Too Hot To Trot

Twin Palms Riding Centre held its first open show of the year on Friday and owner Anki Holmstrom was thankful to all those who were prompt with their entries and also the smart turnout.

Of the six classes, the first three were for riders who had not competed at BREEF this season, while the remaining three were open to all. 

In both categories there was a pair’s show jumping. This is always a favourite with competitors, particularly in the smaller class where it gives both rider and pony a huge confidence boost, as it’s far more important to keep up with your partner than even think about the fence you are jumping.

First into the arena were Jamiela Haseid and Pippa Fourie with Nafa and Soda, respectively. They set an unbeatable pace to emerge victorious.
 
The second class was a Clear Round with more than 20 riders in the fray. There were over half who successfully completed the course and claimed rosettes.
 
The next class was over two phases – those who were successful over the first phase of eight fences immediately went into the jump-off.

Making his debut and certainly a name to watch out for in the future was Mustafa Dadulla who claimed victory with Murheb. Making a comeback after knee surgery and a recent back injury, Debbie Kamal steered Aztec deftly into runners-up position. Once again Jamiela made the podium taking third position with Nafa.

Moving onto the open classes, it was time for another pair to blow away the cobwebs. Course designer Anki had put in some tight turns and close fences for this class, but taking the arena by storm were reigning champions, Kate Addison astride The Chief and Aimee Keen, with her beloved Rio, that galloped into first place. 

It proved to be a fabulous class to warm both horse and rider up for the ensuing two-phase class, which was won by Stephane Dreyer riding Angel, with Mariella Forward navigating No Trix into second place. Third in this class was Abdul Rasool after a lovely round on Louly Pop.

The final class of the day was an accumulator with an optional joker at the end. In these classes each fence is worth a certain amount of points and the joker is worth double. However, it has to be cleared to get the points; a knockdown means competitors lose double points.

It was the talents of veteran Grand Prix rider Abbas Al Guraifi riding Champagne who popped over the course and the 120cm joker with ease and aplomb. A fantastic round by Saeed Mohammed astride Mobiley secured him the runners-up spot. Aimee Keen, riding her new horse DJ Fleur, executed a perfect round and was just pipped by time. These three were the only riders to complete the course with full points. 

Despite the weather being somewhat ominous, the event was a huge success.

* Making a return to Bahrain is top international show jumping trainer Ben Murphy who was hugely successful in his inaugural visit to the island recently.

Ben is back tomorrow and will stay until February 1, encompassing both of the BREEF show jumping events for January. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn, hone and perfect your show jumping skills.

To book a lesson, call or message Jerri Taylor on 33309972, or email jerritaylor72@yahoo.com

TWIN PALMS RIDING CENTRE OPEN SHOW JUMPING RESULTS

Class 1 Pairs
1st Pippa Fourie/ Soda & Jamiela Haseid/ Nafa
2nd Rosa O’Neil/ Cash & Imogen Nell/ Mohito
3rd Gina Fourie/ Yatzy & Melinda Cranage/ Dollar

Class 2 Clear Round
Audrey Maingot/ Onyx
Rosa O’Neil/ Cash
Savannah Cruickshank/ Lime
Jamiela Haseid/ Nafa
Gina Fouri/ Yatzy
Imogen Rushton/ Bling
Pippa Fourie/ Soda
Kerri Ataba/ Boeing
Kia Balet/ Joker
Julia Harper/ Spear
Maryam Al Khalifa/ The Chief

Class 3 Two Phase
1st Mustafa Dadulla/ Muheb
2nd Debbie Kamal/ Aztec
3rd Jamiela Haseid/ Nafa
4th Julia Harper/ Spear
5th Melinda Cranage/ Dollar
6th Nadya Tsvetkova/ Bella

Class 4 Pairs
1st Kate Addison/ The Chief & Aimee Keen/ Rio
2nd Stephane Dreyer/ Angel & Luna Dreyer/ Calypso
3rd Mariella Forward/ No Trix & Bella Rushton/ Mylo
4th Kate Addison/ The Chief & Helen Blake/ Loki

Class 5 Two Phase
1st Stephane Dreyer/ Angel
2nd Mariella Forward/ No Trix
3rd Abdul Rasool/ Louly Pop
4th Hassan Al Mulla/ Zain Al Batal
5th Aimee Keen/ DJ Fleur
6th Ulrike Niedermeier/ Skinny

Class 6 Accumulator
1st Abbas Al Ghuraifi/ Champagne
2nd Saeed Mohammed/ Mobiley
3rd Aimee Keen/ DJ Fleur
4th Khalid Janahi/ My Baby
5th Luna Dreyer/ Calypso
6th Hassan Al Mulla/ Zein Al Batal

Sheikh Rashid Equestrian Centre at Al Rafah Sakir on Friday starting at 2pm.
Don’t forget to get your glad rags on and go to the races on Friday afternoon, with entertainment and attractions for everyone. Entrance is free, races start at 2pm.

Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation.
The next BREEF National Show Jumping Championship event will take place on Saturday. There will be five classes, two for juniors and three for adults.
All entries must be received by 6pm today. Fax to 17836067 or email: breefshowjumping@gmail.com