Team LeMieux 2nd in opening Pony Nations Cup of 2019 at Opglabbeek

Sunday 07 April 2019

Team LeMieux 2nd in opening Pony Nations Cup of 2019 at Opglabbeek

It was a successful start to the season for the British Pony squad, competing under the title sponsor banner of Team LeMieux, at Sentower Park in Opglabbeek in Belgium earlier this afternoon.

Eight teams came forward to contest the twelve obstacle 1.30m Nations Cup course.  The open water was testing for some, but not as much as the final straight which took in a treble followed by a related distance to the final fence, an oxer going away from home.

Great Britain held an early lead in the first round with just 4 penalties being carried forward. Their closest rivals came in the shape of France, The Netherlands and Norway who all sat two fences behind on 12 penalties apiece.  With all to play for in the second round, France came out strong to post three clears to finish on their initial first round score and edge just ahead of Great Britain to claim the title and nudge the Brits into 2nd place.   Whilst the Netherlands  and Norway fell further down the line-up it was Ireland that stepped up to 3rd place having finished on their first round penalty score of 18 having posted three clears in round two.

British Nations Cup Team Performances
The team was led by 14 year-old Claudia Moore from Brentwood, Essex with the 12 year-old bay mare Delflip owned by her mother Katrina.  Claudia, taking on the role of pathfinder for the team, put in a solid first round performance with just one fence being touched to see them pick up 4 penalties as they came through the finish line.  Their second round however saw them come back and attack the course in foot-perfect fashion to break the finish line with no penalties to add.

Megan Li, aged 14 from Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire also looked strong despite picking up 4 penalties on the course along with a single time penalty.  Their second round saw them finish on 12 penalties and go on to become the drop score for the team.

Holly Truelove, aged 15, from Brigg, Lincolnshire with Rexter d’Or, a 14 year-old grey stallion owned by Barrie Truelove posted the first clear for the team when she returned home leaving all fences untouched and well within the time allowed.  Their second round saw them finish with 5 penalties due to faulting at an obstacle just outside the time allowed.

Shaunie Greig, aged 16, from Aberdeenshire with Casino Royale, a 16 year-old bay gelding owned by Anne Greig also delivered a superb first round clear in their role of anchor.   The second round saw them finish within the time however a touch at a fence saw 4 penalties being incurred.

Full results on the Nations Cup competition can be found here https://bit.ly/2VuuSdq

GB win earlier in the day
It was a good day for the British Pony riders on the final day of the show with Lila Bremner, who had finished 2nd in the Pony Grand Prix on Friday, claim a win in the Pony Table A 1.30m class.  Lila, aged 15 years from Swindon in Wiltshire, riding her mother Tessa’s dun stallion Lapislazuli claimed the class on just a time penalty as a result of being the only combination that had left all fences unscathed.

Sitting in 2nd place, as the fastest combination on 4 penalties was Cannelle Paramucchio (FRA) with Uhelem de Seille whilst fellow Brit rider Madison Heath, aged 14 from Nantwich in Cheshire, took 3rd with Nicola Jamison’s brown gelding Flavia.

 The Chef d’Equipe accompanying the squad was Clare Whitaker who also holds the position of Youth Team Manager for British Showjumping.  Talking after the event Clare commented "The all rode really well under pressure and I'm incredibly pleased with them all. It has been a good show for us and we are looking forward to the season ahead".

For further information full results once the show is underway, visit www.sentowerpark.com.

British Showjumping would like to thank LeMieux, title sponsors of the Pony teams.

LeMieux is now established as the leading manufacturer of saddle pads in the UK and one of the fastest growing equestrian brands in Europe. The latest range of jumping pads has been developed with Scott Brash to precisely fit the cut of modern jumping saddles. The LeMieux product offering for horses extends beyond saddle pads to boots, bandages, fly hoods, headcollars and rugs - widely available through most good retailers or online at www.horsehealth.co.uk.

The GBR showjumping teams are supported by the British Equestrian Federation’s World Class Programme, funded by UK Sport through the National Lottery. The Programme focuses on identifying talent, developing potential and maximising medal-winning performances on the world stage.

 
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