Posted: 8th October 2013 | Back to news feed
EquestrianClearance.com sponsored event rider Harriet Morris-Baumber is flying high after a number of great results with Emma Clark’s nine-year-old bay mare, Olympic Belle.
The pair stormed the novice section at Hutton in the Forest after an exceptional dressage test leaving them well in front of the field. After a clear in the show jumping and cross-country phases they picked up just 2.0 time penalties finishing on a score 31.0 penalties with a massive 10.2 penalty lead.
North Yorkshire based Harriet and little Nel, as she is known at home, followed that with a trip to Aske International Horse Trials to compete in their first ever CIC* International Novice. They finished a credible 10th after a great performance.
Said Harriet; “She went exceptionally well and I was really pleased with her. Her dressage test was just as good, if not better, than that at Hutton but the scores reflected the difference between regional novice events and the international stage.”
“She was really bold in the cross-country phase, we were really unlucky in the show jumping and the course was technical set on undulating land. I couldn’t be happier with her especially when some of the names ahead of us were the likes of Caroline Powell and Nicola Wilson!”
Harriet and Nel completed the dressage phase on a score of 50.9 which put them into eighth place. Unfortunately a fence down in the show jumping phase saw them drop a couple more places but a sure footed round in the cross-country phase left them 54.9 penalties.
Harriet and Nel’s latest success came with another Open Novice win, this time at Bishop Burton Horse Trials. They finished the dressage phase in second place with a score of 28.5 penalties and then after two bold clears they only added 1.2 cross-country time penalties to their score.
As others picked up penalties Harriet and Nel moved up to take the leading spot and were the only pair to finish on a sub-30 score.
“Nel did a super dressage test and jumped a superb clear round in the show jumping giving me a great feeling. She whizzed around the cross country course and there were plenty of questions on the course which were catching people out, but Nel was fabulous and zoomed up the hills and made it all feel easy.” Added Harriet.
Harriet is now aiming Nel for the CCI* at Aldon International Horse Trials in Somerset hoping to end the season on a high before making the transition up to intermediate level next season.
Read all about Harriet and her recent activities on the EquestrianClearance.com blog at www.equestrianclearance.com
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