The Trinidad and Tobago Equestrian Association held the Federation Equestre Internationale’s Eventing World Challenge at Sandy Hill Nature Park in Freeport on Friday 30th May and Sunday 1st June.
Justynne Serrette Fletcher rode her own Cape Canaveral in the Category B class ( which is more advanced than the Category C class). This was T&T’s first attempt at the Category B level.
There are 3 disciplines involved in Eventing: riders must ride in a dressage test and their dressage score is turned into penalty points. They then ride a show jumping course where any penalties incurred are added to the dressage score penalties.
After which, they finish with a cross country course, and any penalties incurred there are added to the dressage and show jumping penalties for a final score.
Justynne recieved 68.9% for her dressage test, which was converted to 31.1 penalties. She jumped a clear round in show jumping with no jumping or time faults. She also jumped a clear round for cross country but went too fast ( the time is based on riders getting as close as possible to the Optimum Time) thereby incurring 17 time faults. Justynne finished with the score of 48.1 penalties which was a very good result for attempting this level for the first time.
Category C was held on Sunday 1st June and 5 riders competed.
Jaimie Serrette Fletcher on her own horse, L’ouvre, lead after the dressage test with 29.74 penalties with Amy Costelloe on her own Holy Man, very close on her heels with 29.83 penalty points. Caitlyn Whitling on Liz West’s Royal Ballet rode a decent test for 32.33 penalties followed by Hailey Ali on Janelle Spencer’s Audacity to Hope with 34.14 and Caitlyn Sebastien’s Rafa with 38.28.
The riders then had to ride the 16 jump Derby/ cross country course of solid cross couutry fences combined with show jumps.
14 year old Jaimie Serrette Fletcher kept her lead to win, incurring 4 jumping faults and 7.6 time faults to finish with 41.34 penalties. Amy Costelloe on Holy Man maintained her 2rd place position with 45.03 penalties from two knockdowns on course and 7.2 time faults.
Hailey Ali and Audacity to Hope looked like they were going to get the only clear round of the day but a run out at fence# 12 cost them 8 penalties adding to 4.8 time faults to finish with 46.94 penalties.
Final placing for Team T&T will only be known at the end of the year.
However, the TTEA recently received the results from the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s Dressage Competition and T&T’s Junior Team of Caitlyn Whitling on Integrity, Justynne Serrette Fletcher on Cape Canaveral and Jaimie Serrette Fletcher on L’ouvre WON in the Junior Division beating Bermuda, Barbados, and the Cayman Islands respectively. Team T&Tamassed 211.820% points , a huge lead of over 11 points!
Caitin Whitling was the top junior rider, (out of 19 Caribbean riders) at her level, Training Level 3, and Justynne Serrette Fletcher was the top Junior rider at her level, First Level Test 3, out of 7 Caribbean riders.
Jaimie Serrette Fletcher was the only rider in the Caribbean to compete at Second Level, Test 3.