MAY 2022 THE RIDER /41
Exclusive to the Digital Edition of The Rider
MAY 2022 Vol. 3, Issue No. 5
CELEBRATING YEARS
Wins For Paralympian Roberta Sheffield In Mannheim Prompt Inspiring Dreams For The Sport
European tour concludes with two podium finishes and personal reflection for Canadian
Mannheim, GER, May 6, 2022 – Two-time Para- lympian Roberta Sheffield successfully concluded her European Tour on Friday, winning two of three tests and earning a personal best in the CPEDI 3* at the Maimarkt-Turnier
the song Sun and Stars, arranged by Avery Maude Dressage. “To achieve a personal
best in a games-like envi- ronment like Mannheim, al- lows us
the 41-year-old. the perfect
preparation opportunity to show how much Fairuza is lifted by big atmosphere,” said
horse
show in Mannheim, Ger- many from May 3-5, 2022. Having competed at
the international event four times, the competition is one close to her heart. “Mannheim is a very special show for me, it was where I first competed for Canada in my first CPEDI3* in 2013,” said Sheffield. “It has such an incredible atmosphere, so buzzy and to do well at Maimarkt-Turnier has been a dream for so long.” Sheffield, who is
based in Lincolnshire, Eng- land and Fairuza, her 13- year-old Gelderlander mare, competed in the Grade III division, beginning the Fédération Equestre Interna- tionale (FEI)
three-day
event with a 68.922% in the Team Test on Wednesday for second place behind Germany’s Melanie Wien- and and Lemony’s Lover-
boy. The pair, along with
their groom Alyssa Carter, reached the top of the podium the following two
days, earning the win over Wienand in the Individual Test with 71.520% and post- ing a personal best of 74.778% in the Freestyle to
Sheffield and her own Fairuza prepare for competition in Mannheim. Photo Credit: Silke A. Rottermann
“Wonky is a horse that re- ally brings her ‘A’ game when it matters.” Sheffield, who’s been
on the road since the end of March 2022, reflected on how amazing this road trip experience has been for her and her team. “Boarding in Volker Eubel’s barn has en- abled us to have an immer- sive experience and learn a great deal; Clive Milkins and my grooms have been so supportive.” This time away from
home has also given her the opportunity to reflect on the last nine years of FEI-level para-dressage competition and how she would like to see the sport grow globally. “The wonderful thing about para is your disability does- n’t matter, your perform- ance is what matters,” she described. “It is what you can do and not what you can’t do, and I want para- dressage to be a sport that can enhance the lives of
the uniqueness of being an equestrian living with a dis- ability, “It’s about creating a partnership and perform- ance in the moment of time rather than dwelling on the limitations in your life. The horses are amazing, the way they compensate for us and adapt to us is mind-blow- ing.”
Sheffield, her stead-
fast partner and her team are set to return to the United Kingdom, where she will be teaching at the Army Saddle Club this upcoming week- end and Fairuza will receive a well-deserved break. The pair will return to training and plan to work on aspects from the judges’ feedback throughout the past 6 weeks. With fingers crossed,
they are hoping to be se- lected for the Canadian team heading to the FEI World Championships in Herning, DEN in August. If that hap- pens, we’re sure that as a wonderful ambassador for sport
and
Sheffield celebrating a victory while standing on the podium in Mannheim, Germany. Photo Credit: Silke A. Rottermann
more and more people. Hopefully, it can bring about positive change in disabled
peoples’ lives.” Her
The 60th Hickstead Derby
T When the Al Shira’aa Derby takes place at Hick- stead in West Sussex on Sunday 26 June, it will mark the 60th edition of this iconic showjumping class. The British Jumping
Derby was the brainchild of Hickstead’s founder, Dou- glas Bunn. An international showjumper himself, Dou- glas had dreamed of open- ing
Britain’s first
purpose-built showjumping venue. In 1959, he pur- chased Hickstead Place and its surrounding acreage – the following year, the All England Jumping Course opened. Having been inspired
by watching cine reel footage of the Hamburg Derby, Douglas wanted to
create his own version and in 1961 the first Hickstead Derby was held. Hickstead’s huge main arena was de- signed to offer British riders the chance to jump the sort of fences they might en- counter in Europe, with challenging fences that re- ally resonated with the pub- lic. This was never more true than in the Derby, with its vast water jump, tower- ing rails, the tricky Devil’s Dyke treble, and the 10ft 6in high slope of the Derby Bank. That first Derby in
1961 was won by Ireland’s Seamus Hayes and his great partner Goodbye III, and in the six decades since it has been won by many of inter- national
showjumping’s
The 60th Al Shira’aa Derby will take place at Hickstead in West Sussex on Sunday 26 June. Image to be credited to Nigel Goddard.
biggest names: including David Broome, Harvey Smith, Marion Mould, Nel- son Pessoa, John and Michael Whitaker, Paul Schockemöhle, Nick Skel- ton and Ben Maher. The most successful Derby com- bination of all was Eddie Macken and Boomerang, who won the class an in- credible four times in a row from 1976 to 1979. The course has barely
changed in the years since the class was first invented, and clear rounds are still as hard to come by. In 2019, in the latest running of the Al Shira’aa Derby, three riders managed to jump clear and go into a jump-off, which was won by the then 19- year-old Irish rider Michael
Pender. Until the Covid-19 pan-
demic, the Hickstead Derby had never once been can- celled, but due to restric- tions both the 2020 and 2021 editions could not be held. But this summer the event is back for its 60th running, and crowds will be welcomed back to this his- toric showjumping venue to see who will lift the trophy in this special year. Tickets for the Al Shi-
ra’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting (23-26 June) are on sale now, and competitor en- tries are now open. V i
s i
www.hickstead.co.uk for more information.
inspirational thoughts continued about inclusivity,
Canada will certainly be there cheering them on. For more information
on the event in Mannheim, please
ht tps: / /
www.maimarkt-
turnier.de/
visit
t
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