Gisborne's Tess Clark and Sinatra II in NZ's senior showjumping team

REPRESENTING NEW ZEALAND: Tess Clark and Sinatra II, here competing at the Larsen Sawmilling Gisborne Showjumping Championships in January, will compete for New Zealand in Hawke’s Bay next week. Picture by Paul Rickard

EQUESTRIAN

GISBORNE rider Tess Clark has been named in the New Zealand senior showjumping team to compete against Australia as part of the Silver Fern Stakes at the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings this month.

Clark (nee Williams) and Sinatra II are part of a team selected by the Equestrian Sports New Zealand jumping selectors.

The others are: Lily Tootill, Ulysses NZPH; Melody Matheson, Graffiti MH; and Maurice Beatson, Mandalay Cove. Robert Steele and LT Holst Bernadette are the reserve combination.

Chef d’equipe is John Cottle.

At the end of 2017, Equestrian Australia was invited to provide an unofficial senior team to compete in the senior transtasman jumping challenge at the Horse of the Year Show.

The Australian team will be: Stuart Jenkins, Fairview Aliquidam; Brooke Langbecker, Quintango I; Hayden James, James Continue; and Clint Beresford, Emmaville Jitterbug.

The Silver Fern Stakes takes place on the evening of Friday, March 16, in the Premier Arena at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Showgrounds.

Meanwhile, local showjumping and show hunter competitions finished for the summer season at the Waerenga o Kuri Sports held at Showgrounds Park last month.

This was the final opportunity for competitors to gain valuable points in the E J Gordon Show Hunter Series, the LP Low Hunter Series and the Bernina Showjumping Series. These competitions — run at local events from September to February — reward riders for their consistency.

The E J Gordon Show Hunter Series for horses was won by Untouchable, ridden by Merran Hain and Caroline Coop; and for ponies, by Isobel Jayne Bevitt and Where’s Wally.

The LP Low Hunter Series was won by Shelley Watts and Craighaven French Maid. Second were Caroline Coop and Profumo.

The Bernina Showjumping Series for horses was won by Caroline Richardson and Kiwi Corona; and for ponies, by Phoebe Williams and Mr Ernesto.

Merran Hain and Untouchable picked up a third and fourth at the Waikato ShowMerran Hain and Untouchable have been to several shows outside the district, picking up a third and a fourth in the open show hunter 1.15 metres at the Waikato Show Hunter Summer Show.

At the Feilding I, A&P Show at Manfeild Park, they were third in the amateur rider showjumping series, third in the amateur show hunter, third in the open show hunter, fourth in the show hunter high points 1.15m, and fourth in the 1m show hunter.

Caroline Richardson also competed at the Feilding show. She was second with Peggy Blue in the amateur rider showjumping and second on Kiwi Corona in the 1.15-1.20m.

Lidy Loffler, Merran Hain and Tess Clark had some success at the Takapoto Estate Showjumping. Takapoto Estate, on the outskirts of Cambridge, is a new venue for showjumping and has been praised for the quality of its facilities.

Clark and Cadbury, owned by Rick Shanks, was second in the 1.20m, fifth in the bronze qualifier and fifth in the bronze final.

On Sinatra II, Clark was second in the 1.40m gold qualifier.

Loffler and Graceful were placed seventh in the junior/amateur final.

Hain was sixth in the junior/amateur qualifier.

At the Bay of Plenty Horse Trials in Rotorua, Alex Gault and El Escolta were fourth in the 95-centimetre training event.

The Horse of the Year Show will be held in Hawke’s Bay next week, from Tuesday to Sunday.