Horseabout Zibu lights up the ring

The under-18 titles are hard fought with Tatiane Mauree preparing for an upcoming Nations Cup with a 148cm win, while Megan Li cleans up in the children-on-horses final

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THE winner of the E-Vet Drug Ltd national 148cm championship may look quite ordinary to some people, her owner said, but “when she goes in the ring, it’s like a light switches on”.

Horseabout Zibu and her 15-year-old rider Tatiane Mauree jumped the only double clear of 25 starters to take the national title, which mother Arlina said was good preparation for the forthcoming pony Nations Cup competition, in which “Boo” and Tatiane will represent Britain.

“They needed to build a testing course; they needed to be sure they had the right people for the Nations Cup, and to give them a good run,” Arlina said of the 1.30/1.35m track.

“Boo’s got such a great work ethic and she’s so laid-back; people might think she looks a bit ordinary, but then she goes in the ring and it’s like a light switches on; she loves her job.”

The family bought the mare, now 10, as a novice, and had “no idea how good she was going to be”.

“We’ve taken it very slowly, so it was very disappointing at the start of this year, Tatiane’s last on ponies, when we’d done everything right and suddenly there were no shows, said Arlina. “It’s fantastic they’ve resumed, and that Nina Barbour’s so generously offered to hold this here.”

Tabitha Kyle and Orchids Vienna and Claudia Moore on Elando Van De Roshoeve touched a jump-off pole each to take second and third place respectively.