THORNABY 14-year-old Pippa Allen dominated the top pony jumping title on offer at the 2008 easibed BSJA Scope Show Jumping Festival.

The festival, staged over seven days at the Staffordshire County Showground, is show jumping's end of season finale which attracts thousands of riders of all ages, who have qualified from across Britain.

Pippa, who won team gold at the Pony European Show Jumping Championships for the second year running this summer, was in action in the Dunglenn 148cms Championships, for riders aged 16 or under. This is a class she is making her own, having won the title in 2006 and finished second last year.

Only the top 30 ponies at the Festival went through to the final round of the competition and Pippa had three of those - her European partner, the appaloosa mare Spot the Lady, Caprice III and Indian De Here.

The first two of her rides both made the timed jump-off, with Indian de Here going out with just one down in the first round.

"Pippa had an early draw in a 12-strong jump-off on Spot the Lady and set a really good time," said father Peter Allen. "It put the pressure on the others and most of them made mistakes trying to catch them.

They held on to win and Caprice came in close to the end to go clear and claim second spot. This mare is owned by Manchester United and England footballer Wes Brown."

Pippa was also third in the Junior Newcomers Masters on the German-bred pony Rusty Boy, who is owned by international rider John Popely and his wife Lea.

She was also fourth on the Belgian-bred chestnut Farouk Van De Schanschoeve and both ponies will contest the Junior Newcomers Championship at the famous Horse of the Year Show next month.

Pippa's run continued with a fourth in the under-16 Championship, jumped on horses, where she rode the young sixyear- old Holly 112, formerly jumped by Ellen Whitaker, for owner Dawn Ward.

Cousin Yasmin Tanfield, like Pippa based at the familyowned Stainsby Grange Equestrian Centre, claimed the primary 138cms championship title on Wakeleys Foxhunter, who jumped the only clear in a nine pony jump-off to score an emphatic win.

The pair, winners of team silver at the Scottish Home Pony International last month, pulled off a sharp turn to an upright fence that had caught out many of their rivals.

Yasmin, also a promising tennis player, was then second in the National 128cms Championship on Silver Wonder, who won a prelim round in this category, in an incredibly fast jump-off.

She was just pipped at the post by Katie House in a thrilling climax to the class.

Pippa's younger sister Millie Allen, 10, was runner-up in the Primary 128cms Championship on her little chestnut mare Flinor Songbird but just missed out in the National 128cms Championship, where she was going for a hat trick.

"Millie just overcooked it in the National jump-off on Matthews Girl - she turned tight to a fence and the pony stopped," Mr Allen explained.

"It was just one of those things but she was gutted, as she really wanted to win three times in a row."

● Local event riders Georgie Morrison and Laura Ritchie- Bland will be making the trip over the Irish Sea this week, to contest one of Northern Ireland's top equestrian competitions, the Necarne Castle International Horse Trials.

Georgie, 19, from Darlington, will be in action in the CCI** where her rivals will include top senior internationals such as Jeanette Brakewell, Paul Tapner and Brook Staples.

She has entered the 13-yearold mare Alberts Gold, her partner of the past three seasons and 12th in the Junior CCI* at Necarne in 2007.

Laura, 16 and from Richmond, will ride Russelstown Prince in the CCN Pony two star international, one of seven British pony riders making the trip.

The pair, who are in their first British Eventing season together, were second in their last run on home soil, at Draycott House just over a fortnight ago, but this will be their first time at Necarne.