Barbados will be looking to remain on top of their game in the BRC Caribbean Equestrian Association Regional Dressage two-day competition today and tomorrow at the Congo Road Equestrian Centre, St Philip.
While COVID-19 has forced changes in the way this year’s competition was structured and executed, with only one country left to host their CEA Jumping, Barbados have set the standard and will hope to hold on to gold.
Veteran equestrian Roberta Foster and her mare Chichic are leading the pack, while Mackenzie Manning and Ruveyda have moved up a category alongside the versatile Tammy Pinto and Valentino in the senior category.
In the junior division, the top riders to look out for are Scarlett Famer and Isla Domengue.
Many weeks of training were lost as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown in March, and competitions and clinics were all cancelled.
The Barbados Equestrian Association, which maintained contact with riders via Zoom, rescheduled its calendar and reduced the entry fee to encourage riders to compete.
The dressage riders are hoping to follow in the footsteps of their fellow equestrian show jumpers, who had a successful CEA competition this year with Candace Jones, Dominique Jones and Nayia Hinds leading the way.
The third and final leg of the FEI Jumping World Challenge is scheduled for Whitehall Equestrian Centre, St Peter, on December 6, and Laura Smith and Paige Tryhane are expected to do battle for the spot in Category C.
Underdogs Candace Jones and her ride Spartan are set to give Tryhane and Smith a run for their money.
Following the Category C competition, the National League Championship will begin, with the final curtain set to close on a cross country eventing clinic at Whitehall on December 13. (PR/RA)
