Trinidad & Tobago’s Junior Show Jumping team of Hadley Rahael & Jordanne Brown won the Caribbean Equestrian Association Junior Jumping Competition in Barbados beating the host country into second place, last weekend. The Cayman Islands placed third and Jamaica fourth.
Rahael, age 14 but riding in the 16 & under level, had 12 faults over 4 rounds and Jordanne Brown, riding in the 14 & under level, had one knockdown for 4 faults over her 4 rounds, so Team T&T finished with a total of 16th faults. Barbados accumulated 22 faults, the Cayman Islands, 33 faults , and Jamaica 58 faults.
The 16 & under riders were the first to ride on Saturday 7th February, with Rahael getting a refusal on the quarter horse, Haze, for 4 faults. The Barbadian rider on the huge warmblood, Destino, had 2 knockdowns and time faults for 10 faults. The Caymanian had 4 faults on the grey throughbred, Essien, but the Jamaicaian got a clear round on the small throughbred, Super Trooper.
In the 14 & under first round, all the riders had clear rounds, except for the CaymanIan rider on Emmanuel, a tall throughbred who was eliminated for 2 refusals, accumulating 25 faults.
The next round on Saturday was the 14 & under second round. Once again all riders achieved clear rounds except for the rider on Emmanuel, this time the Jamaican.
In the 16 & under level, all the riders received 4 faults except for Rahael who had a clear round on Super Trooper.
On Sunday 8th February, Rahael was the first to ride and had 2 knockdown for 8 faults on Essien. The other riders at that level had clear rounds except the Jamaican on Destino. In the 14 & under level, it was Brown’s turn to ride Emmanuel, who had eliminated both his riders the day before. Brown understood how to ride him and achieved a clear round which gave T&T a huge advantage. All the other riders in the 14 & under level had clear rounds as well.
The final round for the 14 & under riders was next to go. Barbados was being represented by a 10 year old girl in the 14 & under level and she also managed to get Emmanuel around the course with only 1 knockdown. Brown was doing well on the pony Reina, until the last jump when the pony tipped off a rail for 4 faults, Brown’s only penalty for the entire competition!
The competition was very close at this stage, with Trinidad on 16 faults and Barbados on 18 faults. The pressure eased when the Barbadian rider had a knockdown for a total of 22 faults but Rahael was riding Destino who was yet to go clear for any rider. Rahael kept her composure and rode the huge warmblood to perfection for a clear round. Team T& T finished the competition on 16 faults for an excellent team effort. The riders were coached by Patrice Stollmeyer who trains Brown at Saddle Valley Stables. Rahael is trained by Margaret Auerbach and Sara Mc Cartney at Goodwin Heights Stables.
Brown and Rahael will be representing Trinidad & Tobago next in the Cayman Islands in April in that country’s leg of the CEA JJC.