Ella Kay Rounds Off The British Showjumping National Championships With A Second Title
Sunday 09 August 2026
Our final day of the British Showjumping National Championships concluded with a second Championship title for Ella Kay, taking the STX-UK Foxhunter Masters with nine-year-old Clounanna Benji Boy.
The win marked a first major title for the pair. Ella said: “It feels amazing, it's really nice to win a big title on Benji because I have never won one on him before and he deserves it.”
Ella continued: “The last few years I've been coming home with seconds and thirds and to win two, in two days, it's just really good.”
She was full of praise for Benji's attitude, particularly when the pressure increases and the fences get bigger. “He really loves to jump, and he's really game, he loves a jump-off; he loves when the fences get bigger.”
Emmie Horner claimed the Pony 1.15m Members Cup Championship Final with Gray Rose, owned by Nicky Florence.
Emmie delighted to win said: "She felt really great and I'm so glad to have won it on her, and she's a really special pony to me as I've produced her myself." She added: "We never expected her to come this far, but she's been great."
Having secured her Newcomers and Foxhunter Horse of the Year Show tickets this summer, Emmie said: "My plan was - because I’ve saved her all summer for the HOYS qualifiers - just to let her go a bit just try and practice some turns and see how I ended up, I didn't really think it was a jump off for her because it was quite a gallopy course and she's really good on the turns, but the turn back to the second fence really made up for it I think."
Harriet Davies and seven-year-old mare TPD Remar claimed the Pony Discovery Championship Final after a thrilling jump-off.
Of the 64 combinations in the class, 22 made it through to the jump-off, with eight producing double clears. Harriet and the British homebred mare, owned by Amber and Neil Bundock, stopped the clock 0.37 seconds ahead to take the win.
Talking about the victory, Harriet said: "It feels amazing, I've never really won anything this big. She jumped her socks off, so she was amazing, I couldn't have asked for anymore from her."
Her jump-off plan was to "turn where I can and keep the canter up to try and go as quick as I could, because she's got a massive stride and that really helps."
Mia Pearson and Kono IV claimed victory in the Pony Restricted Rider 1.00m Championship Final, with Mia finally achieving her goal of winning a rug.
Describing the win, Mia said it felt: “really good, I’ve been waiting to win a rug all year.” Her jump-off plan was "just to do the turns and just keep going."
Having ridden Kono IV for just two years, Mia added: "I got her just jumping discovery, and she's taken me all the way up to jumping 1.25m this season."
With 17 combinations lining up for the jump-off in the Bronze League 128cm & Under Championship Final, the competition was always going to be decided on speed and precision.
Alexander Thomas-Cheffings delivered exactly that with 20-year-old Treflan Nero, producing a series of super-tight turns to shave valuable seconds off the clock. Their impressive performance gave them a 2.92-second advantage over the rest of the field and secured the championship title.
Reflecting on the victory, Alex said: "It feels great," His plan was to "turn tight and go fast... he counts to six and then he goes fast."
Elsie Drea claimed her biggest win to date in the Bronze League 138cm & Under Championship Final with Fallowfen Socrates.
With 11 combinations producing double clears, Elsie and Fallowfen Socrates delivered a fast jump-off round to take the title by just over a second.
When asked how it felt to claim the victory, Elsie said: "it's amazing, he's the best." Her jump-off tactics were simple: "turn and burn".
Describing her pony, Elsie said: "He's funny and got great character, he's quite calm at home compared to shows. He gets very excited and always wants to win"
Lola Rose Bird and May Lass rounded off the week with victory in the Bronze League 148cm & Under Championship Final. Reflecting on the win, Lola said: "I never expected to win it."
The pair made the most of May Lass's natural speed in the jump-off, with Lola saying: "She's naturally quite a fast pony, so we worked together." Her plan was simple: "Some of them had poles, and I just thought, I've got to go for it."
Describing her pony, Lola added: "She's a dream pony, I couldn't ask for any better pony... She's a very funny character, she can be a bit silly sometimes, but she is the best pony ever, I couldn't have asked for a better one."
For the full list of results, visit: https://members.britishshowjumping.co.uk/live/results
Image credit – 1st Class Images
