Jumping their way to success

Jumping their way to success

17 April 2013

MEMBERS of Down High School’s various showjumping teams have been honoured for their respective competition successes over the past number of months.

The pupils were among a number honoured at a recent special prize evening at the Mount Crescent campus for their various sporting achievements. They were joined by parents, friends and teachers.

Chef d’equipe, Mrs. Ruth Adams, paid tribute to the dedication and hard work of all team members and awarded rosettes to the Novice Team which recently won the St Patrick’s Day schools’ jumping competition at the Meadows Equestrian Centre in Lurgan.

The team included Ewan Findlay, Ellie Parkhill and Ben Rowlatt-McCormick, while tribute was paid to the open show jumping team of Caitlin Brown, Rachel Adams, Harriet Pele and Tilly Horder who finished second overall in the Meadows EC winter league.

Down High’s show jumping teams are currently very successful in the Mossvale Equestrian Centre league in Dromara where the final placings are still to be competed for due to the inclement weather.

The school also entered a number of teams at the inter-schools show jumping competition held at Balmoral last September with the open team of Chloe Burgess, Rachel Adams, Sinead Boyd and Caitlin Brown secured fifth place.

The equestrian teams have also been presented with three new trophies. An engraved glass trophy presented by Down High School Board of Governors and awarded to Sophie Price for points gained at intermediate level, while Harriet Pele was presented with a cup for the most points gained in open classes by Alan Dunlop of Balloo Vets.

Mrs. Fran McCormick presented The Clarke Gymkhana Cup to Tilly Horder to reflect her spirit of adventure and courage. The trophy was first presented to Mrs. McCormick’s grandfather in 1920 at the Miri Gymkhana Club in Borneo.