Arresting performance from Zarina
THE decision to run two days of competition up to 1.40m paid off for the organisers here, with many new names making a first trip to the Gillingham venue.
Having their first outing for more than a year, local rider Charlotte Lee and Zarina showed their rivals a clean pair of heels in the major class on day two.
“I’m relieved that neither of us has forgotten how to do it. The pressure’s now on because we’ll have to keep it up,” said Charlotte, who fits in running a livery yard with her “proper job” as a police officer.
Zarina, now 16, has been with Charlotte since the start of her career and has competed successfully in two-star classes at the London leg of the Global Champions Tour.
“All my showjumpers get turned away in September while
I concentrate on the hunting season, and then because of Covid-19 there was nothing for us to do,” explained Charlotte. “We hadn’t jumped a course of more than four fences before coming here, but she feels better than ever.
“Zarina’s my only showjumper at the moment, so I’m going on the hunt for a couple of youngsters to produce,” added Charlotte.
Yasmin Davis is another rider who lives close to the showground, and she and Zanbowa Z blew away the cobwebs with a 1.30/1.40m victory on day one.
“I’m so pleased for the organisers because shows have been fairly quiet in the past and the all-weather surface is so good that they deserved more support,” said Yasmin, who bought 11-year-old Zanbowa unbroken and produced him for the start.
“He’s ready for bigger and better things now," she said.