Down High Flyers Gallop to Gold

St Patrick’s Day is always a special occasion in the sporting calendar and this year thankfully events at The Meadows Equestrian Centre were back to normal. The annual inter-school show jumping competition attracted teams from across the province, and the Open class, which was a qualifier for Balmoral Show was particularly competitive.

In the Novice class, Sarah Carse, Emily Carse, Ellen MacNabb and Sophie Herron were narrowly beaten into second place. In the Open class Down High had been drawn 16^th in the competition, and just before they entered the arena, only one other school had finished the course on a zero score. The spectator grandstand was full, the weather was close to perfect and the fences were set to be executed with precision.

It had proved reasonably tricky so far and understandably the four riders from Down High were more nervous than usual. However, after a breath-taking effort the Down High Flyers managed to finish on a zero score and the clock showed that they had also beaten the time of all the other teams.

The presentation of awards quickly followed. Abby Cummiskey, Annie Gibson , Megan Nelson and Zara Sharvin entered the arena once again to receive their rosettes and coveted ticket to Balmoral Show. It was a proud day for their chef d’equipe Ruth Adams, their parents and indeed for Down High School. They are now looking forward to a great day out at the Bluegrass Open Championship at Balmoral Showgrounds on 14th May.