‘This was the biggest he’s ever jumped’: 15-year-old rider keeps her cool to win at British Showjumping Spring Championships
15-year-old Jessica Cunnington of Forest Edge Arena jumped an impressive double clear on Samantha Hemsley’s promising bay gelding Aredis Cicero (Teddy) to win the five-year-old winter championship at the British Showjumping Spring Championships held at Northcote Stud (24—27 March).
Jessica and Teddy, who is by Dirk Demeersman’s ride Cicero Z Van Paemel, reigned over six other combinations in the jump off, finishing with a time of 38.08.
Jessica, who has three rides here at Northcote including fellow five-year-old Marlando Van De Heering, is making an impressive step up to horse ranks after selling the last of her 148cm ponies at the beginning of the year.
Teddy, who also won the five-year-old winter final direct qualifier the previous day, was scouted out as an unbroken three-year-old:
“He can be sharp, especially in the warm-up,” said Jessica, who was attending the British Showjumping Spring Championships at Northcote Stud for the first time. “He showed so much progress today. This show has been a really good experience for him.
“I walked the course and it looked tricky and technical. It was the biggest Teddy has ever jumped, but he made it easy for me. He was fabulous in the jump off; I just kept him moving.”
Jessica plans to run Teddy in more five-year-old classes before progressing into six-year-old ranks next year.
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“He’s very cheeky, but he’s the sweetest horse on the ground,” she added. “He can be a bit horse shy if a horse comes near him and he’s a sharp ride, but today he was on form.”
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Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.