Hickstead success for Elizabeth Power

Meath woman Elizabeth Power, from Summerhill, won a prestigious showjumping class at Hickstead’s Longines Royal International Horse Show yesterday.

She secured the win in the Amlin Plus Eventers Challenge riding her own 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Doonaveeragh O One - going one better than their second place in last year's event.

The pair produced one of only two clear rounds in the class, and sealed the victory by just 0.85 seconds.

 

“I had no choice but to go fast, there were no other tactics involved and I knew I had time to find from last year even. I know he's not going to look at anything, he's seen it all before and he's not going to surprise me,' she commented.

The unique class sees horse and rider tackle a course of cross-country fences in Hickstead’s famous International arena.

Some of the fences are fixed and others can be knocked down, which adds four seconds to the rider’s time.

Last month she finished 10th in the world famous Equestrian.com Hickstead Derby, and in 2013 Doonaveeragh O One made headlines when winning the Hickstead Speed Derby ridden by Elizabeth’s brother Robert who sustained an injury in a fall at Galway on Wednesday.

Doonaveeeragh O One - known as Tommy - started life as an event horse, but after some time off, the decision was made to concentrate on showjumping to protect his limbs from the wear and tear of galloping across country.

“He's amazing, he's come here and done a 1m60 Derby and then come back and done this - he hasn't jumped a cross country fence since he was here last year. He can jump big fences for fun, he's the bravest thing I've ever sat on - I'd ride down to a house on him,” she added.

The six day horse show is one of the oldest and most prestigious competitions in the calendar, and also hosts a leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Series.