Equestrians celebrate Christmas early
Amber McMillan riding Joe
(CNS Local Life): More than 50 young people took part in the 10th annual Christmas horse show hosted by Cayman Riding School (CRS) 9-10 December. Day one of the show began with a fancy dress class followed by the “handy pony” challenge, with children negotiating an obstacle course, demonstrating and putting into practice all they have learnt during their riding lessons.
The final class on the Saturday was a jumping competition, known as “Chase Me Charlie”, involving riders jumping a single fence that increased in height after every successful attempt. “It is very exciting to watch and really tests the nerves of the rider,” said Tracey Surrey, CRS owner and riding instructor, in a press release. Amber McMillan, riding Joe, won this year’s class.
Sunday morning started early with the jumping classes and as the day progressed so did the height of the jumps.
The final event of the day was a jumping class with a new format – called an “accumulator” – where the jumps range in height from 0.7m to 1.20m. Each jump is allocated points that increase as the height of each jump increases. The rider decides what jumps they want to attempt and in what order, with the idea of “accumulating” as many points as possible in 65 seconds.
“It was so much fun,” said rider Kayla Godwin. “You had to think really quickly and be extremely accurate in your riding. It was so nice to try something different and I hope it is offered again at the next show.”
Category: Equestrian, Sports
