Surprise Twist in the Pony Bronze league 148cm & Under Championship
Thursday 08 August 2019
It was the second win of the British National Showjumping Championships show for Oxfordshire based 15-year-old Eloise Burden, riding Penelope Oakley’s 5-year-old Happy Hero in the 148cm Pony Bronze League. With 21 combinations out of 39 starters making it through to the second round, the challenge was stepped up with only four riders claiming a double clear.
Fresh from her win on Wednesday in the Pony British Novice Championship, Eloise and Happy Hero made light work of the track finishing with a seven second lead over second placed Katy McFadyen riding her mother’s Red Flamenco.
When asked about Happy Hero, Eloise warmly said that “she’s a special pony who tries really, really hard. She’s just amazing.” Explaining how she managed to claim the title, Eloise told how “she’s [Happy Hero] not usually a forward-going pony so I needed to use turns to my advantage. I really didn’t expect to come here and win two classes, so it is a dream come true.”
The Bronze and Silver Pony/Rider Combination League was introduced by British Showjumping in 2014 and allows all pony riders to be able to track their progress on a regional and national league table. There are three leagues; Bronze, Silver and Gold and they are split into three height categories of 128cm, 138cm and 148cm.
NOTE: Please credit all images to: 1st Class Images
