King’s Ely rider rises to the challenge at Pony of the Year Show 2018

Talented King’s Ely rider Adele Shaw was victorious at this year’s Pony of the Year Show.

Adele, 12, a student at King’s Ely Junior, was the only competitor from a field of 68 riders to go clear in all three rounds with her much-loved pony, Manor Pearl. The Pony of the Year Show (POYS) took place at Olney Showground in Rugby, Warwickshire, during the Easter holidays.

The qualifiers started on the Friday, which required a double clear round in the main indoor arena. More qualifiers were held the next day in the outdoor arena. All the double clears then have to jump another round on the Sunday night for the Grand Prix finale jump off, meaning to even get to that point, riders have to jump three consecutive clear rounds.

Adele’s first round started with the full 68 young riders. They had 16 very technical fences to jump, and only 11 riders achieved clear rounds. Only nine riders made it through to the third jump off round, from which Adele’s scintillating turns made her the winner. Adele and Manor Pearl were the only combination who rode three perfect clear rounds.

The King’s Ely Equestrian Team, of which Adele is an avid member, has and is continuing to enjoy lots of success this season. In March, Adele and three other members of the team – George Hearn, Emily Gredley and Ryan De Sousa – qualified for the Royal Windsor Horse Show being held next month.

During the Easter holidays, four members of the team – George Hearn, Emily Gredley, Ellie Grimsey and Katie Cameron – also competed in the National Schools Equestrian Association’s (NSEA) Jumping with Style Arena Eventing Qualifiers at Codham Park Equestrian Centre in Essex. The team competed as a four in the 90cms class and were placed fifth. In the 1m class, Katie came a very respectable 6th individually.

On April 20th, King’s Ely riders Rebecca Everitt, Katie Cameron, Ellie Grimsey and Thea Holdaway also competed in the NSEA County Dressage Championships, held at Bury Farm Equestrian Centre in Buckinghamshire.

The King’s Ely riders were placed 9th out of 21 teams on the day. Rebecca qualified individually and rode a superb test to be placed 6th out of 27 riders. Rebecca also qualified as an individual in the novice section and although unplaced, she rode a great test at this higher level.

To discover more about the King’s Ely Equestrian Team and opportunities at King’s Ely, please visit www.kingsely.org