Eventing: next season Chelsea Pearce moves up from Junior to Young Rider competitions
It is not hard to guess the highlight of Chelsea Pearce's 2016 eventing season. She was selected to go to Italy with the Great Britain team for the European Junior Championships held at Montelibretti near Rome.
Six riders and their horses travelled to the Championshops. Chelsea, who is based near Marlborough, competed as an individual and finished the competition as the highest placed British rider.
The team took the bronze medal and one cannot help but wonder whether they might have taken silver behind the German riders if Chelsea and her own eleven year-old Dutch gelding Albert VI had been competing in the team.
Chelsea told Marlborough.News: "I was absolutely delighted - Albert performed out of his skin all week - we had a personal best in the dressage, he gave me a great ride in the cross country and a great clear round in the show jumping to take us up to eighth place."
Now the season is over and the horses are out to grass for some well-earned R & R: "They'll all have a rest - then we'll bring them back into work early in December and get them ready for next season - which starts in March." And the prospects for the coming season look good.
This was Chelsea's last year as a junior - she celebrated her eighteenth birthday earlier this month. So she starts next season as an under-21 'young rider': "Hopefully it will be a smooth transition as I've already been competing in Open Intermediate under 21 classes this year."
Chelsea's last eventing competitions of the season were at the Aldon International (October 20) in Somerset. She took Kilnaboy Buffet and the eight year-old gelding Djakota EB. It was Djakota EB's first three-day event and CCI* and they came seventh: "I was really pleased with him. Over the last couple of months he's really grown up."
Earlier in October Chelsea and Djakota took second place in the Open Novice competition at the Calmsden trials and since June they have had three dressage scores in the 26 to 28 range.
In June Chelsea rode Djakota to take first place in the Open Novice Under-18 competition at the Berkshire College of Agriculture trials - with clear rounds and no time faults in the cross country and show jumping and a dressage score of 26.3 that put her five points ahead of her nearest rival.
Next season Chelsea does not just move up an age group for eventing competitions, she also has her A-levels. So she will no doubt be taking revision books with her in the horsebox as she travels to horse trials around the country: "The academic studies are veryimportant, but we have a good team at home and Stonor School are very understanding."
Chelsea says that she would not have got through such a testing season without the support of her sponsors - Ariat Europe, Aqueos, Haygain Hay Steamers and Longcroft Building Services.
...show jumping
Chelsea & Albert VI at the European Junior Championships - cross country and...