Exciting jumping

Press, 13 November 1981, Page 8

Exciting jumping

An exciting seven horse jump off against the clock over raised fences entertained the very receptive crowd as they watched yesterday’s feature F.E.I. jumping event, the New 'Zealand Farmers Table AM3. Last to go, with three clear rounds already ahead of him, the promising combination of Richard Hampton of Rakaia and Never Know, jumped a brilliant clear in the fastest time of 42 seconds. Equal second, with clear rounds in the same time of 44.15, were Loyal Flight, ridden by Owen Beggs from Riverton, and Freddy, ridden by June Cresswell from Christchurch. Also clear but in the slower time of 46.55, to take fourth place was Pieman, ridden by Julie Vanderweg from Rakaia. Mrs Jane Neave and Fair Pay, trying for their third successive win in this event, performed the unusual feat of jumping the last fence of the treble apart. Fair Pay hesitated, shooting Neave over the fence. He then followed her, much to the amusement of the crowd. They finished the course still within the time, but incurring eight faults for fall of rider. Pony F.E.I. jumping After a shaky start, the F.E.I. pony table AM4, concluded the day with some very exciting jumping from the young riders. Five ponies jumped clear first rounds and clear again over raised fences over a shortened course. Then against the clock, with some rather alarming speed from some, where only the cleverness of the ponies saved them from falling, the competition resulted in another win for Coco, ridden by Prue Chapman of Rangiora, with a clear round in 37.9 seconds. Last to go, Royal Blaze and Cheryl Roberts, also from Rangiora, showed that flat speed was not necessary for a fast time, when with some quick turning, they were clear in 38 seconds for second place. Third place went to Dominique, ridden by Dean Geddes, the smallest and a

very impressive young rider, with a clear round in 38.15. Only two fifths of a second separated the first three placings. Two not-so-pleasing factors were the vocal upping of some riders over each fence, and the striped colours on their riding helmets, which is not correct dress for show jumping. Cobs The judge, Mr P. Holden of Hawke’s Bay, said that the number and quality of the entries were encouraging. The champion, Spot On, ridden by Mrs H. van Vel-, thooven, was a particularly good mover, had good manners and was well-paced. He was well up to his weight and carried what was asked of him (89kg) very well, said Mr Holden. The standard of entries was well up to par with Hawke’s Bay. More interisland competing should be encouraged, but freight costs were a problem, Mr Holden said. Saddle horses There were some good quality maiden hacks coming along, said the judge, Mr Peter Holden of Hawke’s Bay. He felt the winning horses in the two lady’s hack classes were very well mannered and well worthy of their winning ribbons. There were good extensions from the winners of the two paced and mannered classes, said' the judge, with some pleasant work-outs from the top horses. Nydfa Cups The Nydfa Perpetual challenge cups were divided into three sections, junior, intermediate and senior, and judged in three phases, turnout, riding and unity. The English judge, Mr R. Mills, said that the standard was fairly high throughout, with the top two in each class excellent. The main fault, he said, was improperly fitting bridles, especially in the noseband area. Because they were so loose, they were not functioning the way they were designed, he said. The judge of the riding phases, Mrs R. Mills of Eng-

land, said that the riding was generally good. The top three in the senior and intermediate classes were exceptionally good, because they were the only riders who had their knees in the right position, she said. Eighty per cent of the riders had their knees sticking out through gripping with their lower leg. Mrs Mills felt that many of the riders were very stiff, and did not have the necessary suppleness required to make a good rider. There was perfect sympathy between the top riders and ponies, particularly in the junior and intermediate classes, said the judge of that phase, Mr L. J. McLaughlin of Blenheim. He felt that a lot of schooling had been done at home, with the high standard seen in the ring. Those riding in dropped nosebands were marked down, said the judge, as he felt they were an additional aid. Brandston Cup All riders were judged individually this year for the first time, and then prizes awarded to the six best riders, six best turned-out and the six best placed in the unity phase. Mr P. Sanders of Geraldine, the judge, said that the turnout was excellent, and it was very difficult to separate the top riders. The riding of the top children was good, but he was disappointed that the majority did not know how to carry out the simple movements asked of them. In judging the McGuiness Cup for the best rider under 17 years, the four qualified riders were all good, said Mr Sanders, but the winner, Amy Sellar was the only rider who moved her pony on when asked. Elizabeth Millear Cup Mrs P." Sanders of Geraldine, judge of the Elizabeth Millear Cup for riders under 11 years, said that the overall standard was excellent, especially considering the age of the children. In the riding phase, it was very hard to separate the top

six, she said. In the unity phase, there were a number of riders who were not quite strong enough to cope with their rather strong ponies. The winner of the Knights Fountain Bar Cup for the best rider under li, Miss P. Betts, rode very nicely, said Mrs Sanders. She had good hands and a good seat, and as she gets older, she should become a very capable rider. Lead hacks, harness horses and ponies Entries in this class were all of a very' high standard, said the judge; Mr G. Anderson of Invercargill. “In my opinion, the champions of each section, would compare favourably with anything in ‘the world,” he said. Renown Challenge Cup This cup is given by the officers of H.M.S. Renown through the Christchurch Hunt Club, and the class is for qualified hunters. The winner was Mrs N. Ross on Bourbon, last year’s champion hunter and the winner of the wire jump yesterday. Mrs Ross whips for the Birchwood Hunt. Mr P. Holden of Hawke’s Bay, the judge, said that Mrs Ross and Bourbon had made an excellent round. The entries were up to a good standard. Canterbury Cup The over-all standard of the pony hunters wag very disappointing, said the judge, Mr L. J. McLaughlin of Blenheim. The top three ponies produced good rounds, he said, with the winning pony, Coco, ridden by Prue Chapman of Rangiora, being a clear winner. The judge, who won many a hunter championship some years ago on the well-known ’hunter, King Pin, felt that the main problem .was that the riders were checking into their jumps, instead of flowing on. The riders were just sitting, said Mr McLaughlin, instead of riding on with confidence, and enjoyment.