EQUESTRIAN - Teen's commitment pays off with titles

Vicki Berger says a five-year working relationship with her pony Classic Cowboy has them in winning form this season after the pair brought home two major titles from the North Island Showjumping Championships over the weekend.
The 16-year-old rode her pony to automatic entry to the biggest equestrian event of the season, the Horse of the Year competition in Hastings in February, with a win in the three-star Pony Grand Prix on Sunday.
"We've got a good partnership and I trust him to jump well and go clear when I need him to," Berger said. "I'm pretty stoked to qualify for the Pony of the Year, it's the biggest class and everyone wants to qualify for it, it's awesome."
The win also pushed her into third place in the current national pony grand prix standings but it was not her only success of the championships held at the three-day long event, held at Kihikihi, in Waikato.
The pair also won the 1.15-1.20m speed class, another of the major pony titles, beating their nearest opponents by almost 2.5 seconds after starting the weekend with a win in the 1.20m Welcome Stakes on Friday.
The results have added to Berger's reputation after she won the pony grand prix at the Whangarei Two Star event at Barge Park the previous weekend.
Berger's life revolves around horses and riding. She lives in Tangowahine near Dargaville but rather than attend a high school, prefers to study by correspondence and ride during the day.
"I wouldn't have time to ride my horses otherwise," she said.
• Northland rider Jasmine Sketchley took second place in the Young Rider class at the weekend, while Vicki Wilson claimed a good third in the Horse Grand Prix. Both riders also completed their first World Cup event, complete with daunting 1.55m jumps.