Horses and riders show class
Amid pouring rain and freezing conditions, Lowveld riders still managed to show their class and expertise at the Mpumalanga Equitation and Showjumping Championships that were held at Pienaar Dam this past weekend at the annual Hartland Agricultural Show.
On Friday riders competed in the equitation championships. Equitation by definition is the art and practice of horse riding and horsemanship. It is a discipline that is committed to correct and effective riding ability. The competitions are structured in such a way that each rider receives valuable critique from knowledgeable, suitably qualified judges which is a test of both skill and style.
Champions were Wilco Kamffer on Shadow Fly (adult open equitation), Hannelize Kamffer on Africa’s Whizzbar (junior open equitation), and Hennie Groenewald on Le Zar Solero (adult intermediate equitation).
The organisers had to reschedule classes on Saturday as lovely first summer rain had made the main arena unusable, and on Sunday all classes were cancelled due to dangerous riding conditions.
The speed classes saw Kamffer with a first and a second with Ruarch on Me and Katanga Ixcel in the 1,20-metre class, Liz-marie Crous on Only You second (1,1 metres) and Natasha Whyte with Brandenburg Special Assignment third.
Mari du Toit on Le Love was fourth in the 90-centimetre class.
In the championship classes that took place on Saturday in pouring rain, Le Zar Solero and Groenewald took another trophy home in the one-metre class.
Charmaine Vincent on Validation was hot on his heels in second place, missing a first by only 0,84 seconds. Robin Manktelow on El Coiffeur rode a lovely clear first round, while Debbie Turner was unfortunate to have a four-penalty round in that class. Christine Kruger on Brandenburg Last Dance took second place in the 80-centimetre championships.
The 1,10-, 1,20- and 1,30-metre championship classes as well as the much-anticipated annual derby will now be held at the same venue on November 14.
