Barbadian equestrian Emily Kinch is ready for the 22nd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games to be held next month in Veracruz, Mexico.
Kinch will be the Caribbean’s sole representative in the discipline of show jumping.
The ace rider could not have asked for a better conclusion to her preparation training having being named champion in her division for two of the last three weeks of competition.
Towards the end of August, Kinch took her horses to Canada for the Angelstone tournaments and emerged champion rider and reserve champion in each of her divisions with both of her horses.
She was reserve champion on New Boy de Logerie, her chosen mount for the CAC Games, and champion on Sandor, her other CAC-qualified horse, in the 1:30-metre division.
On September 25 and 26, she was again in the top three with second and third-place finishes, respectively, in the amateur round of 1:40 metres at Caledon Equestrian Park.
That was enough to land her the champion rider title in that division out of about 40 riders from the entire North American circuit. Caledon will be hosting the 2015 Pan American Games.
For her last week of competition, Kinch returned to Angelstone which recently hosted some of the world’s best riders for the World Cup Qualifier. On October 2 she slammed the field to win in the 1:40-metre round. Two days later, she placed third in the 1:40 metres Grand Prix Classic.
Her trainers, the father and son team of Ian and Jonathan Millar, have been coaching Kinch for over four years and are extremely pleased with her progress.
“She is exactly where she needs to be at this stage,” said coach Ian Millar, a ten-time Olympian for Canada.
“She is a natural talent. She is a fearless rider with a unique sense of feel for the horse and tricky situations.
“Her passion comes through as she is riding and it is a dream for any coach to have that in a student.”
Jonathan will accompany Kinch to the CAC Games, which will be held from November 14 to 30. (CH)
