All smiles for the winners of the NAF Silver and Bronze League Qualifiers at Northallerton
Monday 24 June 2024
The penultimate NAF Silver and Bronze League Qualifiers of the 2024 summer league took place this past weekend at Northallerton Equestrian Centre.
Saturday saw the NAF Bronze League unfold with exactly 50 riders competing for a coveted spot in the semi-finals next month. Riders aimed to navigate two rounds of jumping cleanly to earn a place in the final jump-off. In the end, 21 horses qualified for the jump-off, where Chloe Burns emerged victorious. Chloe, who had two horses in the jump-off, clinched the win with a remarkable time of 31.26 seconds aboard her own Mr Jaco.
Chloe commented “I got Jaco about three years ago, before that I hadn’t been in the ring for 10 years, I hadn’t been riding at all to be honest. He’s 16 now, and he’s been there and done it all, he really does look after me.
“I was first to go in the jump off, so I knew I had to just go for it. I trust him, he’s quick and careful so I don’t have to worry about that too much. I nearly messed it up at the last; I got a bit excited but he looked after me!”
Chloe, who grooms for showjumper Louise Saywell, added “I tried Bronze league the first year I had him, we got to Chard semis but had a fence down, it was the first year I was competing him and I didn’t really know what I was doing! I moved to Louise Saywell’s that year as her groom, she took over the reins of training us and really helped us be more competitive, I’ve got her to thank for it all really, she’s worked wonders on us!”
Hot on Chloe’s heels was Colin Pottie riding his own Supermario II, finishing just 1.45 seconds behind Burns to secure second place. Danny Nicholson and Chin Chin Florentine took third place, continuing Danny's successful season, which sees him sitting in 4th place on the Northern Region NAF Five Star Bronze Summer League table.
The NAF Silver League Direct Qualifier took place the next day on Sunday, 23rd June. Seven horse-and-rider combinations successfully made it through the first two rounds clear, earning their spots in the jump-off. Lottie Mayvers claimed victory on Pandeur, one of her two rides in the class. With tight turns and a swift pace, Lottie, who was second to go, stopped the clock at 37.67 seconds, setting a time that proved unbeatable. She finished 3.15 seconds ahead of second-placed Helen Boyd on Allegria du Foret Z. Third place went to Wrigoletto II and Alison Lines, with a jump-off time of 42.22 seconds.
Lottie shared her thoughts after the win: “I’ve had him 5 years, so know him really well. He’s a horse of a lifetime really. He’s just a superstar, he’s won so much for me. We were second to go in the jump-off, so I think we put the pressure on. I planned to go in and do the turns, and we did that, which was enough to get the results. We’ve just been at Bolesworth and had a really good show, which set us up well for this weekend.”
Lottie and Pandeur are no strangers to the NAF Silver League, having competed in the final at the Horse of the Year Show in 2021 following a successful win in the semi-final at Northcote Stud.
Northallerton Equestrian Centre - Saturday, 22 June
NAF Bronze League Qualifier
1st - Chloe Burns and Mr Jaco 0/0/0 31.26
2nd - Colin Pottie and Supermario II 0/0/0 32.71
3rd - Danny Nicholson and Chin Chin Florentine 0/0/0 33.41
Northallerton Equestrian Centre - Sunday, 23 June
NAF Silver League Qualifier
1st - Lottie Mayvers and Pandeur 0/0/0 37.67
2nd - Helen Boyd and Allegria Du Foret Z 0/0/0 40.82
3rd - Alison Lines and Wrigoletto II 0/0/0 42.22
NB: Results pending official grading.
Image: Paul Dobson
.jpg "Taylie-Rae Owen from the Kent Academy is the latest NAF Shining Star")
