Equestrian Community Shaken as Overnight Leader Eliminated in Influential Showjumping Event

The Paris Olympics is next year and horse riders are participating in the competitive events in preparation for it. The prestigious Blenheim Horse Trials are underway at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock. This international event is known for its challenges and attracts equestrians from all over the world. The event is for eight and nine-year-old horses and people get to see the upcoming stars at this event.

The three-day-long trails have dressage, showjumping, and cross-country events. During the ongoing trials, the equestrian community got a shock after the completion of the showjumping event. The leaderboard was completely changed which seemed to be unexpected to many. But, showjumping is a challenging sport and surprises can happen in a day.

Equestrian enthusiasts surprised by new leaderboard

According to Horse and Hound, Tom McEwen and his nine-year-old gelding were the overnight leaders after the completion of the dressage event. They had a 24.6 score with a lead of 0.1 of a penalty over the second spot holder Oliver Townend. But, the overall ranking after the dressage event was pretty tight with any fault meant heavy loss and clear jumps meant high rewards. McEwen arrived with the Fred and Penny Barker-owned MHS Brown Jack on his turn for the jump.

But, this time luck was not on their side. They rubbed the first colored pole but it didn’t fall and after completion of their round, they had pushed down five rails. This meant that it attracted 20 showjumping penalties. According to FEI rules in classes where showjumping comes prior to cross-country if the participant gets 20 or more jumping penalties on colored poles, then he will be eliminated.

This meant that MHS Brown Jack’s journey at the current event ended in disappointment. On the other hand, the second place Oliver Townend and his horse Cooley Rosalent had a clear showjumping round without any penalty and took the first spot. Piggy March and her horse Brookfield Future News are in second place. This overnight leader elimination and the change in the leader’s board have surprised the equestrian enthusiasts and are now looking forward to the cross-country event at Blenheim Horse Trials.

History of Blenheim Horse Trials

The Blenheim Horse Trials started in the year 1990. It was held in Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire among the beautiful and historic surroundings of the palace. The first year attracted a huge number of participants for the new horse trial. Over the years it became popular and in 1994 hosted the FEI European Young Rider Championships.

Last year crossed a new mile by becoming the first British venue to hold senior FEI European Eventing Championships for forty years after Burghley. Pippa Funnell is the most successful equestrian in its history with four record wins.

Read More: “This Is Very Special”: 40-Year-Old Olympic Equestrian Goes Candid After Achieving Huge Feat at 5-Star Event

The change in the leader’s board after the showjumping event shows the tough competition among the participants with any mistake might prove to be very costly. Hence all equestrians should be wary of the challenges showjumping brings to this sport.

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