The Trinidad & Tobago Equestrian Association (TTEA) successfully hosted its first FEI Eventing World Challenge at San Antonio Stables in Santa Cruz on Saturday, July 13th. This event marked a significant milestone for equestrian sports in Trinidad & Tobago, bringing together riders from across the country to compete in various categories.
The FEI World Challenge series aims to provide opportunities for athletes who face barriers such as travel costs and distances from participating in international competitions. By hosting this event locally, TTEA enabled seven entrants to compete in the FEI category, three in the National category, and two in the “Dressage Only” competition.
The competition commenced with the Dressage segment, which was judged by Rossana Lagunes Zaldiver, FEI Level 2 Eventing Judge, and Anja Taylor, National Eventing Judge. In Eventing, scores from Dressage are converted into penalty points, which are then added to any penalties incurred during Cross Country.
Leading the Eventing Competition after Dressage was Amy Costelloe riding Audacity to Hope with 28.76 penalty points, closely followed by Justynne Fletcher on Cape Canaveral with 29.83 penalty points, and Sandhya Moll on Apocalypse with 32.15 penalty points. In the National competition, Mia Vieira on Miss Lily led with 35.69 penalty points after Dressage.
Mia Tewari on Romeo excelled in the “Dressage Only” competition, securing victory with an impressive score of 69.03%.
The challenging Cross Country course, crafted by Javier Jeri Leigh, FEI Level 2 Course Designer, posed significant obstacles with 18 jumps. Despite the difficulty, 16-year-old Justynne Serrette Fletcher emerged victorious in the Eventing Competition, adding only 4 penalties to her Dressage score, achieving a final score of 33.83 penalty points. Her younger sister, 14-year-old Jaimie Serrette Fletcher, secured second place with L’ouvre, followed by Sandhya Moll on Apocalypse in third place and Caitlyn Sebastien on Rafa in fourth.
In the National Class, Charlotte Mack claimed victory on Madame Bean, followed closely by Caitlin Whitling on Caro’s Legacy in second place, and Mia Vieira on Miss Lily, who finished third due to time faults.
“We are thrilled with the success of our first FEI Eventing World Challenge,” said Patrice Stollmeyer, President of TTEA. “It has been a fantastic showcase of talent and determination among our local equestrian community. We look forward to building on this momentum in the future.”