NAF Silver and Bronze League Qualifier at Dorset Showground
Tuesday 07 May 2024
This past weekend saw Dorset Showground host a NAF Bronze and Silver League Championships Direct Qualifier, where riders aimed to secure a spot in the Final at Horse of the Year Show. While those topping the league tables in their region earn their place in semi-finals, additional chances to qualify are available via these direct qualifiers.
Kicking off on Saturday was the NAF Bronze League Qualifier. With nearly 50 starters, each combination needed to shine from the start to stand a chance at the jump-off. The rounds proved demanding, with only seven of the 50 achieving the coveted clear rounds to advance. Up against the clock, riders knew they would need to be quick if they were going to be in with a chance of winning, but it was the only triple clear of the day, achieved by Phoebe Sealey and Amelusina II who emerged victorious.
Reflecting on their journey to the qualifier, Phoebe shared her bond with Amelusina II, saying, “I got him a year ago, almost to the day, but we’ve only been jumping together for 10 months as he had to have some teeth taken out when he first arrived. He had been passed from pillar to post before he got to us, his record was full of eliminations, but I had a gut feeling about him. When I looked through his record, I could see that he had done well with one rider, so I reached out to her on Facebook to ask about him, and she told me that he’s the type of horse that if he likes you, he’ll do anything for you, and if he doesn’t, he won’t”
Continuing about why she made the decision to purchase Amelusina II, Phoebe said: “it may sound cheesy, but I felt we were meant to be for each other. I recently lost my first ever pony, who I have had since I was 13. Louis looks identical to him so I couldn’t help but feel he was sent to us by my first horse. We just clicked, we’ve already had 28 wins together and last month completed our first International together. At the start I wasn’t sure what to do with him because he’s got the scope to go big. I decided to stick with the Bronze classes as the finals are bigger, and I know he can do it.”
With the Bronze League concluded, Sunday saw NAF Silver League riders taking center stage. Over half the field cleared the initial round, advancing to the second, where 12 combinations progressed to the jump-off. In a tightly contested battle, only 0.56 seconds separated 1st place from 3rd, but it was last-to-jump Olivia Evans and Fino de Ness who stopped the clock in the quickest time of 36.91 seconds to take the win.
Olivia summed up her journey to the qualifier with Fino de Ness: “I bought him when I was 16, the day I left school and finished my last GCSE. He was just a 4-year-old, freshly broken. Initially, I bought him with the intention to sell. When we first started, he was a bit useless! We used to take bets in the family group about how many poles her would have down! But midway through his 6th year, we started jumping some age classes and that was when we realised, he was actually pretty talented.”
Reflecting on their win, Olivia credited her sister on helping make sure the horse was ready: “I was going in with the intention to win, but I didn’t think it would happen, I thought we had no chance. After I jumped, I had to get off and walk around, I couldn’t watch the last 7. My sister was watching for me, and she was the one who came over and told me we had won. My sister has always helped me with him, she’s been there every step of the way. We came across Fino because she rode his father, who we still have.”
Semi Finals for the NAF Silver and Bronze league take place at Chard Equestrian and Northcote Stud at the end of July, and for the first-year riders can choose with semi-final they compete at. The top 15 combinations from each regional league will qualify along with the top three combinations from each direct qualifier.
To find out more, head to https://www.britishshowjumping.co.uk/page/Leagues.
Dorset Showground - Saturday, 4 May 2024
NAF Five Star Summer Bronze League Qualifier
1st – Phoebe Sealey & Amelusina II 0/0/0 48.28
2nd – Lucy Hewlett & Urono 0/0/4 45.21
3rd – Rosie Blossett & Triple Time 0/0/4 48.37
Dorset Showground - Sunday, 5 May 2024
NAF Five Star Summer Silver League Qualifier
1st – Olivia Evans & Fino de Ness 0/0/0 36.91
2nd – Alana Collett & Rathbride Millie 0/0/0 37.13
3rd – Nikki Curtis & Destination II 0/0/0 37.47
NB: Results pending official grading.
Image: Tazmine Brown
NAF Five Star:
NAF’s premium range of Five Star brands include Superflex, Superflex Senior, PROFEET, Optimum, Magic, Oestress and Respirator Boost with quality at the heart of everything they do. They are a UFAS (Universal Feed Assurance Scheme), GMP+ (International Feed Assurance Scheme) and BETA NOPS (Naturally Occuring Prohibited Substances) accredited company and this enables them to guarantee full traceability on all the natural ingredients they utilise in their formulations, which are also selected in compliance with the FEI guidelines for Clean Sport. For further information, visit www.naf-equine.eu/uk/index.jsp.
