Junior SJ glory at POYS

Pony show jumping legend Colton Maelstrom returned to the Pony of the Year Show, held at Towerlands in Essex, to capture the £2,000 148cm grand prix for an incredible third time.

Natasha Sewell, who has been riding this amazing mare since October last year, pulled out all the stops in the final round to beat six other top combinations. Colton Maelstrom had won the title twice before with previous rider Martha Beaumont (pictured).

The first of Nicole Pavitt’s two rides was Penny Ballard’s Another Dollar, who tried hard but made a couple of unfortunate mistakes.

Hannah Paul followed on Mister Amontilano and showed the others just what to do, setting an excellent target. This put the pressure on and the next four rounds incurred faults.

Nicole’s mid-draw effort with her second ride, Mark Samuels’s New York Skyline, came closest to record the fastest time but with one down.

Drawn last with Colton Maelstrom, Natasha Sewell produced a truly inspirational performance. As they approached the last, the pony took off way before the big parallel. However, they sailed over, and the athletic mare has never looked better.

Afterwards, Natasha was stunned at their success. “I’m ecstatic!” she said. “I looked at the clock at the finish, and I didn’t think I’d done it.”

Hannah Paul suffered a broken and dislocated ankle when she was unseated by Wandering Celt during the show. She is expected to be in plaster for eight weeks.

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