Neilson shines on the big stage at HOYS (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Neilson shines on the big stage at HOYS

1:40pm Friday 24th October 2008

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SEVERAL local riders finished in the money at the Horse of the Year Show, which this year celebrated its 60th birthday and drew more than 56,000 spectators to the NEC, Birmingham.

Saltburn’s Dan Neilson, a member of the British gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Junior European Championships and one of the country’s brightest young show jumping hopes, came home with the Tri Zone Senior Newcomers Championship title.

The class, for up and coming novice horses, saw eight of the 20 starters go clear in the first round, with Neilson among them on the six-year-old chestnut gelding Chauvanist.

“The first round course was quite tricky for a young horse, with lots of changes of direction and turns back on yourself,” he said.

“That means horses don’t quite know where they are, but Chauvanist dealt with it really well.”

The pair then had the disadvantage of being drawn first in the jump-off, giving them no chance to see what their rivals could do and improve on it.

Neilson said: “It was a really twisty track in the jump-off – not massive, but the sort of course that needed a sharp and careful horse who knew just what to do with his feet.

“I had to set the pace, but only went as fast as I thought was right for my horse at this stage in his career. He’d only gone fast against the clock twice before, in the qualifier and at the Six-Year-Old Championships at Arena UK, where he finished third, and I was happy with how well he responded this time.”

Neilson then faced a very tense wait, thinking his time was sure to be beaten. But only one horse went faster than Chauvanist and that was at the expense of a fence down, so the combination clinched victory with the only double clear.

Thornaby sisters Millie and Pippa Allen came close to a double at the show, where they were competing in the junior national show jumping finals, open to qualified riders aged 16 or under on ponies.

Younger sister Millie, just ten, won the 128cm championship, for riders aged 12 or under, on her little mare Matthew’s Girl, who was one of six ponies to make the jump-off.

Her father Peter Allen said: “Millie was first to go against the clock and set a time that put the pressure on the others, without going crackers.

“The others were making mistakes, with just two more ponies going clear, and she ended up winning by over two seconds. Millie was also eighth on Flinor Songbird, who had one unlucky fence down in the first round, at the middle element of the treble.”

Pippa, who turns 15 later this month and was on the British gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Pony European Championships, was runner-up in the Junior Newcomers final.

This was on her novice pony, the Belgian-bred seven-yearold Farouk Van De Schanshoeve, who jumped a double clear and was just a split second behind the winner.

“This pony jumped fantastically and we have really high hopes of this one for next year,”

Mr Allen said. “Pippa was also ninth on Rusty Boy, who is only five and was making his Horse of the Year debut.”

The girls’ cousin, Yasmin Tanfield, 12, was seventh in the 138cm championship on Wakeley’s Foxhunter, who had an unlucky fence down in the first round, and 12th in the 128cm championship on Silver Wonder.

Potto’s Laura Robinson was a split second away from winning the national 138cm championship, open to riders aged 14 or under, on her roan pony Orlando XI.

In the pair’s last competition together – Orlando was sold in August, but came back for Laura to contest the Horse of the Year final – they finished just behind winner Jessica Crosby after being beaten to the top spot by less than one second.

“Only two got into the jumpoff – the first round course was quite technical, with a lot of fences set coming off corners and some long distances where you had to put your leg on,” said the 13-year-old, a pupil at Polam Hall School in Darlington.

“I then had to go first in the jump-off. I knew I needed to secure a clear, but I had to go as fast as I could – I got the clear I needed, but Jessica knew what she had to do and just got ahead of me.”

Laura has twice been to HOYS before, on her smaller 128cm ponies, but her best previous result was a sixth.

She added: “A second was very good. I love the Horse of the Year as the atmosphere is so good and everyone gets behind you – it’s my favourite show of the whole year.

“I now have two 148cm ponies for next year – Paddy Power and a young pony who has been eventing previously.”

Thornton le Moor’s Paul Barker, 30, who is ranked close to the top ten in British show jumping, was in action in the international classes.

He scored a great win in the Grandstand Classic, beating Hickstead Derby winner Geoff Billington and rising young star William Whitaker by a clear margin, on his 11-year-old chestnut mare Elegant C.

The horse, which Barker coowns with Sue Clarke, was also third in the Bob Hurford Memorial Cup, jumping a good double clear. Barker also picked up a third, fourth and two eighths on another chestnut mare, Temple Ryefield.

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