Jodie Hall-McAteer is crowned Leading Showjumper of the Year at Horse of the Year Show in an edge-of-your-seats jump-off
Sunday 08 October 2023
.jpg "Jodie Hall-McAteer is crowned Leading Showjumper of the Year at Horse of the Year Show in an edge-of-your-seats jump-off")
It’s been a thrilling week at Horse of the Year Show with riders vying for victory getting the excitable crowd on the edge of their seats, but the best was saved until last as Jodie Hall-McAteer rode for a life to win the Leading Showjumper of the Year Grand Prix on Hardessa.
“It’s an amazing show, I’ve been coming here since I was small so to come here and have my name etched on that trophy is really special,” said Jodie. “I really wasn’t expecting to pull it off, that’s the nicest thing about it all.”
The win was no mean feat. The quality field of 30 had top riders chasing the win, including British Tokyo Olympic team members Harry Charles and Scott Brash.
Twelve elite answered all the questions course-designer Kelvin Bywater asked in his 3* 1.60m track to make their way into the jump-off. Scott rode his customary super-smooth, seemingly unhurried but deceptively fast masterclass of jump-off riding on Hello Valentino to relegate Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca’s opener on Jappeloup.
But Scott’s lead was short-lived. Tokyo teammate Harry – winner in 2021 – produced gasp-inducing turns on his Olympic ride, Ann Thompson’s 14-year-old Romeo 88, to sweep into the lead by an incredible 1.10 seconds. And it seemed the history book would be re-written when Harry’s youngest sister Sienna gave a great performance to slot Stardust, winner here two years ago with Harry in the saddle, into second place less than half a second behind her brother.
It wasn’t over. Last to go Jodie threw everything into the win on her mother Mandy Hall’s Berlin x Kashmir Van Schuttershof 11-year-old mare she has competed for 18 months. In flying mode from the off, she risked galloping down distances combined with ultra-tight turns without any checks, but the clincher came in the last three fences. Hitting the turbo button, it was pedal to the metal as she fired Hardessa into the vertical across the arena two from home at an incredible angle, landed and turned with barely a stride to spare into the penultimate upright and galloped to the final oxer. It paid off handsomely as she pushed brother and sister Harry and Sienna Charles into second and third by 0.39 seconds to take her first HOYS Grand Prix win.
“She hasn’t got the most experience and isn’t used to going so quick but I as last to go so there was nothing to lose and she stepped up great this week, I’m over the moon,” said Jodie, who heads back to her base in Holland this week.
“The plan is to keep trying to win and keep having fun, I love what I do and this is an amazing feeling and a great way to end the show.”
A winner earlier in the week, Joe Stockdale – in the jump-off with Ebanking – was awarded both the Leading Rider and Under 25 Rider titles.
HOYS, NEC, Birmingham - Sunday, 8th October 2023
Leading Showjumper of the Year 3* 1.60m
1st Jodie Hall-McAteer (GBR) & Hardessa – 0/0 - 36.97 seconds
2nd Harry Charles (GBR) & Romeo 88 – 0/0 - 37.36 seconds
3rd Sienna Charles (GBR) & Stardust – 0/0 - 37.84 seconds
Image: 1st Class Images
