ZOE SMITH had a fruitful show, winning three 1.30m opens with Avanna, a 1.40m open with Berliner Luft WW and taking home four Blue Chip tickets.
“Avanna has been such a good horse for me,” said Zoe, who bought the mare from Ellen Whitaker seven years ago. “Everything is her way or no way, but I’ve never met a mare that tries so hard. She’s 14 this year and I have been saving her by jumping some smaller tracks, but if I need her to step back up, she can.”
One of these is Trevor Harrison’s Berliner Luft WW, who picked up not only a 1.40m win but also a ticket in the Blue Chip Dynamic B&C qualifier.
“He got picked to go to Valkenswaard this year on the AES [Anglo European Studbook] team and he learnt so much out there. He’s come home and is jumping well in national 1.40m classes,” said Zoe, who also netted two Blue Chip tickets with her first home-bred, gelding Cristelona.
“He’s qualified in the Calming performance qualifier and the B&C,” she said. “They’re the first classes he’s ever qualified for. The smaller tracks were never really stimulating enough for his brain and he’s better now they are big enough.”
Forest Edge-based Jessica Cunnington ensured her place in the Blue Chip Dynamic B&C final with a victory on Marlando Van De Heering.
Denne historien er fra November 07, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra November 07, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change
