As with the heats, the final round was a combination of dressage and show jumping. Dressage is a test of skill and cooperation between the horse and the rider. It consists of a set exercise of movements in a small arena where the rider and horse are judged on precision, movement and style by two examiners at different locations around the dressage area.
Normally a dressage competitor would practice on their own horse for a long time before a competition to build up an understanding between rider and horse. However, for the Interschool Equestrian Challenge, the horses were randomly drawn shortly before the event and then allocated to riders, who only had a matter of minutes to become familiar with the horses before entering the dressage ring.
As the horses were all transported to Happy Valley from Tuen Mun just before the competition they were just as excited as the riders and quite nervous.
Clinton Whyte drew an excitable horse called Shining Gem. Just like Clinton, Shining Gem is a New Zealander, and was a famous race horse in Hong Kong, winning millions of dollars in prize money. Clinton also drew first competitor spot which added to the pressure.
Harmony Ho also drew Shining Gem, while Catriona Leven was given Majestic Warrior, and Xantha Leatham, Vitality Star.
At the end of the dressage section of the challenge Harmony Ho came in first place, Catriona in third, and Xantha in fourth overall. This excellent result put Sha Tin College in the lead going into the show jumping round. The team was proud of their efforts and their school, and tried their best for the team leader Ms. McIntyre.
Author: Clinton Whyte
Editor: Austin Liew
Tags: challenge, competition, equestrian, horse, horse-riding, interschool
