Honey Bowes Closes the Winter Championships with a Win in the Winter 1.35m Championship
Sunday 22 March 2026
.JPG "Honey Bowes Closes the Winter Championships with a Win in the Winter 1.35m Championship")
Honey Bowes signed out of the British Showjumping Winter Championships with a win in the Winter 1.35m Championship aboard Javas El Cid.
“I’m lost for words, he’s my ‘heart horse’ and this is the first individual title I’ve ever won and I’ve never win anything this big before,” said Honey.
Only three clears were realised over the first round – Honey claiming two of them and pitted against Thomas Pritchard, winner of the preceding Winter Grade C title. But it started badly for Honey, 14, as she took the wrong course on first rider LaGrandessa W and the error of course meant she was eliminated.
“I don’t know why, but I’d got it in my head I was going straight on to the next fence,” said Honey, who quickly re-grouped to come in as last to go, chasing Thomas’s clear round on Calcourt Hero.
The earlier mishap was quickly forgotten as she sped into the lead with the 10-year-old Javas El Cid (Luidam x Cruising) to claim the title with more than three seconds in hand.
“He’s been an amazing horse for me – he’s so chilled at home you could put a two-year-old on his back but once he steps in the ring, he’s excited and a different horse. He’s not usually fast as he’s so big, but I knew Thomas went round to get to one fence, so I thought I’d go inside,” said Honey, who has ridden El Cid for four years. “He won the Children on Horses team European Gold for me in 2024 and it’s really team events we’ve won in the past – this win is the biggest we’ve won and I know he’ll step up for me.”
NB Results pending final grading
Image: Suzanne Jones
