Royal Windsor Horse Show 2021 got off to a scintillating start with top-class national Show Jumping and Showing competitions and spectacular international displays. Amongst the highlights of the day was a ‘Stepping up to Grand Prix’ Dressage Masterclass with Olympic rider, Richard Davison, and Olympic judge, Steven Clarke, who gave a valuable insight into how riders train at the highest level. With up-and-coming Grand Prix riders, including Jess Dunn, Sarah Higgins and Gillian Davison in the saddle, the experts demonstrated the techniques used when training for a Grand Prix test, as well as explaining how to score the maximum points possible in the test itself.
The Puissance rounded off a spectacular day of national Show Jumping action in Windsor’s famous Castle Arena, with a duo of greys out-jumping their rivals in the five-round competition. From the six starters, four made it through to the fourth round to face the daunting 2.05m wall. However with both Robert Whitaker and Shane Breen failing to clear the wall, it was left to Joseph Stockdale and Guy Williams to battle it out in the fifth round as the wall was raised to 2.10 metres (6’10.6″). Stockdale, riding the 11-year-old grey gelding Florida VDL, was first to guarantee his place at the top of the leaderboard, however Williams, with the experienced Mr Blue Sky UK, made effortless work of the iconic wall to share the spoils.
Earlier in the day, The Martin Collins Enterprises National 1.40m Open Jumping Competition was a tight affair with less than a second splitting the top five placed riders. Ireland’s Shane Breen, as first to go, set a competitive standard completing the second timed phase with a clear round in a time of 32.79 seconds, good enough for eventual fifth place. Jay Halim, riding Gentleman BD Riethandei, put on an excellent display of horsemanship to temporarily take the lead posting a time of 32.21, however it was Britain’s leading lady rider, Laura Renwick who came out on top, taking the tightest lines to post a winning time of 31.85 aboard her nine-year-old mare, Haitske.
In Friday’s two-phase CSI5* Manama Speed Stakes, the first 5* class of the show, Canada’s Mario Deslauriers placed 5th riding Emerson. The class was won by Lillie Keenan (USA) riding Agana van het Gerendal Z. Deslauriers will ride Bardolina 2 in the CSI5* Pearl Stakes later in the day; you can watch the free livestream here.
For full results, click here.
~ with files from rEvolution
Photo of The Day: Evelyn Sillett (2 year old from Hertfordshire) having a ride on a wooden rocking horse by Stevenson Brothers modelled after the great dressage horse Valegro during the Royal Windsor Horse Show, held in the grounds of Windsor Castle in the UK between 1st – 4th July 2021
More from News:
