A nine-year-old rider took a win and a second place in each of her two finals at the British Showjumping national championships — the two seconds on a pony she first rode two weeks ago.
Scarlett Mc Donald won the 60cm and the 70cm club championships at Bolesworth on Monday (3 August), on 21-year-old mare Enigma Variation, and came second in both on Flicka II. She also came fourth in the 60cm and sixth in the 70cm on Cloon Craha Lady.
“It’s been a fantastic show. We took the opportunity to go as they don’t get many chances to jump at such a great venue. We hoped she’d have a good chance, which is why she went, but didn’t think it would be quite that good.”
Scarlett has been riding Enigma Variation for about a year; the pony was bought out of the field, Teresa said, and had been “almost retired”, but her owners decided she was too good to give up her job.
“They only bought Flicka two weeks ago; she jumped her at Harrogate last Friday and then came here,” added Teresa, who herself jumped ponies along with Scarlett’s dad, and her grandmother. “It was a last-minute decision to take her; we thought she might as well go for the jump round, then she was really fast, and made all the turns. Scarlett’s over the moon.
“It was quite difficult switching all the ponies round, and running backwards and forwards, but we really wanted to go, and it was worth it all, worth every penny.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
