The year 2011 was another golden one for the sport of equestrianism in Barbados.
Once again, Barbados stamped its authority as one of the leading equestrian territories in the region with its riders topping the Caribbean Equestrian Association (CEA) Junior Jumping Competition.
The season began with Barbados hosting the first leg of the Junior Jumping CEA Competition in March and duly winning it thanks to Paige Tryhane and Erin Stephany.
In the second leg of the four-part series, held in Cayman Islands, the Barbadian duo of Erin Stephany and Isabella Copeland emerged victorious.
When the third round moved to Trinidad and Tobago on September 24 and 25, Barbados won in the 16-and-Under class.
Tryhane rode confidently to win the individual competition, while Allanah Wilkie held onto second place in the individual competition for the 14-and-Under.
The final leg of the championships concluded in Jamaica with the Barbadian pair of Wilkie and Heather Walker, who was the 16-and-Under champion, taking gold in the overall country championship title for 2011.
In the CEA Mini Dressage Challenge in November, the Barbados senior team of Michelle Elliott, Laura Smith and Roberta Foster placed first overall and the junior dressage team of McKenzie Manning, Stephany and Tryhane came second.
Just as it had affected several other outdoor sports, rain created havoc on the 2011 Barbados Equestrian Association’s (BEA) local schedule in the second half of the year.
In the competitions that were played, however, there were a number of outstanding performances which were rewarded at the annual prize giving ceremony.
