Hurst Riders Dominate with Four Wins and Eight Qualifications

Sunday 22 March saw thirteen Hurst students head to Coombelands Equestrian for a packed day of qualifying classes across multiple championships. With opportunities to secure places in the Grass Roots Final, the Regional Points League Individual Championship, the New Windsor Challenge, and the Hickstead Elite Finals, the pressure was on - and Hurst riders rose to the occasion.

The day began brilliantly with Maggie H securing 5th place in the opening class, earning her qualification for both the Grass Roots Regional Final and the Grass Roots Festival later this year.

In the 50cm class, the Hurst team of Willow I, Isla C, and Sienna P delivered a superb performance to take the win on a zero score, qualifying for both the Grass Roots Regional Final and the Championships. Isla and Sienna also shone

individually, finishing 4th and 5^th respectively. Sienna continued her great form with a stylish clear in the 60cm, just missing out on the placings.

Over in the second arena, the momentum continued. In the 70cm class, Scarlett C, Amelia B, and Amelie P produced another faultless team score to take the win - an especially impressive achievement with only three riders. Individually, Amelie placed 2nd and Amelia 6th, securing their spots at the RPL Championships at Hickstead in August.

The 80cm team then stormed to 2nd place as the fastest team on four faults, finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of every other team. Congratulations to Scarlett C, Rosie YJ, Rosie C, and Darcey G.

The 90cm New Windsor Qualifier saw many teams struggle, but Hurst riders delivered under pressure. Scarlett SH, Rosie C, Darcey G, and Isla A jumped superbly to finish on zero and win the class, securing their place at the NSEA National Championships in October.

The final rosettes of the day came in the 1m Hickstead Elite Team Qualifier. Despite a challenging course and a few poles rolling, Scarlett SH, Danielle I, and Isla A held their nerve to take the win and book their place at Hickstead.

A special mention goes to Danielle, who rounded off the day by tackling her first ever 1.10m class! She did brilliantly, finishing with just one pole down.

It was an outstanding day for Hurst Equestrian. In total, Hurst riders collected:

• 4 team wins

• 5 individual rosettes

• 8 championship qualifications

• Qualifications across four major championships – the Grass Roots Final & Festival, the Regional Points League Championships, the NSEA Championships, and the Hickstead Elite Team Championships

“What a fantastic day for Hurst! Not only the results, but we had some amazing riding and maturity from our riders - it was incredible. It just showed that the training over the winter months has really paid off.”

- Tracey Pargeter, Head of Hurst Equestrian