Too Hot To Trot

The Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation hosted the Al Fateh Equestrian Show Jumping event at the BDF Equestrian Centre in Sakhir.

Friday’s event got underway late in the afternoon with three classes. It was a show designed for every rider, whether beginner or experienced.

There were fences as low as 65-75cm for the newcomers and young horses and as high as 125cm for the more experienced rider who wants to step up his game for next season.

The first class got underway shortly after all the competitors filled into the arena to walk the course. This clear round class had the lowest heights and attracted many new junior and adult riders.

Among them was Arif Ghazwan who showed he came to win by having the fastest clear round time on his horse Amigo which took him to first place with a time of 46.33.

Close behind him was young Mustafa Dadulla on his trusty steed Rainsong with a time of 46.83. Also, making his first appearance was young rider Mohammed Ghazwan on Magnum with a time of 47.01 which secured him third place.

Class 2 was a speed class as well with fences raised to 85-95cm. In this class the juniors competed separately from the adults. Junior rider Ahmed Al Hashili on Horse Pride Thunderbolt stole the show with a time of 45.67 which carried on his winning streak from last week.

Close on his heels was Mohammed Radhi with his new horse Contender in a time of 45.78. I can’t wait to see what this combination does next season. In third place, was schoolgirl Aimee Keen on Rio with a time of 51.03.

The adults were up next. Yahya Ahmed dominated this class with his horse, I Trust You, by winning with an almost 10-second lead and a time of 41.81.

Next to the podium was crowd-favourite Shaikh Abdulla Al Khalifa on his mare Venus with a time of 51.56. And, yours truly, on my stallion Cortez took third place with a time of 51.84.

In the last class of the day, the fences were at a height of 105-120cm. All riders had to clear before joining a jump-off of six fences of the judges’ choice.

Dominating this class was Hawar Stables. They took home almost every placing except one.

Hawar rider Ammar Mohammed on Colin secured first place with a time of 29.77. In second place was fellow stable rider Jalal Jaffari on Lavino with a time of 32.53. Shaikh Abdulla on Venus snuck in between the Hawar heroes and took third place with a time of 30.42.

The next three places went to Hawar riders Mohammed Jassim on Uup, Ali Essa and Ahmed Akbar on horses UFO and Athlatico.

Ali Essa’s brother, Ahmed, riding a horse for the Dilmun Stables, was placed seventh.

It proved to be a great day for all the competitors in the event sponsored by Al Fateh Equestrian Equipment and Feed. Fouad Rayes handed out the prizes and trophies from his equestrian store.

Results:
Clear round speed class 65-75cm
1. Arif Ghazwan/ Amigo/ 46.33
2. Mustafa Dadulla/ Rainsong/ 46.83
3. Mohammed Ghazwan/ Magnum/ 47.01
4. Jamiela Haseid/ Rio/ 52.24
5. Abdulla Al Asfoor/ Alydez Man/ 44.98
6. Sasha Desouza/ Dilmun BamBam/ 80.06
Class 2 Junior speed class 85-95cm
1. Ahmed Al Hashili/ Horse Pride Thunderbolt/ 45.67
2. Mohammed Radhi/ Contender/ 45.78
3. Aimee Keene/ Rio/ 51.03
4. Mustafa Dadulla/ Rainsong/ 48.42
5. Aimee Keene/ DJ Fleur/ 52.66
6. Mohammed Ghazwan/ Magnum/ 52.70
Class 2 Adults speed class 85-95cm
1. Yahya Ahmed/ I Trust You/ 41.81
2. Shaikh Abdulla Al Khalifa/ Venus/ 51.56
3. Jerri Taylor/ Dilmun Cortez/ 51.84
4. Mahdi Torani/ Ghana/ 52.69
5. Ahmed Akbar/ Athlatico/ 53.06
6. Ali Essa/ Dilmun Manny/ 54.59

Class 3 One round with jump off 105-125cm
1. Ammar Mohammed/ Colin/ 29.77
2. Jalal Jaffari/ Lavino/ 32.53
3. Shaikh Abdulla Al Khalifa/ Venus/ 30.42
4. Mohammed Jassim/ Uup/ 33.99
5. Ali Essa/ UFO/ 39.89
6. Ahmed Akbar/ Athlatico/ 40.04

UPCOMing event

* The last training show of the season will be held at the BDF Equestrian Centre in Sahkir on Friday. The event will start at 4.30pm and is open to all. Spectators can watch for free.