A Super Performance from Melissa Garry and Supermoon 13 Secures SEIB Winter Novice Qualifier Win
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Melissa Garry secured victory in a competitive SEIB Winter Novice Championship Qualifier at Arena UK’s Winter Classic Show, producing a fast double clear with Supermoon 13 to claim her place in the final at the Royal International Horse Show.
“I don’t usually like geldings, but the Billy Stud encouraged me to try him and said he was more fun than most, and they weren’t wrong. I originally bought him to sell on, but I really love him. He’s one of the nicest horses I’ve ever ridden, and it will be very hard to part with him,” said Melissa about the six-year-old British-bred Gelding.
A total of 48 combinations came forward in the opening round, with 21 progressing to round two. The standard remained high throughout, as seven combinations advanced to a closely fought jump-off, where four went on to deliver double clear performances.
Returning to the arena as the final combination, Melissa Garry and Supermoon 13, rose to the occasion, stopping the clock in 34.46 seconds to take the win. Early leaders Yazmin Davis and Coldharbour Rebel had set a strong target with a smooth clear round in 34.73 seconds but were narrowly pushed into second place. Third place went to Jessica Upton and NFS Quatina, who also jumped clear in all phases, finishing their jump-off round in 37.95 seconds.
Delighted with securing her ticket to the final, Melissa said: “He’s young and doing so well so we have given him a month off, so I wasn’t sure whether to bring him. However, he finished third in this class at the first Arena UK Winter Classic at the start of December. He actually had the fastest time there but just had the last fence down, so I felt he deserved another chance. There was no pressure on him this week, but he’s a very brave horse and he jumped double clear in the Foxhunter the day before, which gave me confidence.
“He’s not clipped at the moment – he’s like a fuzzy bear – but he’s an absolute superstar and always has a smile on his face. I bought him from the Billy Stud Auctions in the summer and have produced him myself, and he’s done incredibly well. He hasn’t been with me long, but he takes everything in his stride. I can take him to any show centre and he’ll always be competitive; new venues don’t phase him at all.”
Commenting on the change of format to this year’s SEIB Winter Novice Championship Qualifiers, Melissa said: “I really like the change to three rounds, and I honestly think he could have jumped five if I’d asked him to. It makes the competition much fairer, more technical and less of a rat race in the final round, which really suited him.
“He’s incredibly brave and has so much scope, so I’m really looking forward to taking him to the final at Hickstead. He jumped in the main ring there last year and finished third in the All England Novice Championship, so hopefully that experience will stand us in good stead," added Melissa.
SEIB Winter Novice Championship Qualifier
Arena UK
1st – Melissa Garry & Supermoon 13 – 0/0/0 34.46
2nd – Yazmin Davis & Coldharbour Rebel – 0/0/0 34.73
3rd – Jessica Upton & NFS Quatina – 0/0/0 37.95
NB Results pending final grading
Image: ATG Photography
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