Teen excited about second North Island premier title

CLEARED: Briar Burnett-Grant and Fiber Fresh Veroana clear a jump in the Equissage Premier League event at the North Island Jumping and Show Hunter Championships. Picture by Paul Rickard

EQUESTRIAN

Taupo teen Briar Burnett-Grant capped a brilliant weekend at the Larsen Sawmilling North Island Jumping and Show Hunter Championships in Gisborne with a win in the Equissage Premier League and as a member of the victorious New Zealand team in the trans-Tasman young rider clash.

Twelve started the premier league, with seven combinations on four faults-and-less coming back for the second round. Sitting on zero faults were Drew Carson (Putaruru) aboard Winston V Driene, Briar aboard Fiber Fresh Veroana, Tess Williams (Hastings) on Sinatra II and her flat mate Melody Matheson (Hastings) aboard Graffiti MH. Clears in the second came from Emily Hayward (Te Awamutu) aboard Yandoo Lady Gold, Drew, Briar and Melody, but it all came down to time.

Briar and Fiber Fresh Veroana are always super-fast and they wasted no time in zipping around the Heather McDonald-designed course in 51.21 seconds. It wasn’t without a couple of heart-stopping moments, but in the end everything stayed up.

“It was an accident to take that inside turn early on,” said Briar. “I didn’t realise just how close the fence was.”

The 18-year-old was ecstatic to win her second North Island premier title.

“I am so excited,” she said. “I really wanted to win the (Larsen Sawmilling) chair for my stables.”

Briar admits Veroana, who last year won the Olympic Cup as showjumper of the year, is a handful and erratic but he does listen to his pint-sized rider.

The big course was welcomed by the top riders.

“It’s nice to get more experience on the bigger tracks so I was happy with the height and Flash (Veroana) loves big fences,” says Briar.

“It was a very strong field too — in my head I was thinking I would be happy with a nice double clear but once we had done a clear in the first of course I just wanted to win.

“I am so lucky to have such an awesome horse.”

She was also very happy to have coach Jeff McVean there to help.

“He just makes all the difference for me. He keeps me calm and focused.”

Jeff took the double at the show with another pupil — Emma Nobel-Campbell — winning the Pony Grand Prix crown.

Results —

Larsen Sawmilling and Equissage North Island Premier League:

Briar Burnett-Grant (Taupo) Fiber Fresh Veroana 1, Melody Matheson (Hastings) Graffiti MH 2, Drew Carson (Putaruru) Winston V Driene 3, Tess Williams (Hastings) Sinatra II 4, Emily Hayward (Te Awamutu) Yandoo Lady Gold 5, Tom Tarver (Kawerau) Popeye 6.