Too Hot To Trot

TO finish off the season with panache Twin Palms Riding Centre and the Dilmun Riding Stables held fabulous finale events over the weekend.

On Friday afternoon Twin Palms Riding Centre hosted the last of this season’s Twixstead, a three-discipline event described by participants as Bahrain’s answer to Badminton.

There were two classes in this competition Class A and Class B. The first consisted of slightly-reduced cross country fences, Show Jumping fences up to 70cms and a Preliminary Dressage test.

The second consisted of higher cross-country fences, Show Jumping fences up to 90cms and a Novice Dressage test.

The competition was run on a penalty basis – the horse/rider combination with the least penalty points at the end would win in both classes.

The afternoon started off with the infamous cross-country, a course constructed throughout Twin Palms’ paddocks and riding areas to enable riders to have some fun when the glanders restrictions were still in place.

There were 19 fences to negotiate, ranging from palm logs, brush fences and a whole range of assorted obstacles.

There was an optimum time for the cross-country, and penalty points were awarded if you were too slow or too fast! 

There were, however, no penalties for refusing a fence, riders could have as many goes as they needed, but if this or any fence was not jumped there was a penalty of 100 points. Needless to say, there were no missed fences.

Taking part in their inaugural Twixstead event were Georgia Sims and Tutu with Maud Tinsley riding Billy, alongside Aimee Keen and Rio. Only Keen managed to come out of the first phase of this competition without a penalty point – everyone else collated time faults of some description.

Next up was the Show Jumping for the first class. Proprietor Anki Holmstrom had devised a technically-challenging course, one which needed horse and rider to be on the ball. Claiming a clear round were Manon Cote with Sirocco, Tinsley and Sims.

The course remained the same for the second class. However, the stakes were certainly raised as were the fences. Clear rounds in the next class went to Keen, me on Loki and Mariella Forward riding Soda. 

In this class the penalty points were awarded for disobedience, a stop, run out, pole down, circle etc. Riders were only allowed three refusals before elimination and 100 penalty points.

It is usually the dressage that is the deciding factor in these events, however, with the cross-country course being slightly different than in previous events, with the exception of Keen, no-one went into the dressage without some form of penalty points.

The dressage in both the Preliminary and the Novice had been of incredibly good standard, and in both classes the results were exceptionally close, but after all the penalty points were amassed the results of the final Twixstead emerged.

Finishing off her season in outstanding style was the youngest member of the competition, young Bella Rushton won Class A, riding the very talented Eid, who had excelled throughout the competition.

Keeping it in the family making it a mother/daughter day for the Rushton family, it was Kat who took home the runners-up trophy in Class B. 
And, I went home smiling too!

Twixstead results

Class A: 1 Bella Rushton  / Eid; 2  Manon Cote / Sirocco; 3 Maud Tinsley / Billy; 4 Georgia Sims / Tutu; 5 Keshia Smith / Breeze
Class B: 1 Helen Blake / Loki; 2 Kat Rushton / Duke; 3 Aimee Keen / Rio; 4 Lydia Martin / Woody; 5 Mariella Forward / Soda; 6 Lucy Lunt Bell / Rakard.

Meanwhile, the Dilmun Riding Stables held its Pairs to Music Dressage event on Saturday with two categories in the competition.

The first was an Introductory Class for juniors, riders who had not competed in dressage to music before.

The required movements for this class were walk and trot, a fantastic opportunity for these young riders who took the bit between their teeth and were off. They found all their own music and devised all their own performances.

To this end the Dilmun was an absolute flurry of activity in the weeks leading up to the event.

Keen competitor Gabby Scopes flew in on the morning of the event, in order to partner with her brother and put her mare Flicka through her paces.

Lisa Powick was a returning face from Australia. The former stable boss was back from the land Down Under, and was almost as excited as Kuwait to get back into competing, tinged with sadness though, as Powick partnered with Nicky Langley riding Tayar in what was her final show in Bahrain before moving to Qatar.

The afternoon’s stage was set for a superb Pairs to Music Dressage demonstration from stable manager Carina Abdulrahman astride Raggy and Abigail Peck riding Pipsqueak to a compilation of Beethoven’s 5th symphony, Cotton Eyed Joe by Rednex, and Jump Around by House of Pain.

It was a spectacular start to the event. The show was judged by Abdulrahman and Peck after they had finished their demonstration and sponsored by YK Almoayyed & Sons and Infiniti, who provided glass horse trophies and medals as prizes, as part of the company’s sponsorship of Ahmed Rasool, the number one junior tennis player in Bahrain.

Rasool, who also gave each rider a signed tennis ball, said: “My journey with YK Almoayyed & Sons and Infiniti has been fulfilling from the very start. It has allowed me to be a part of various events across the kingdom and has given me the opportunity to interact with young sportsmen and women to encourage them to follow their dreams.

“Most of all, it has given me the chance to inspire young people to pursue their passions and I am thankful for being given the chance to do so.”
So there it is for now, the finish to the 2012/2013 season. As soon as competitions return I will be back to bring you news, views, information and action from the equine scene.

Pairs to Music Dressage results

Introductory/Junior Riders class: 1 Natalie Gunby / Dilmun Duke with Lauren Storey / Dilmun Toby; 2 Georgia Macdonnald / Dilmun Jellaby with Katie Sillman / Dilmun Fallah; 3 Aya Faraj / Fallah with Summer Bayliss / Dilmun Phantom

Novice Mixed Junior/Adult class: 1 Andrew Scopes / Porphyry with Gabby Scopes / Flicka; 2 Georgia Sims / Laddie with Charlotte Gunby / Magnum; 3 Lisa Powick / Kuwait with Nicky Langley / Tayar