Tredwell sets the pace with Winter Final win

Helen Tredwell won today’s British Showjumping Winter Grades B & C Championship at Hickstead.

Drawn second to go, Helen produced the first of the eight clears with Wayne Cox’s Independence TN, and found herself the pathfinder in the jump-off. But Treadwell has plenty of experience riding against the clock, and she netted a fast clear round in a time of 46.70sec to put pressure on her rivals. No one could match the time, with Alex Bishop and Thomascourt Emirates coming closest in 47.54sec.

“I just got in a forward, open canter and tried to be as quick as possible, and hoped that the others couldn’t catch me,” said Helen, who has had the ride on Independence TN for a couple of years. “We’re slowly building a really good partnership and he’s starting to step up to the big classes now. I think he’s going to be a really good one.”

Earlier, Nicole Pavitt won the SEIB British Showjumping Winter Novice Championship. Her win came on board the talented Colliers Carlotta, who also won the Billy Stud Auction British 6 Year Old Jumping Championship at last month’s Al Shira’aa Derby Meeting. Watch their winning round here.

Oxfordshire teenager Tilly Bamford won the Pony Of The Year British Showjumping Winter 138 cms Championship aboard new ride Playboy van de Zoetewei, formerly piloted by Tabitha Kyle. The win will come as a welcome confidence boost ahead of Tilly’s first team appearance at the FEI Pony European Championships in Poland.

Scotland’s Fergal Holohan and the nine-year-old Little Flexible won the Oakley Coachbuilders British Showjumping Winter Grade JC Championship, finishing half a second faster than second-placed Kieran Taylor (Krakboum D’Euro), while Nya Harriman, 11, took a decisive win in the Pro Ponies UK BS Winter 128cms Championship. Nya had returned for a second attempt at the championship after finishing sixth last year with the then fifteen-year-old April Star V. That experience allowed Nya to fine-tune her plan of action, with the pair winning by nearly five seconds.

In the showing classes, Zara Brooks and Merrycorner Mister Bui made the most of a return to the Longines International Arena, taking top honours for the second consecutive year in the Leeman Family Supreme Show Hunter Pony Championship. Clare Fitch won the O’Donnell Family Pure Bred Arabian with the 10-year-old grey Aja Guillian, while the winner of the LG Show Team BSPS Supreme Working Hunter Pony Championship was Ruby Ward and her 143cm victor, Noble Ronan.

Click here for full results. 

Tickets for the Longines Royal International Horse Show are on sale now. The action will be shown live each afternoon on Sky Sports from Friday to Sunday, alongside extensive livestreaming throughout the show via Hickstead.TV.