Author: andy

What a weekend! Thank you to all who participated in the Caribbean Equestrian Association (CEA) Educational Tour and to all the competitors in the inaugural Bahamas leg of the CEA Mini Jumping Challenge. Congratulations especially to Erika Adderley, D’Yanndria Saunders-Curry, Kimberly Johnson, Dr. Amanda Pinder, Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre and Carrie Saidi on achieving certification as CEA Jumping Officials. A HUGE THANK YOU to our clinicians, Heidi Mello, President of the Caribbean Equestrian Association, and Colleen Hoffman, FEI Level 3 Jumping Judge, of Spruce Meadows, Canada.

Congratulations also to those fifteen riders who made history by riding in the inaugural Bahamas leg of the CEA Mini Jumping Challenge. Results were tallied for individuals in each class, and for The Bahamas as a team, and will then be ranked against riders from other CEA member islands. The MJC is run in each CEA member country over the course of the calendar year, after which overall results from the region are tallied and awards distributed.

CEA President Mello had strong words of encouragement for all involved, saying, “As President of the Caribbean Equestrian Association, I have seen many firsts for Equestrian Bahamas. This is their first year as members of the CEA…their first time competing in the CEA Mini Jumping Challenge…and [their] first officials to be regionally credentialed. Equestrian Bahamas has a great future in both international and national equestrian sport. I wish them every success to obtain their reachable goals.”

Big thank you to Camperdown Equestrian Centre for hosting the event, and to the Bahamas Olympic Committee, Blanco Bleach and Fox Hill Nursery for their support in making the event such a success!

View Gallery

Our riders made a splash last weekend at the 2022 Marshall & Sterling Finals in Saugerties, New York. Congratulations to Isabella Coello, Hannah D’Aguilar and Ella Saidi for qualifying to ride in the Finals, against a tough field of 74. We are super proud to have TWO riders finish in the top 12 for the first time ever! Special congratulations go out to Hannah D’ Aguilar and Isabella Coello for amazing first round scores of 80+ and finishing in the ribbons! Hannah rode Last Call (owned by Penny Schell and Valley Crest Stables LLC) to 5th place overall, while Isabella Coello rode Greystone Stables’ Schokolade Sea to round out the top Finalists with a 12th place finish. Of course we also congratulate their trainers Kimberly Johnson of Camperdown Equestrian Centre, and Erika Adderley of Mariposa Stables! Special mention also to Ella Saidi who rode Megan Gore’s Normandy for an overall 30th place finish. Congratulations to all!

Kacy Lyn Smith and her horse Chicago M rode a double clear round at Loudon, Virginia, this weekend – and in doing so made history as the first Bahamian junior rider to qualify for the FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships, to be held at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, in August 2022.

The prestigious FEI Youth Jumping Championships provides an exciting opportunity for young equestrians to compete against their peers, mirroring the format of senior Championships such as the Olympic Games. Team and Individual competitions in each age category are held over multiple days.

16-year old Smith, who lives in Virginia and trains with Kama Godek of Capital Area Premium Sporthorses, will compete for The Bahamas as an individual in the Pre-Junior Championship category. This category is for riders 14-16 years old and features courses at fence heights of 1.30m.

Qualifying for the Championships wasn’t even on Smith’s radar a month ago. When discussing qualification scenarios with Federation officials back in mid-May, Smith was honest – it might not be an option. Qualification deadlines were fast approaching, but she had just started riding a new horse (Chicago M, a 17.1 hh, 12-year-old Holsteiner recently imported from Germany). As a team, they were just getting to know one another. “I’d only jumped him for the first time three days before,” said Smith. “I [was] still figuring him out.”

Yet Smith and her trainer Kama Godek believed it could be done. They began campaigning, to immediate success. After clear rounds at 1.15m, 1.20m and 1.25m at Swan Lake, the pair travelled to the prestigious Upperville Horse Show in Middleburg, VA. The weekend started inauspiciously when Smith suffered a fall: “He jumps extremely athletically and tends to jump me out of the tack,” she noted. Luckily neither horse nor rider were hurt, and the pair finished the weekend strong, going double clear and placing 9th in a competitive field in the $2,500 1.25m Classic. At that moment Smith and her trainer made the decision to move up to the 1.30m class at Loudon. It was the right decision. Smith and Chicago jumped double clear, finishing 5th overall, winning a share of the prize money…and securing the coveted Certificate of Capability for qualification to the FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships!

As the lone rider representing The Bahamas, Smith will ride in the Pre-Children’s Championship as an individual competitor. The prospect leaves her unfazed, declaring, “I will be proud to be the singular rider representing The Bahamas!”

Thanks to all who attended the 2021-2022 End of Year Awards Ceremony at Balmoral Club this past weekend to celebrate our fantastic athletes and coaches! Congratulations to the organizing committee for their efforts in achieving such a successful event!

Equestrian Bahamas wishes to thank the Honourable Mario Bowleg, Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture for graciously presenting the awards; the Bahamas Olympic Committee for their support, and our fantastic MC Mr. Jerome Sawyer who made the night sparkle.

Most especially we wish to thank the donors of the fantastic silent auction and raffle items for their incredible generosity, and all those who responded with open hearts to make our fundraising efforts a success. All monies raised will fund our efforts to continually raise the level of equestrian sport, benefitting athletes, trainers and programs at all member barns.