SUNDAY saw a great conclusion to the show at Oliva in Spain for Ireland’s Charlotte Butler, when she and Esprit de l’Esprit Z won the day’s Bronze 2 1.20m class with a clear round in 54.83 seconds.

From a start list of 50, there were 23 combinations who jumped clear, but Butler was the fastest of these to take the top spot on the podium, ahead of runner-up Coraline Fournier (FRA) on Drako Mail (55.63).

Ribbons

The Spring Mediterranean Equestrian Tour continued at Oliva in Spain last week, with jumping from Tuesday through until Sunday.

Nicola Fitzgibbon got off the mark in Friday’s Silver 1 1.25m two-phase class on Norelien, with a double clear in a phase two time of 29.01 seconds.

The class was won by Jonathan Hansson (SWE) on Rubio Monocoat Electric in a fast time of 24.93.

The Bronze 1 1.10m class saw Zahara Kirby Casola secure a top 10 placing for Ireland on board Quasia Van’T Eigenio, when they jumped clear in 70.01 to claim 10th place. Norway’s Bertine Hagen Berentsen on Lord van de Groenendijk won the class in a time of 57.35.

The Bronze 1 1.40m class on Saturday saw Fitzgibbon placing seventh with the Irish Sport Horse gelding Gracefield Apollo, jumping clear in 62.82. The win went to Julia Mermillod Baron (FRA) on Giulietta des Cabanes (59.97).

Harnett in top 10 in Lier dressage

DUTCH-based Irish international dressage rider, Jennifer Harnett, placed ninth in the Grand Prix Special at the three-star show in Lier, Belgium on Saturday, March 1st. Scoring 7.5s from the international ground jury for some eye-catching canter tempi sequences, Harnett produced lovely positioning and reach in the half pass movements, along with smooth and fluent piaffe, passage trot transitions with her 16-year-old Lusitano stallion Eximio to score 65.872%.

Spain’s Alejandro Asencio Mendez and the 11-year-old Lusitano Gaviao Dos Cedros scored 70.851% for the win.

World champion Charlotte Fry and Nespresso slotted into second place for Britain on a 69.149% total, with German rider Lisa Müller and Gut Wettlkam’s Zonik Hit Old completing the podium on 68.851% in third.