Ffffffrrrreeezing for the SI 3DE Dressage

The worst weather imaginable was thrown at the horses and riders on the first day of the South Island 3 Day event today in Christchurch. With temperatures in the single figures, rain, sleet, hail, wind and a few rare dry patches, the conditions were hardly welcoming to the North Island visitors.

In the CCI3* class, North Canterbury’s Brent Jury with SE Hedging has a very narrow lead from one of those visitors, Donna Edwards-Smith on DSE Cluny, jut 0.2pen between them. There are only three penalties between all four of the competitors in the class so there will be a lot at stake for tomorrow’s cross country.

Brent was really pleased with his horse SE Hedging, who is back after a year’s break from competing at this level. “It was a fluid and smooth test but the weather was so bitter and raw, it felt like minus two degrees. I had polyprops under my riding gear which helped, and while it was cold and wet, the weather didn’t really worry either of us, we kept focusing.”

Brent is looking forward to tomorrow’s cross country. “It’s a long course and while there is nothing that really worries me, it is a course that you need to be wary of all the way around,” he said. “There are some strong related combinations.”

Brent also sits in sixth place in the one-star class on his younger horse, SE Gorky Park.

In the Young Rider National title, it is Canterbury’s Lucy Turner and her horse Carbon who has taken control with a great score of 31.7. The other two competitors in the class have a bit of catch-up to do, with Molli Thacker and Happy Go Lucky sitting on 41.4pen, and Beth Wilson on Alto et Audax on 45.8. The Young Rider class is incorporated into the Ultimate Design & Renovation’s CCI2* class, and that is being led by Auckland’s Angela Lloyd and Lyrical on 29.1. Lucy is in second, and local rider Lydia Truesdale and Allander Rocket are in third on 34.3.

The National Junior Rider title is part of the Bates Saddles CCI1* class, and it is Queenstown’s Annabelle Jones on Quintero who is leading the juniors on a score of 31.2 from Canterbury’s Jordan Shrimpton on Ka Pai Kiwi (32.8) and Cambridge’s Jasmyne Speake on DSE Beyond Compare (34.9).

The leader of the one-star class is Te Kauwhata’s Donna Edwards-Smith on the very smart HS Royal Genie, just 0.1pen in front of West Coast’s Eve Hawes on Spookee Possum. Cam Robertson, who said riding today reminded him of when he was competing in England, is in third place on Wairoa Renegade on 30.4pen.

Local rider Emily Cammock leads two of the other classes, having her usual busy event with six horses entered.

The Ground Jury for the main classes is Stuart Bishell (Timaru), Jenny Draper (Putaruru) and Bev Shandley (Australia), with Australia’s Hunter Doughty FEI Technical Delegate.

The judges commented that most of the horses did really well considering the weather conditions.

Tomorrow’s cross country courses look challenging, with the one and three-star courses being designed by Nick Pyke and the two-star course designed by Richard Crowe. Nicola Barringer has designed the other courses. Let’s hope the weather does what the forecast predicts and improves!