Sedbergh School’s Equestrian Team Shines at Hickstead
The National Schools Finals at the iconic venue Hickstead in West Surrey, is one of the highlights of the summer term for the Equestrian Team. We worked hard all winter to qualify for various classes and although it was a long journey of at least 6 hours for many, it is always a privilege to ride there. There is a lovely atmosphere with everyone camping out in the beautiful surroundings. The Sedbergh Team camaraderie is always very special with everyone supporting each other. We took a Team of 6 riders which included Elsie, Olivia, Emma, Harriet, Harriet B. and Nina.
We qualified for the Eventers Challenge classes in the 70, 80 and 90 centimeters and also County Dressage. The Team had an amazing weekend from start to finish, with the highlight being our 80cm Eventers Challenge Team being placed 5th out of 60 teams in the.
“We were delighted, as there were huge numbers in this class with 250 riders competing in the 80cm alone and it started at 7.30am and finished at 7.30pm, so to come home with a rosette in the top 8 was an amazing achievement, “
Faye Barker, Sedbergh Team Manager.
Our team finished with four clears on the board and most importantly lovely rounds, so we were delighted. The class involved each rider completing 8 show jumps followed by 10 cross fences including a water complex, steps, skinnies to navigating some technical lines. Thank you to Scott for helping the Team with course walks and warming up.
Year 10 rider Emma explains, ‘Â We don’t go expecting to place; you just try your best. It doesn’t matter if we are placed, but it is nice! The horse that I rode has been off injured all year. It was his first competition back and we jumped clear in both classes.’Â Faye continued to explain that ‘Just qualifying and going to Hickstead is a success on its own, but our main aim was to have fun, enjoy every moment and give our best’
I’m talking with Elsie and Emma, two of the team that were at Hickstead—both recipients of a new Equestrian Scholarship at Sedbergh. They both started riding at the Prep School when they joined in Year 5. Elsie, going into Year 12, explains that without the equestrian program at the Prep School, she wouldn’t have gotten into competing at events such as Hickstead. Elsie didn’t have her own horse, but living on a farm, she started by looking after friends’ horses during the holidays. It ballooned from there! ‘It’s very rewarding—well, most of the time! We are quite competitive at nationals and the competitive side really teaches you a lot about resilience and life skills.’
‘We’ve had a lot of ups and downs; we know very well that it doesn’t always go well! That’s part of working with horses really—because they’re animals, there are going to be things that go wrong. So you manage it; you are with a team, so everyone experiences it. You just help each other and learn, basically.’
Both girls are excited to be in the first group of Equestrian Scholarships awarded. ‘It’s an acknowledgment of the sport and allows us to get out and do more.’ Equestrian is a unique sport at Sedbergh because riders from the prep and the senior schools train and compete together, and the team has a broad range of ages. It’s also a sport where boys and girls compete on equal terms. Emma, now going into Year 11, says of riding, ‘I love it; it just makes me happy and I enjoy it.”
