A nine-year-old beat riders up to five years older than her as she cleared fences she could not see over to pick up her ticket for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Poppy Dorise and 20-year-old Lissduff Royal won the 138cm qualifier at Arena UK on Sunday (21 May). Poppy still has three years left to compete 128cm ponies, and riders have until the end of the year they turn 14 to jump 138s.
“She’s tiny, more like the size of a seven-year-old,” proud dad Ryan told H&H. “Her legs barely come past the saddle flaps!”
Royal was formerly competed by Tabitha Kyle; she and her mother Tanya train Poppy and her sister Evie, and both were on hand at Arena UK. The three-round competition had a 1.15m start height, and Ryan said the third round reached 1.35m.
Poppy, right, walking the first-round course
“The first round was bad enough [to watch],” he said. “I thought as long as she gets round. Then Tabitha came over and said there weren’t many clears, so to go steady.
“But Poppy’s speedy; she went clear and beat the rest by about three and a half seconds! It was frightening for me but Royal’s so safe and so professional.”
This was Poppy’s first HOYS qualifier and Ryan said she is very excited about the final.
“Tabitha also qualified on Royal in 2017, at this stage and when she was the same age,” he said. “It’s so nice that this pony has done the same for both of them. He’s something else; a safe, clever pony who if something’s wrong will never put Poppy at risk.”
Poppy also came second in the Bright Star Scope Festival qualifier at Arena UK, on Tabitha’s 148cm ride Running In Heels. Tabitha won that class on Orchids Vienna, and Evie came third on Ballindown Esther.
“That was lovely for them to have a one, two, three,” said Ryan. “You’re not going to beat Tabitha, but she gave it a good go!”
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