Brentwood School showjumpers scoop national honours

Brentwood School’s showjumping stalwarts posted four immaculate and polished rounds to snatch Jumping with Style honours at the National Schools Equestrian Association National Championships.

The Essex school’s four-rider team, Ben Hogarth, Sophie Philpot, Imogen Pohl and Charlotte Cooke, took the 30th Anniversary NSEA Championships, held at the Keysoe International Equestrian Centre, in Bedfordshire, by storm.

The Jumping with Style competition has four components; a riding style mark, show jumping penalties, cross country jumping penalties and time penalties.

Ben, Sophie, Imogen and Charlotte shone from the outset in the 100 event and didn’t put a foot wrong to take an early lead.

They then faced an agonising 3 hours of further competition, before emerging triumphant, taking the shield, sashes, rosettes and beautiful rugs kindly sponsored by Equine America, to finish a superb five marks ahead of nearest rivals Mayfield who were closely followed by just 0.5 of a mark by Cranleigh in third pace.

The Brentwood team had headed off for the half-term event in good spirits having won both the 90 and 100 National Jumping with Style titles in May at Hickstead earlier in the year, but no-one could have predicted their dominance.

The previous day the 100 showjumping team of Ben Hogarth, Elizabeth Lewis, Sophie Philpot and Imogen Pohl jumped very well to be placed a hard fought 8th over a challenging course made all the more difficult by the crowd distractions around the indoor school.

Team manager and trainer, Mrs Annette Philpot, was absolutely thrilled to finish the final championships of the year with such success: "My thanks as always go to the parents for their amazing support and the children for their dedication to the continual training, their superb team spirit and their commitment over the whole season.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Pohl family for their superb contribution to the team, both Emily and now Imogen have moved on to new ventures and will be greatly missed.

"It is with great delight that we learn that Emma Philpot and Ben Hogarth, having now left the Sixth Form, are able to continue riding for the School as ambassador members due to the Covid disruption to competitions last year."