Claudia Moore stars in Lyon
The twenty-five best pony riders in the world were in the starting line-up in the main competition and show arena of Longines Equita Lyon, International Equestrian show this afternoon for the FEI Jumping Ponies' Trophy. Following in the footsteps of their elders, they took part in a Grand Prix with obstacles at 1.35m. After the first round, five couples had qualified for the jump-off. The first to start in the second round was the Dutch rider Lily Engelsman who did a clear round (40''00) putting her in second place in the final ranking.
Among the five riders in the jump-offs, France was represented by the young Ilona Mezzadri, who recently won two bronze medals at the European Pony Championships in Strzegom, Poland. Riding Ken van Orchid, the French rider completed the fastest round (34''91), but unfortunately received 4 penalty points on the last obstacle! Applauded by the public, her performance finally earned her third place. "There is always a bit of pressure when the competition is so strong, especially with so many great foreign riders. People are used to seeing me ride Callas, but I came here with my second pony, which has a lot of experience, but not Callas' record. I feel a little annoyed about the last obstacle in the jump-off, but I'm happy for the pony. He has a promising career ahead." It was Great Britain that won this Grand Prix thanks to Claudia Moore on Elando van de Roshoeve in 35''81. "The course was tough and the other riders in the competition rode quickly. As a result, I was a little more nervous about the jump-off, but I was pretty quick," she said when she came off the course.
At the end of this FEI Jumping Ponies' Trophy, the French national pony coach Olivier Bost said he was delighted with this 2019 class: "It was a really great class. We had the fastest time, even if Ilona was a bit unlucky on the last obstacle. And we had a second pony ranked with 4 points and others that jumped very well. At the risk of repeating myself, we are lucky to be able to ride in this arena, which is a great experience for all the children. It also allows them to observe the riders in the CSI 5*. As the best riders from each nation compete for this trophy, the foreign riders who make the trip are obviously well prepared. So, we're happy with our third place."
At the end of this second stage, Claudia Moore, Lily Engelsman and Ilona Mezzadri were respectively second, fourth and sixth in the FEI Jumping Ponies' Trophy ranking.
1 – Claudia Moore (GBR) and Elando van de Roshoeve – 0 +0 in 35’’81
2 – Lily Engelsman (NED) and Blackwoodland Rock – 0 + 0 in 40”00
3 – Ilona Mezzadri (FRA) and Ken van Orchid – 0 + 4 in 34”91