Congratulations to the Beechwood Equestrian Team who braved the freezing conditions earlier in January to represent the School at the County Qualifier 2022 at Bury Farm

The School entered two teams –   Leo (Year 5) and his pony Coco, and Chloe (Year 6) and pony Pebbles, who stepped up from the 60cm to the 70cm class (no mean feat at a county qualifier!) and the 70 and 80cm team which included Rory and Penny (Year 6), and Maya (Top Form); the latter were missing their fourth rider John (Year 7), so rode both classes and had to perform under increased pressure.

Chloe and Leo had displayed great bravery in tackling higher fences, and both learnt a lot from the experience – we cannot wait to see how they get on at further competitions in the future.

The 70 and 80cm team were incredibly slick and gave a fantastic performance in the 70cm class against 21 other schools from Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire;  their poise and skill were rewarded with a third place finish overall, and first place in Hertfordshire, making Beechwood County Champions for the very first time!  Well done to all three on this fantastic achievement.

The congratulations don’t end here though; Maya on Prince went one step further and won her class and was therefore crowned Individual County Champion.  Well done Maya!  Another special mention for Rory who was the only Beechwood rider to go clear at 80cms over an incredibly tough, unforgiving, full up to size course, in which over two-thirds of the competitors were eliminated.

As a result of this spectacular performance, Maya, Penny and Rory have been invited to the NSEA 2022 Championships at Hickstead later this year.

All team members  showed resilience, joy in competing and determination under pressure.  As always, thank you not only to the riders, but also to their marvelous steeds, and their long suffering grooms!  There are lots of early mornings, frequently in the cold, and plenty of hard work to get to this level – we are all extremely proud of the whole team.