Britain’s Paul Barker underlined his consistency by posting a win on the final day of this year’s Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show.
Paul and the highly-rated Happy Boy won the two-star accumulator class, sponsored by AW Jenkinson Forest Products, on the maximum score of 65 points.
Riders collect points for each fence jumped, and if combinations are tied, then time separates them, with Paul clocking 45.75 seconds.
Annabel Shields and Carnoneybridge Challenger finished second, also on 65 points, in 46.23 seconds, and Ireland’s Max O’Reilly Hyland was third with a other mamimum on 47.77.
There was entertainment galore in the ever-popular Mini Major class, sponsored by Archco Developments, which paired adult showjumpers with the younger generation of pony riders in a fancy dress relay competition.
And the pre-class favourites Laura Renwick and Scarlett Lomas-Cox delivered the goods, using all their extraordinary powers as Super Woman and Wonder Woman, respectively, to win in 52.66 seconds.
It was the second year running for Scarlett to win the class, and she had a dream partner in Laura, who is renowned as being among the sport’s quickest riders.
Chloe Aston and Noora Von Bulow were runners-up, just three hundredths of a second behind, with Michael Pender and Madeleine Kerrigan taking third.
