Barbados completes 2016 FEI World Jumping Challenge

Despite not having a team for the 2016 International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Jumping Challenge (WJC), Barbadian show jumpers produced some solid individual performances at this year’s three-leg event, which concluded this past Sunday at the Whitehall Equestrian Centre in St. Peter.

 

Faced with a less-than-ideal scenario, bad weather forced the Barbados Equestrian Association to host the last two legs of the WJC on the same weekend, making it a truly gruelling effort for those horses and riders that had to ride all four rounds of the challenging international competition over two days. Three of the riders that had successfully completed the first leg of the competition in October opted not to ride on both days on the weekend, since the challenge only takes the results from a rider’s top two FEI shows.

 

Sara Jones, who was the only competitor in the Category B competition at 1.20 meters on her mount Sir Glacken, had essentially won the FEI and Super League 1.20m competitions without having to ride in the final, and therefore opted out of Sunday’s competition to focus on her student, Tristan Blades, who competed in the Category C Class on her handsome grey, Essien.

 

Paige Tryhane and her Irish mare Daisy, who shone at the first WJC show in October by easily winning on that day with two clear rounds, repeated her brilliant performance on Friday to take the Category Championship, also without having to ride in the final. With Friday’s performance she also cemented the Super League 1.10m Championship.

 

Laura Smith was on King’s X and had not competed in the first competition earlier in the year owing to her horse’s illness. She was forced to ride on both days of the weekend’s competition and completed the four rounds with only one rail down for four faults to finish as the Reserve Champion in the 1.10 meter FEI Challenge.

 

Young Zoe Archer, who had to unfortunately withdraw from the first competition after her first round, was also forced to ride four rounds on the weekend. Her first day of the competition did not go as well as expected and she finished with 12 faults. However, the teenager showed true grit by coming back strong on Sunday, clocking two beautiful clear rounds to put her in the third spot overall for the 2016 WJC. Archer also took second spot in the Super League at 1.10m.

 

In fourth position for the 2016 FEI WJC was Malhea Archer on her new mount Calipo. She rode competitively on Sunday’s leg despite being ill on the weekend. Archer had luckily completed two rounds in October and only had to do two rounds. She also closed with only 12 faults overall but clocked a slightly slower time than her cousin Zoe Archer. Both Archer girls are trained by UK Eventer, Joss Gray, who is now based in Barbados full time with the goal of taking a Barbados team to the 2018 Caribbean and Central American Games.

 

The fifth overall position at the 2016 FEI WJC went Tristan Blades, who despite some solid riding still clipped quite a few fences. However, as is customary with Blades, she exited the show jumping arena with a genuine smile on each occasion and is truly the epitome of equestrian sportsmanship.