A win for Jim on Anya’s Hickstead main ring debut
Wednesday 24 July 2024
.jpg "A win for Jim on Anya’s Hickstead main ring debut")
Nine-year-old Anya Dewey-Clarke made her debut in Hickstead’s International Arena a memorable one when she won the Pro Ponies UK BS Winter 128cm Championship at the Agria Royal International Horse Show, riding Jim.
Only three combinations had left the fences standing in the first round and Anya was joined in the jump off by Annabel Widdowson, who made history last year when she was thought to be the youngest rider to ever take the title at eight years old.
Annabel’s chances of repeating the feat looked strong, as she had jumped clears on both last year’s champion, 23-year-old Bunbury Conquest, and 21-year-old Whinney Lass, who has previously won this title on four occasions with the Rogers sisters.
After posting a fast clear in 40.87 seconds on ‘Whinney’, Annabel executed a quick change to come back into the ring and pip her own time on the evergreen ‘Questy’, who showed some brilliant speed across the ground to cross the finish in 38.56 seconds.
But a determined Anya was last-to-jump, and she pulled off a dramatic turn to the second fence to steal the win with 37.71 seconds on the board. “I absolutely love Jim, he is awesome,” said Anya, who has been riding the 16-year-old gelding for the past 18 months. “I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to win as he prefers an arena surface to going on grass. I didn’t know what he’d think of it, so I was so pleased with him.
“I made the time up by going inside to the second fence,” she added. “He is easy to turn and has quite a big stride, so he’s good at going fast.”
Anya’s mum Anna Clarke admitted she “was actually shaking” watching the round. “I said to her when she went into the ring, ‘go and look and see if you can do the turn and then decide’, which is a crazy thing to say to a nine-year-old, but she made the right decision,” she said.
Lincolnshire-based Anya qualified for the 128cm final last year on another pony, but was unable to compete as the pony was unwell.
“It was my first time in that big arena, but I didn’t have to ride too differently, I just had to get a good canter,” she said. “When you go to walk the course it’s a long way round compared to other arenas!”
The Agria Royal International Horse Show runs from 24-28 July at Hickstead in West Sussex. Tickets are available at the gate or can be booked online at www.hickstead.co.uk. All the action from the International Arena will be livestreamed on ClipMyHorse.TV and Hickstead.TV.
Image: Boots and Hooves Photography
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