SPORT// EQUESTRIANISM
EQUESTRIANISM
NSEA COUNTY
SHOWJUMPING
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Emily Jones, Noah Marsh, Daisy Shepherd, Polly Raper
and Poppy Shepherd were our five riders representing East
Yorkshire at the NSEA National County Championships for
the fourth consecutive year. To compete at this event you first
have to qualify as the best team in your county and thus, once
at the competition, you are competing against the top riders
from many counties within England and Wales.
SHOW JUMPING
DAY 1
The first class, a show jumping warm up round, allows the
riders and ponies to become accustomed to the surroundings.
This, for us, was particularly important as Tommy, Polly’s
pony is renowned for his dislike of fillers and the more he
could see the better!! All went well and the team were ready
for the main competition the next day.
DAY 2
Started early as we were the second team into the arena at
8.30am. Initially, we thought that being one of the first teams
was a disadvantage, as you don’t have the opportunity to see
how the course rides and which shortcuts work in the timed
section. In true Pocklington spirit we decided it should be
seen as positive; we had a relaxed warm up arena to ourselves
and we made the decision to go for clear rounds and just
enjoy the whole experience.
All riders went clear in the first round and moods were
buoyant! The next round, clearly the ‘discriminator’ was a
‘step up’ technically and tested all ponies and riders. Polly was
our only double clear, with Noah and Emily closely behind on
four faults (both surprisingly and unluckily had the same fence
down)!
With a final team total of 8 faults and many teams still to
compete, we thought we were out of the placings. Imagine
our surprise when we learned (as we were busily preparing for
the 80cm class) that we had been placed 6th. Unfortunately,
we missed the presentation and the opportunity to receive the
coveted NSEA bucket in person - such a shame!
In the 80cm competition, the team did not fare as well outside;
only Daisy managed to go clear. At this stage mothers, and I
alike, became slightly nervous at the thought of what would
await the riders inside when faced with the notoriously
imposing fences and spreads. The team, however, remained
unfazed and all mastered the course with ease. Emily and Polly
both went clear, Daisy and Noah were unlucky to have a pole.
With a total of 20 faults overall, we were again pleasantly
surprised to learn that we had come 15th out of 29 qualifying
teams – exactly half way! Emily, who had also qualified
individually, came 10th out of 28 riders – a huge achievement
given her age in comparison to the other competitors.
76
THE POCKLINGTONIAN