Madison Bult pulled off her own little slice of magic to win the 2013 FEI Children’s International Showjumping qualifier in Gisborne today (Saturday).
Aboard Mr Black Magic at the Larsen Sawmilling Equestrian Championships, the 12-year-old from Auckland won the class and will now have to wait on tenderhooks to find out if she will make the world final next year.
Young riders from across the globe jump an identical course, with the best going on to represent their countries at the world final. New Zealand is the first to hold it’s qualifier and Kiwi riders face an anxious wait while the rest of the world catches up.
A very excited Bult headed home eight other combinations, who jumped four full rounds over the past two days to find the winner.
Her record was clean right to the second to last fence of the final round, when she rather unluckily rattled it a little too hard, resulting in four faults when it hit the ground.
Bult was sitting in second place overnight in the FEI competition, behind Elmo Jackson (Auckland) Mahoe Moon Frost.
Today Jackson missed a fence in the final round, forcing him to circle back and take the jump, but picking up four faults in the process for crossing his own line, and leaving him in fourth place overall.
Second today went to Georgina Duncan (Hunterville) on the perennial Mr Sky Walker who notched two clear rounds – the only one to do so on the final day.
The third placed Mathew Irvine (Takapau) and Fun House picked up four faults in his final round.
The New Zealand team finished on 16 faults, which will put them out of the running for a good world ranking.
But the day really belonged to Bult, who has had Mr Black Magic for nearly a year, and was making her debut in the international event.
The Albany Junior High School pupil who is trained by Lisa Coupe (Kumeu) is starting to make her mark in the top echelons of junior equestrian, having made two New Zealand teams this season – one to Columbia and the other to South Africa.
But she’s not letting it go to her head, with a strong focus on doing her best, and maybe picking up a few more pony grand prix placings along the way.
Results: FEI Children’s International Showjumping (after four rounds)Madison Bult (Kumeu) Mr Black Magic 1, Georgina Duncan (Hunterville) Mr Sky Walker 2, Mathew Irvine (Takapau) Fun House 3, Elmo Jackson (Auckland) Mahoe Moon Frost 4, Shanae McKay (Levin) Kabo So Far 5.
