Jodie Hall-McAteer crowned Voltaire Design Under 25 British Champion 2019
Sunday 22 December 2019
Nineteen year-old Jodie Hall-McAteer from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire took an emphatic win in this evening’s Voltaire Design Under 25 British Championship at Olympia, The London International Horse Show on Salt ‘N Peppa, a 10 year-old chestnut gelding owned by Mandy Hall.
A total of ten combinations strode out into the packed arena under the Olympia Grand Hall roof after having qualified for the Championship on Friday and spectators were treated to a thrilling class. Tonight’s first round played out over twelve fences and half the field jumped clear to access the jump off.
Jodie and Salt ‘N Peppa set the standard in the five horse jump off from first draw and their clear round in 30.75 seconds was to prove unbeatable. Jodie used the gelding’s nimbleness and pace to her advantage and utilised the shortcuts that Course Designer Alan Wade had on offer. Their round gave them the perfect start and ensured that they put pressure on the remaining competitors. In being crowned Champions, Jodie and her ride also picked up the lion’s share of the £13,000 prize pot on offer.
Georgia Tame, aged 22, from Horsham, West Sussex was the only other rider to jump clear and she was on board Quintella, an 11 year-old bay mare owned by Old Lodge. The pair jumped faultlessly on Friday to win the qualifier and they bagged another two clear rounds this evening, finishing in second place with a time of 32.38 seconds.
Eighteen year-old Jack Whitaker from Whatton, Nottinghamshire took third place on the 9 year-old dark brown mare Scenletha owned by Michael Whitaker. They set a fantastically fast time of 30.40 seconds but an unlucky touch of a pole saw them finish with 4 faults.
Harry Charles & Valkiry de Zance and Millie Allen & Quinu de Pravia also featured in the jump off and finished in fourth and fifth respectively.
Following the Championship, a delighted Jodie said “It was a great class and the crowd were amazing, they gave me such a buzz. It’s fantastic to have the chance to jump in front of a packed audience and my horse was unbelievable today. We were drawn to go towards the end of the first round which was great and because we were first to go in the jump off, I wanted to make sure that we were quick and clear in order to put the pressure on the others. Voltaire Design’s support of this Championship is pivotal to giving young riders a building block to competing at the bigger shows. It’s been an amazing evening!”
For the full results from today’s class, click here.
Voltaire Design:
Established in 2010 Voltaire Design has become the leading French manufacturer of high performance sports saddles. Handmade in France using the finest French leather, Voltaire Design saddles have become renowned for their innovation, comfort and the ability to fully customise each saddle to the horse and rider. Voltaire Design produce saddles for the forward thinking rider who demands style and substance, while prioritising freedom of movement for the horse, together with elegance, durability and customer service. Voltaire Design combine comfort and performance for the horse and rider, alongside innovative design to produce saddles that enable every rider to fulfil their potential. For further information, please visit http://voltairedesign.com.
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