Charterhouse rules on Schools Day

A team from Charterhouse came out on top after a nailbiting finish in the Hurst College National Senior Schools Team Championship at Hickstead on Friday (30 June).

The team finished with a clean sheet after three members posted faultless rounds, meaning they had to jump-off against the Hurst College Red team. Charterhouse pupil Georgia Stephens and Gorshill Jack were elected to represent their school against the clock, and they produced a fast clear in 40.02sec to take the win.

The team comprised Selina Hunter (Carraun Phaidin), Elodie Ashby-Rudd (Torento Z) and Jessica McCaldin (Shadow Star Quality) alongside Georgia. Elodie is 14 years old, while her team mates are all 15, and all four compete mostly in eventing. “This event has been such fun, and we’ve really enjoyed being together as a team,” said Selina.

In the Hurst College National Senior Schools Individual Championship, Wycombe Abbey pupil Cassandra Cope on Vinella was the fastest of 15 double clears. Her time of 36.11sec saw her take the win ahead of runner-up Tara Moore (Dunarlen) from Cranleigh School, who finished in 36.93sec.

“It was amazing – I didn’t think I’d make it this far, let alone win the jump-off,” said 15-year-old Cassandra. “I’ve only had ‘Ellie’ since April, so just a few months. We’ve been competing in British Showjumping classes at 90cm and 1m, and we’d like to progress up the levels in showjumping and see how far we can go.”

Guildford High School scored their first ever Hickstead win when claiming the Hurst College National Junior Schools Team and Individual Championships. The winning team (Keira Merriman on Cassi De L'abdenaie, Amelie Bigmore and Marshways Perfect Puzzle, and Emily Jopp on Laffinas Rosie) came out on top of a four-way jump-off, after Millfield Prep, Millais School Red, Cottesmore and Guildford High all finished on a team total of four faults.

Guildford pupil Keira was elected to ride against the clock and she crossed the finish in a time of 44.34sec, more than a second faster than her nearest rival. Keira, 11, also took the Individual honours, to make it a winning double for her school.

“I got my pony at the end of December last year, he’s an amazing pony and I’ve had so much fun on him so far,” said Keira. “It is a massive arena and an amazing experience, and it’s such a great atmosphere as well.”

Guildford High School’s win was particularly impressive as they had just three riders on their team, meaning each of their scores had to count in the first round, plus none of them had competed in Hickstead’s Longines International Arena before.

The first winner of the day was Isabella Beecroft-Luckett and Dahar, who won the Hickstead Elite 1.10m NSEA Individual Championship. “I got her for my 11th birthday and we’ve gone to a couple of GCT [Longines Global Champions Tour] competitions with her,” said Isabella, who is the daughter of top showjumper Geoff Luckett.

With new height classifications and the introduction of an individual competition in both age sections for this year’s Hurst College National Schools Jumping Championships, there was a big increase in the numbers of competitors. “We’re delighted that our Schools competition was so well supported this year, and we want to congratulate all the riders for doing so well today,” said Show Director Lizzie Bunn. “We also want to extend our sincere thanks to Hurst College for their ongoing sponsorship of this fixture.”