Fourteen-year-old Hallie Lunn from Rochford, Essex took the top spot in the penultimate Blue Chip Pony Newcomers Second Round which took place on Friday 24th July at the Welsh Home Pony, hosted at the Wales and West Showground at The David Broome Event Centre in Chepstow, Monmouthshire.
With just this and one other second round remaining for this season, the class attracted a huge number of entries, one hundred and fifteen in total. Each and every rider was aiming to grab one of the two direct qualifying places on offer for the Blue Chip Pony Newcomers Championship Final at Horse of the Year Show.
Knowing that delivering a treble clear would give them the best shot of a Horse of the Year Show place, ponies and riders showed determination and talent throughout the competition. After two fierce rounds of jumping, just fifteen combinations remained in a with a shot and the final jump off saw seven treble clears being produced.
Hallie took the top spot with her father Richard’s 16-year-old bay gelding Little Boy De Carmen after they produced their third immaculate round in just 35.19 seconds. A late draw in the jump off proved to give this combination a good advantage as they knew they’d need to jump cleanly and quickly and they duly delivered.
Lottie Tutt, aged 14, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire picked up her ticket to the Horse of the Year Show after taking second place on Jim Bob II, an 8 year-old bay gelding owned by Craig Callaghan. This combination crossed the finish line with treble clear in 36.18 seconds
With the top two taking the direct qualifying tickets for the Blue Chip Pony Newcomers Championship Final at Horse of the Year Show, the riders and ponies that finished in third to seventh missed out this time around. They did however take home the chance to compete in the Blue Chip Pony Newcomers Masters at August’s British Showjumping National Championships, which offers a last qualification attempt.
Welsh Home Pony – Friday 24th July 2015
Blue Chip Pony Newcomers Second Round
1st Hallie Lunn & Little Boy De Carmen – 0/0/0 – 35.19 seconds
2nd Lottie Tutt & Jim Bob II – 0/0/0 – 36.18 seconds
3rd Hugh Davies & Delflip – 0/0/0 – 36.61 seconds
4th India Bussey & Rachwood Latte – 0/0/0 – 38.26 seconds
5th Drew Walton & Trevoulter Ladies Man – 0/0/0 – 38.51 seconds
6th Antonia Platt & Bonnies Lass – 0/0/0 – 38.55 seconds
7th Oliver Fletcher & Quarry – 0/0/0 – 39.55 seconds
NB: Qualifications will be updated pending official grading of results.
Horse of the Year Show 2015 will take place from the 7th – 11th October 2015 at Birmingham’s Genting Arena. The British Showjumping National Championships 2015 will take place during the 11th – 16th August at the National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre (NAEC), Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
Image Credit: Showground Photography
