VP’s equestrians the top EP team in finals
THE Victoria Park High equestrian team emerged victorious in the SA National Equestrian Schools Association (Sanesa) league at the regional finals prize-giving in Grahamstown on Saturday.
In the Eastern Cape, the Sanesa core league (dressage, showjumping, equitation and showing) is run in two regions – EP, with 23 schools, and Border, with nine schools. VP convincingly won the EP chapter of the league by 12 440 points and were also the highest-scoring school in the Eastern Cape.
VP won the showjumping, equitation and showing trophies and were runners-up in dressage, which was won by their closest rivals, Woodridge.
VP teacher in charge of equestrian Donnell Goldberg said: “It would have been wonderful to have the won the dressage trophy too, but we love a challenge and will work hard to improve our performances in the dressage arena.”
There were several commend- able individual achievements. Tori Nienhuis, competing on Carnival Star and Lyric Star, earned the highest points overall, and Kelsey Hunter was named top rider in the horserider combination on Proper Fox. Tori (Carnival Star) and Kristen-Lee Harrington (Butler’s Birthday), also from VP, were second and third respectively, while Carmen Thurnher was third in the newcomer category.
The Sanesa eventing series is run across the Eastern Cape. VP triumphed in this competition for the third year in a row. Eventing requires the team to compete in show-jumping, dressage and cross-country. VP’s Kristen-Lee came second in the province.
Kristen-Lee, Tori, Kelsey, Ashleigh Leedo, Storm Gorham, Nancy-Jane Huntly and Danielle Garner have been invited to compete in the EP regional finals and are line to represent the province at the national finals in Pretoria in October.