“She was flying!” Jess said. “My plan was of course to jump a clear round, but the course walked big and there were a lot of hard jumps for her – she shifts a little off the right lead going right and there were at least four jumps that I thought would be a bit of a trick – bogey jumps for her. But she never felt like she was going to touch a pole today, that’s for sure!”
Syndicate-owned mare gives owners plenty to cheer about at European Showjumping Championships
In The Air is a 12-year-old Dutch-bred mare looked after by groom Lina Karlsson and owned by a syndicate unofficially known as “The Moms’ Club”. It consists of Pernilla Amman, Georgia Kipp, Kristi Mitchem, Melissa Skowlund and Jess – as well as her father Paul Mendoza.
“In The Air and my other horse Summerhouse are owned by The Moms’ Club – they’re all the mums of my clients that I train, so it’s really lovely,” explained Jess. “And I own part of them both and my dad does too – he’s the only one not in the moms’ club!
“They’re all fantastic kids that I’ve been lucky enough to train and now I’m lucky enough that they want to invest in me. They’re not here in Spain, but they’re watching every round and cheering us on and they ring me as soon as we’ve jumped. It’s brilliant.”
Dutch-bred mare In The Air: why she’s more cat than dog
In The Air is quite a character.
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“I describe her as a cat – I think most horses are more like a dog personality in that they want petting, they want love,” said Jess. “Whereas she’s never going to be the most loving and in your face – she’ll watch you, and she watches everything, but she’ll come to you in her own time.”
“I’ve done a lot of British teams and this one just has the camaraderie – everyone just has funny banter here and we’re all just a good group. It’s really nice to be a part of,” she said. “Even last night, we don’t have a team dinner as such, but we just go to dinner and we’ll hang out. So that’s great.”
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
