Equestrian team gallop to victory

Imperial’s equestrian first team got the new season off to a cracking start by beating rivals Oxford, LSE and Brunel.

The first competition of the year, hosted by Brunel, saw plenty of friendly rivalry between the universities. The Dressage phase gave club Chair, Andre Wilmes, a chance to show his ability to ride even the most stubborn of horses, by scoring a personal best while others could hardly make it move. However, we won’t mention his difficulty in remembering where he’s supposed to go…Next up, team captain and committed show jumper Mikaela Bryant–Meisner had the misfortune of riding against Oxford’s leading rider. However, true to form, she pulled off a very creditable round, only a few points behind Oxford girl. Ilse Daly’s round went to plan with only a minor hiccup, to give the other teams plenty of penalty points. Newcomer Rachel was the last Imperial rider to go and did a superb job, especially considering the massive size of her horse.

After the Dressage rounds, Imperial trailed Oxford by only 2 points, and competitive spirit was running high. Taking Imperial into the Showjumping phase, Mikaela was now in her element, performing a foot–perfect round on a difficult horse. Andre also rode a commendable clear round despite, or perhaps because of, having a bit of a crash in the warm–up, completely demolishing the jump. Dressage rider Ilse’s least favourite round was not helped by her slightly hyperactive horse, who seemed to get more excited with every jump, but still managed to go clear. Rachel’s horse had to be one of the laziest of all time. Last to go and with everything still to ride for, she rode a very respectable clear round in a record amount of time.

Feeling optimistic, but by no means certain, the Imperial team waited for the results with baited breath. However, they had nothing to worry about, beating Oxford with a 4 point margin, followed by Brunel and then LSE. The individual placings saw Andre come in 1st, Ilse 4th, Mikaela 6ths, with Rachel unfortunately just out of the placings.

Hopes are high for the next competition, to be held in February and will be hosted by Imperial.