Author: andy

Equestrians kicked off the 2024-2025 horse show season with a weekend of camaraderie, teamwork and spirited competition, as four teams gathered to contest the first leg of the Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League (BIEL). Defending champions Mariposa Gold Drops looked strong in their first start, winning convincingly with a total of 48 points. The Camperdown Equestrian Centre Blue Marlins were 2nd with 40 points, while the Mariposa Monarchs and CEC Sand Dollars finished 3rd and 4th, respectively.

The competition took place at Mariposa Stables and was judged by Mary Knowlton, USEF ‘R’ Judge and former President of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA).
Once the awards were handed out, riders lined up to confer with Judge Knowlton and receive feedback on their performances.

Founded in 2017, the BIEL competition circuit is favourite amongst Bahamian junior equestrians because of the unique format, based on collegiate competition rules, in which competitions are team-based and riders and horses are matched by random draw. BIEL competitions are subsidized by Equestrian Bahamas, the National Federation for Equestrian Sport, providing affordable competition options while also preparing athletes for college competition.

Empowering Clean Sport: Thank you to Bahamas Anti Doping Commission Executive Director Petra Haven and her education team for a spicy Q&A session on the doping control process, prohibited substances, therapeutic use exemptions and more! Riders learned of their rights and responsibilities in the Clean Sport process while the BADC team enjoyed interacting with our horses!

Tasty nibbles, positive vibes and lots and lots of questions were asked and answered at the EB Parent Mix & Mingle event held yesterday at Waterloo! Parents learned about upcoming initiatives, new competitions, opportunities through the Rider Development Pathway, and more. From disciplines and divisions to points and performance awards, there was a lot to discuss! ICYMI – informational brochures are available from your trainer.

Watch Kacy Lyn Smith and D’Angelo 6 compete for the Bahamas in the Juniors (1.40m) Division of the FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships in Traverse City, Michigan!
The competition runs from July 29-August 4.

Watch livestream on USEF.org, on Clip My Horse TV.

Team Bahamas made a triumphant statement in their debut at the 2024 FFE World Clubs Tournament, held from July 22-24 at the Parc Équestre Fédéral in Lamotte-Beuvron, France. This year’s competition marked the Tournament’s 20th anniversary and featured teams from 9 nations: Belgium, Chile, China, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Malta, The Bahamas and Türkiye.

Congratulations to our talented riders -Sienna Tinker, Emma Johnston, Ella Saidi and Katerina Coello –who came out strong and never wavered through three days of competition. The team rode super horses leased from the French trainer Sophie Ducoligny and her stable Haras de la Corbiniere: Sienna on Crabbswood Sebastian, Emma on Rapido du Bosquet, Ella on Un de Plus de Palamie and Katerina on Gadget du Peley. They were supported by Chef d’Equipe Heidi Mello and Coach Raishun Burch.

With just one time fault and one rail down over three days of competition Team China proved hard to beat and were the clear winners finishing with only 5 faults across the whole team. Competition for the remaining podium spots was stiff, with Czech Republic, The Bahamas and Italy all finishing on 12 faults. In the end, it came down to the tiebreaker with the cumulative speeds of the final round deciding the final placings, with just 96/100 of a second making the difference: the Czech Republic’s overall time of 146.68 seconds proved good enough for 2nd place, just edging out The Bahamas who finished on 147.64 for the bronze medal.

Equestrian Bahamas would like to thank the private donors, corporate sponsors and other supporters who made our success at the World Clubs Tournament possible, including Capital Union Bank; Equity Bank Bahamas Ltd.; Lighthouse Security Services; VLK Directors; the Formigé family; ea-St Equestrian apparel; and the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

Participation in the World Clubs Tournament was the last of several regional and international competitions in which The Bahamas participated this competition year. We look forward to participating in more this year – stay tuned to learn about eligibility, opportunities for training, tryouts, selection criteria and more as we continue our mission to bring 242 Equestrian to the world!