But while the latter took her time across the country following one dislodged showjump aboard Diamantus 3 (eventually finishing 19th), the former kept a clean sheet with Kilcoltrim Cooley for victory.
This was a second British novice championship win for Kitty, who was previously victorious in 2021 with MHS Monbeg. After beating 46 other horses this time she said of Kilcoltrim Cooley: “He’s not very flashy in the dressage so he doesn’t always get the marks he deserves, but they marked him well here.
“He’s showjumped clear at every run he’s had this year, so I went into the arena feeling confident. He also zipped around the cross-country.”
Kilcoltrim Cooley used to be the ride of Ireland’s Clare Abbott, but Kitty has been doing “maternity cover” with him since June 2025 to ensure plenty of exposure to the busy British competitive scene.
Hartpury British novice championship: the podium
The seven-year-old runner-up Monbeg Condor, purchased as a four-year-old from the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sales and now heading to Le Lion d’Angers, is, according to his jockey Max Warburton: “A very exciting horse for the future. He’s got a great brain and we’ve always had high hopes for him.”
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Wiltshire-based Emily Young-Jamieson felt that her third-placed German-bred eight-year-old La Vita 44 had learned a lot from this contest.
“I wanted to use Hartpury as a prep run for the CCI3*-L at Scone Palace as I thought it would be really educational – and it was,” she said.
Emily has only recently returned to eventing after being out of the saddle for four weeks after suffering three broken ribs and a punctured lung when kicked by a youngster.
Emily Young-Jamieson and La Vita 44, third in Hartpury British novice championship
