Adele second at champs
For young Adele Rycroft of Dannevirke last weekend in the Wellington-Horowhenua Showjumping and Showhunter Championships placing runnerup in the Young Rider Showjumping competition is the peak of her early career.
Adele has been riding competitively for four years, the first two in the pony competition where she acquitted herself well.
Last year she graduated to horses riding Jericho R, an 11-year-old horse which had done virtually no showjumping. Starting in the 1.10 and 1.15 metre events last year, Adele and Jerry, as she calls him, really gelled and Adele felt confident to enter the Young Rider Series for 2019.
After jumping clear in the Central Hawke’s Bay competition two weeks ago, Adele was in her first jump off but a mistake on the course cost her any success.
Last week at the Foxton Race Course Adele and Jericho R jumped clear and were one of eight from a field of 29 to compete in the jump-off. This time there was no mistake and Adele was one of two to jump clear, losing the winner’s ribbon on time difference. The horse which won was a world cup horse in 2018.
Adele admitted going into the final round she was so nervous she could not look at the heights of the jumps being set but Jericho R sailed over them, a really good effort for a horse smaller than many of the competition.
Ahead for Adele lies the rest of the Young Rider Series, next up being Feilding then Hawke’s Bay and the Christmas Classic at
Taupo December 20.
In the long term Adele says goodbye to Dannevirke High School and its equestrian team, off to Massey University to do communication and media studies.