The win was no easy feat, as 24 of South Africa’s top showjumpers entered the competition to vie for the prestigious title. The track proved to be testing with only two horse-and-rider combinations jumping double clear rounds to enter the jump-off.
These competitors were McIntosh and Lorette Knowles-Taylor riding Nissan Nabab Forever. McIntosh started the jump-off and rode a steady clear, putting the pressure on Knowles-Taylor to clear the jump-off course in a faster time, but unfortunately Knowles-Taylor incurred penalties and retired to place second behind the winning McIntosh.
Cheyenne de Beer riding Chinoa Firesong were victorious in the 2015 SA Nissan Pony Rider Grand Prix, with Erin Boon riding Miss Chantilly Lace placing second, and Travis Dawson riding La Audience placing third. Dawson and La Audience went on to clinch the Victor Ludorum for the 1.2m Pony Riders.
The 2015 SA Nissan Junior Grand Prix saw Danielle Lemmer riding Callaho Elmo win the stiff competition.
Joanne Pursey of the Highveld Horse Care Unit explained a new initiative between SA Showjumping and the Highveld Horse Care Unit to give back to charity. She said the grand prix class winners received a Harry the Horse, which helps raise funds for the unit.
The grand prix winners are required to raise funds and awareness until the next championship later this year. They will then hand over Harry the Horse to the next winner who will do the same. At the end of the year the individual who has raised the most will receive a prize from SA Showjumping.
De Beer will foster SASJ Pony Harry, Lemmer will foster SASJ Junior Harry while McIntosh will foster SASJ Adult Harry. Pursey said, “This is a fun initiative which will hopefully raise much needed funds for the Highveld Horse Care Unit thanks to SA Showjumping.”
A crowd-pleaser at the show was the 2015 Nissan Six-Bar competition, which saw riders pushing their horses to clear a line of six jumps. As the horse-and-rider combinations cleared the fences, the height of the jumps was increased.
This year, Knowles-Taylor riding Nissan Titanic cleared 1.9m to win the class
Did you attend the event? Let us know what you thought of the horses and riders in the comments below.
