Equestrian: Veteran tops teen in thrilling jump-off

Two riders with a 40-year age gap between them topped the line-up over international horses at the Isola showjumping festival near Waiuku yesterday.

Veteran rider Merran Hain from Gisborne showed her enduring experience when she beat off the closest rival and youngest competitor in the major horse event, Katie McVean, 15, from Cambridge.

Now in her 50s, Hain rode Tregonning in a spectacular jump-off over 1.4m heights, to finish on the fastest time.

She and McVean collected faults for a rail down at the last jump with barely a second difference in their finishes.

McVean, who won last weekend's young rider of the year, showed she has skills well beyond her age, with three of her mounts, Dunstan Waitahanui, Dunstan Mumu and Dunstan Brigalow qualifying for the championships.

All jumped clear until the jump off when each horse had a rail down.

Hain's Tregonning, who won showjumper of the year last weekend, went early to set the pace with two clear rounds over the course designed by Olympic course builder John Vallance.

Many other riders appeared overwhelmed by the international standard course, with less than a quarter managing one clear round.

Another young Cambridge rider, 19-year-old Mark Brooks, on Wynyard Irish Quinn, was the only other combination to complete two clear rounds.

Helensville rider Anna Trent,14, proved her worth when she won the only pony event so far on Scrubfire.