Clementine Yost | Deputy Online Magazine
It’s always great to win on home turf. We saw UCD do just that when they hosted the 2013 Equestrian Intervarsities. But this weekend wasn’t about UCD and Trinity. This weekend was a Student Riders Nations Cup (SRNC) hosted by the Irish University Riding Clubs Association. This time Irish riders, Melanie Young, James Brennan and Beatrice Gates-Hardiman took on the challenge. Not only did they best the rest to make Ireland’s national student rider team, but through consistent riding, they clinched the overall team gold medal.
Ballindenisk, Cork, a town so beautifully in the middle of nowhere that we all thought we’d died and gone to equestrian heaven. Riders and supporters travelled from all over Europe. I represented Canada alongside fellow Canucks, Jordan MacPherson and Cierra Chmiliar. With an abundance of Canadian swag, we decked the yard in red like a case of maple leaf chickenpox or Canada Day on craic.
The competition kicked off on Friday, with first round dressage. Before the dressage, the team chef d’equipe draws a random horse from a hat. Team Canada drew the lovely massive horse with a penchant for going wild in the arena, as he tried to gallop off. I was assigned to him. Yay. As bringing home an armful of rosettes from any SRNC has a lot to do with luck of the draw, I gave up on any fantasy of victory and just tried to keep the horse calm. Somehow, I pulled it off and advanced to round two, a good enough achievement for someone who never rides dressage.
My second round show jumping horse was incredible and made up for the morning’s madness.
Saturday morning was uncharacteristically hot for October; a fine day for show jumping. This time, I was assigned a small, but very talented horse. I was delighted. That is until both his other riders were eliminated as he quit twice with one and threw the other into the oxer. All I had to do was get him over every fence and I’d be into the second round. With a crop in one hand, reins in the other I galloped him up to fence one and growled, “YAH!” He jumped it. And the next three fences. Except the pinche caballo attempted a sliding stop on the way to that fateful oxer, where moments earlier, he threw a Norwegian rider. He jumped it. I lost both stirrups and finished the course without them. Who needs them anyway? This impressed the crowd and the judge; although it didn’t really matter as I was through by default. My second round show jumping horse was incredible and made up for the morning’s madness.
Sunday was the day we had all been waiting for. The finals were upon us and I had made it to third round dressage. Competing in the lashing rain made it quite apparent that I need to invest in waterproof mascara. Of the six riders, I was the only one who looked like a raccoon as I coughed up a lung around my dressage test. Nothing says elegance quite like consumption. I was joined in round three by Trinity teammate, Melanie Young, who helped Ireland win gold, while winning gold overall herself. Final round dressage was a bright orange show down with a musical freestyle and a prix St. George won by Dutch rider, Milou Anthonisse and silver for Dutch rider Rosan Retigan.
I laid down the fastest clear round on my horse for third round show jumping. Melanie went clear, but her Irish teammates had one pole down each.
The final round of show jumping was the biggest thrill I’ve had in a long time. It was down to Domitille Debiesse for France and me for Canada. Domitille and I would ride both and the fastest clear rider would win. There’s a tradition at SRNCs called ‘the kissing ceremony’ where the final two riders link arms, do a double shot of vodka and kiss. After riding the first horses, Domitille and I met in the arena for our kissing ceremony. Usually a boy is brought out for each girl, but they decided we would kiss each other. Arms linked, we threw back the shots and in a fully kitted embrace, with helmet brims clashing, we kissed awkwardly. Apparently nobody thought it would actually happen…
I achieved my goal and didn’t embarrass Canada.
Having kissed and trundled around through the wet grass, we went to mount our final horses. My horse, Jerry Maguire, was the most fun I have had in years. Unfortunately Jerry and I had a pole down, and so with a clear round, Domitille won the gold medal for France. Although I would have loved to win, I was delighted with silver.
While France and Netherlands won the individual golds, it was Ireland that stepped up to claim the team gold. This was thanks to brilliant riding by Trinity student, Melanie Young, who won the overall individual gold by claiming bronze in both dressage and show jumping. No stranger to international competitions, Melanie previously represented Ireland in the European Championships.
Silver was the Canadian theme. I was individual overall silver medalist, while Canada won silver for overall team. We may not have a red rosette to match our dashing maple leaf, but I achieved my goal and didn’t embarrass Canada.
