Lowveld Show Jumpers qualify for provincial team
The winners of the the Barberton Ford 2017 Lowveld Show Jumping Challenge, all qualified to compete in the South African Show Jumping Championships to be held in December.
A record number of riders took part in the Barberton Ford 2017 Lowveld Show Jumping Challenge, hosted at the Nottinghill Equestrian Centre in White River over the weekend.
According to Brett Webber, course designer from Gauteng, the courses were exacting and challenging.
He further remarked that the local riders’ standards compared well with the national level.
In a nail-biting finish on Sunday, Pippa Moolman on Ebb & Flow Fancy Some Love in the adult 90 centimetres-to-one-metre class, was leading with four penalties overall in the challenge, with Taeghan Langdon, on Chocolate Brownie in the pony-rider class, hot on her heels.
Read more: Young riders raise the showjumping bar
However, last to ride was the current South African National Junior 1,35-metre highest ranking rider, Hanelize Kamffer, on Shadow Fly. Hanelize or “Fling” as she is fondly known by her peers, completed a perfect double clear round to take the antique silver trophy for the challenge winner as well as her championship class.
Looking to rejuvenate the event and change the manner in which the riders were awarded points, a new concept was introduced to determine the overall winner, which raised the stakes for the riders.
Read more: Riders take in lots of awards
The event was also the last chance for all riders looking to compete in the South African Show Jumping Championships to score the necessary points to be selected for the provincial team in December. All the winners qualified for selection.
“It really was the highlight of the year. We had entries from all over the Lowveld, and it proves that both the amount and standard of riders has improved dramatically, year on year,” said event organiser, Loura van den Heever.
