Pony Captain takes charge
JCB Pony Club Championships, Offchurch Bury, Warks
ONE of the smallest equine competitors in the open event took individual showjumping honours underneath 15-year-old Isabella Armstrong for the York and Ainsty North branch.
Riding Rhencullen Tommy Tucker, who stands at 14.2hh and is known as Captain at home, Isabella was the sole rider to jump a treble clear from 52 starters.
“I didn’t really expect too much of him because I thought he would struggle on the horse strides with there being a triple combination on one stride, and he’s always a bit cautious jumping on grass, too,” Isabelle said afterwards. “But he was amazing.”
Captain’s story is remarkable, as Isabella sourced him out of a Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) centre.
“We exchanged him with the RDA for another pony we had, as Captain had become bored of walking around in circles with them,” she explained. “We got him when he was six,
