Suzi comes home in fairy-tale victory

Cross-country is the dominant phase in the under-age championships, while elsewhere horses and riders score comeback successes

Belsay, Northumberland

JESSICA MCCALDIN claimed a “completely unexpected” win in the Project Pony pony national championship, piloting her mother Sarah’s Baramona Lass.

Belsay organiser Laura de Wesselow described the CCIP2*-L victory as a “fairy tale” because 14-year-old Baramona Lass was bought by the de Wesselows in Ireland in 2016 and produced to finish 10th at the 2019 pony Europeans by Laura’s daughter Xanthe, before being sold to the McCaldins.

“I went to try ‘Suzi’ with Mum although she was going to be for my brother George, because he was away at boarding school, and I loved her so much I convinced her she had to be for me,” said Jessica, 15, who juggles riding with being a weekly boarder at Charterhouse.

“I was doing BE80s at the time and we thought we’d give pony trials a try if we ever got to that level, so we were just there to have a go at Belsay. I wasn’t expecting a good dressage, but she tried so hard and was definitely happy to be back where she’d lived for a long time.”

Suzi excels across country and that phase was to the fore at Belsay, where only seven of the 32 starters jumped clear.