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ONE of the kingdom’s finest young showjumpers is saddling up to compete in a prestigious European competition later this month, and hopes it will be the first hurdle on the way to making her name on the international stage.
Aimee Keen, 16, is flying to the German town of Herford on July 25 for the six-day extravaganza that will see her compete alongside the world’s brightest young riders and demonstrate her prowess forged in the Twin Palms Riding Centre in Buidaya.
The St Christopher’s School student said: “I’m a mixture of excited and nervous at the moment! This will be the first time I’ll be showcasing my riding in front of top riders, so it is a little daunting but at the same time it’s the most amazing opportunity.”
The German Friendships is a popular junior competition, established in 1999 and open to 15-17-year-olds, that sees 50 Germans and 50 invitees from other nations join together to compete. The 50 German competitors each bring two of their own horses, and through random drawing, they are paired with someone from another nation, hence the term ‘friendships’.
Aimee explained: “Because it’s randomly drawn out of the hat, meeting a new partner and getting accustomed to a totally new horse is one of the main challenges. Because of this, it highlights riders who are adaptable and are talented in changing conditions rather than staying in their comfort zone.”
Show jumping is an equestrian sport held over a course of obstacles, including verticals, spreads, and double and triple combinations, usually with many turns and changes of direction.
The intent is to jump cleanly over a set course within an allotted time. Time faults are assessed for exceeding the time allowance, while jumping faults are incurred for knockdowns and blatant disobedience, such as refusals.
Aimee will first fly to the United Kingdom beforehand to prepare and train, before heading to Germany where she will have three days of training with top riders and coaches, including the Argentinian Pato Muente. After that, there will be two days of competition in the 1.20m and 1.25m classes.
She will be watched by her proud parents, Simon and Sue, and her coach Mia Palles Clark, who put her forward for the event in the first place.
Mia said: “Aimee is ambitious and focused on her goals, with an abundance of natural talent. She also has the ability to work and train hard to improve and refine her skills. She’s a great ambassador for the sport at such a young age and in the male-dominated competitive series in Bahrain.
“Aimee is prepared to spread her wings and grasp a fantastic opportunity at the Friendships, showing her guts and open-minded view on the sport as a whole and her future career in it. She has the full support of her parents and a great team behind her in Bahrain and the UK!”
The first time Aimee saddled a pony was when she was two years old, but she didn’t pursue her passion until she moved to Bahrain at the age of eight. In her own words, she didn’t want to leave her friends and settled life in England, but changed her mind after her parents ‘bribed’ her with the promise of pony lessons!
Now Aimee is on the brink of a major breakthrough, and believes the trajectory is only upwards from here. The German Friendships caps off a special year for her, after she moved into the adult section of BREEF (Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation) to jump the higher classes, which she admits has been tough and challenging but highly rewarding in the same stride.
She said: “A show jumping career for me is the ultimate goal and has been what I have wanted since the age of nine. One of my main goals is to compete in the Global Champions Tour which is at the top of the sport.
“Everybody loves to win, but the most important thing in competitions is focusing on myself and continuously wanting to improve. The German Friendships is going to be a massive learning curve and a great opportunity.
“My plan is to do my A Levels here in Bahrain and compete around the Gulf, such as in Dubai. Then, when I go back to university in the UK in two years, I want to give it a shot at being professional. I think if I work hard enough, people will notice that.
“I’d also like to say a huge thank you to my coach of eight years Hussain Al Bosta, and my sponsors Al Fateh. They’ve allowed me to get this far with their support and I’m extremely grateful. Thank you to BREEF as well for all the competitions they host in Bahrain and giving us a platform to participate in this sport!”
