Greenies 20 Something was the only competitor to ride clear, earning a well-deserved win.
In second, third and fourth places were the fastest of the pony-and-rider combinations with four faults.
Kyra Schae Lombard and 4max Bling placed second, and also scooped the Pony Rider 1.10m class’s Victor Ludorum.
In third place was rider Phoenix Cutts and her pony Ruby Diva, while in fourth was Emily Kruger riding her pony Ebb & Flow Cornerstone Silver.
The Pony Rider 1.20m Nissan Outdoor Grand Prix followed next in the Bob Charter Arena and, with only six competitors on the programme’s running order, there were only two prizes to clinch.
In the end, Ada-Raine Ferguson riding her own pony Equibox Lone Ranger Kiss-A-Me won the title and the pair were also awarded the Pony Rider 1.20m Victor Ludorum. Kylie van der Westhuizen riding her pony, My Pony Z placed second in the class.
