OTTWA Interstate Sponsored Competitors | Success for Team Highfield

Off the Track WA proudly sponsored three West Australian riders in their journey over to compete at the Northern Horse Park Lakes and Craters International Horse Trials. Sophie Warren, Gina Stephens, and Dayna Lumb competed onboard their three superb thoroughbreds, Reduction, Skater Boy, and Dime A Dozen. With Sophie’s expertise and Gina’s knowledge of massage and body mobility, all horses arrived ready and prepared to compete.

Sophie and Reduction entered the three-star long form, aiming for a future five star start. Friday started with dressage, with Reduction producing a dressage test of 58.89%, slotting them into second place. This put the pair in a good spot for the following few days, with cross country set for the next morning.  Reduction tackled the hilly cross-country course confidentially, using his thoroughbred athleticism to his advantage. The pair came in through the finish flags with zero jump penalties, and 19.6-time penalties. This pushed Charlie and Sophie up into first position, adding the pressure on for Sunday. When Sunday came around, Reduction completed the course with 0.8-time penalties, and an unfortunate 12 jump penalties to add to his score. Luckily, thanks to their clear cross country, Sophie and Reduction remained in the lead and won the CCI3*-L. Reduction also won the Best Performed Off the Track for the CCI3*, sponsored by Off the Track.

In the One star, Dayna and Gina prepared for their first international eventing start onboard their horses. Dayna Lumb and Dime A Dozen (Henry) were first up on Friday out of the WA Team, with Henry producing a test for 57.1%, or 37.9 penalties. This was a good starting point for Dayna to build upon, placing her near the middle of the field. Following Dayna, Gina and Skater Boy entered the arena to produce a test for the same result. Both Dayna and Gina moved into cross country with 37.9 penalties in dressage. Cross country day proved a success, with Dayna and Henry moving up in the standings with a clear cross-country round and 19.2-time penalties. Gina and Skater Boy (Tony) also went clear around cross-country, resulting in a clear day for all. Sunday saw the team compete in show jumping, with Dayna and Dime a Dozen producing a clear round with zero-time faults. This resulted in the pair finishing in 23^rd position, a respectable and well earnt position for their first international start. Unfortunately, after starting their jump round, Gina made the wise decision to retire Skater Boy upon the realization that he was not performing his best. As horse welfare is paramount, we are proud to support riders who take their horses performances seriously.

We wish Sophie and Gina all the best on their journey home, leaving behind Dayna and Henry who have sadly moved over to live in the Eastern States. We also wish Gina and Sophie a happy engagement and are thrilled that we could contribute to the occasion. We look forward to sponsoring many more riders in their interstate and international endeavors in 2024.