FEI Jumping Ponies’ Trophy / AN EMOTIONAL WIN FOR LAURA ANDRE
FEI JUMPING PONIES’ TROPHY AT THE LONGINES EQUITA LYON, CONCOURS HIPPIQUE INTERNATIONAL
Twenty-eight young riders tried to emulate their elders in the main arena of the Longines Equita Lyon, Concours Hippique International, during their stage of the FEI Jumping Ponies’ Trophy, which is like real World Cup for pony riders!
This was fantastic FEI Jumping Ponies’ Trophy class with 1.35m obstacles. In the first leg, only six couples managed to complete a clear round. Six budding show-jumping stars, representing six nations: Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland and France; but which country would win this Grand Prix CWD of the FEI Jumping Ponies’ Trophy?
Well, for the first time in Lyon, Switzerland finally won the class, thanks to Laura Andre, riding Clementine. The young rider was visibly emotional when her victory was announced: “It’s so amazing! It’s beyond words. I have only been riding this pony for a year. Last year, we were on the “Tournée des As 1” circuit. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet! I tried to ride clear rounds and then just told myself to try my best in the jump-off, and it worked!
Even though France only finished fifth in this Grand Prix CWD stage, with Jack Conlon Gâteau and Samba van de Groenheuvel making two mistakes in the jump-off, Olivier Bost, the national coach, was satisfied with his team and noted how lucky they all were to ride on such a course. “First of all, we would like to thank GL events and Sylvie Robert for allowing us and our ponies to be here, among all the CSI 5* riders. All our French riders rode well, even if we lacked a little luck in the jump-off. But, everything is looking great for the 2023 season. I was also really delighted to see that the entire audience was fair play and supported all the children, even if they got behind the French riders a little more,” he concluded with a smile.
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Equita Lyon | The Lyon horse event
