Exciting times for riders

It’s been 24 years since the Philippines went to the podium in equestrian sports at the Asian Games. That was in Busan where Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski bagged the gold in individual showjumping and a team made up of Jaworski, Danielle Cojuangco, Toni Leviste and Michelle Barrera brought home a silver.

Now, Barrera is president of the Equestrian Association of the Philippines (EAP) and married to polo player Santi Juban. She’s committed to actively promoting her sport and bringing Philippine riders back to prominence. A few weeks ago, EAP launched the first-ever, three-leg National Championship Series featuring the FEI Jumping World Challenge, a hybrid international competition initiated by the world federation’s Solidarity program.

Barrera-Juban, a granddaughter of the late sports patron Ambassador Danding Cojuangco and daughter of Mike and Tina Barrera, said the hybrid event with FEI judges and officials is an international show but conducted in each country so riders and horses don’t need to travel overseas. “Everyone competes over the same exact course in the same sized arena with the same designs of jumps and scores are collected from all over the world to determine who are the overall winners,” she noted. “The FEI Jumping World Challenge also serves an educational purpose by linking the competition with coaching and is a great avenue to grow equestrian sports not just in the country but also within the region and globally.”

In the first leg, there were 38 entries and four in the international competition under Category C with two FEI judges, one FEI recognized vet, three vets shadowing for FEI accreditation and two national stewards. Several championships were on the line. The Newcomers Championship was won by Olivia Zobel on Caline den Hue with FEI Asia Rising Star Academy inductee Sophia Lacson on Ceres taking second place and Athalia Suarez on Elleva D’Espoir third. Amalia Aboitiz on Utopie Des Grezils took the 80cm and 1m events. Clever Girl was awarded the Best Presented Horse, impressed by her bouquet of carrots, with Deila Joson riding. Topping the first leg of the international competition was the 14-year-old Aboitiz on Haudance d’Enjoy. Aboitiz’ mother Veronique completed the winners’circle by riding a brilliant round in the 1.20m event on Gaia De Roqueline. Veronique is Amalia’s mother who’s not only a competitor but also a course builder and coach. The second leg is set this Saturday and the third on March 14. Overall series winners will claim the national title for their category this year.

Barrera-Juban said EAP is also preparing to assemble a competitive team for the coming Nagoya Asian Games. SEA Games individual jumping silver medalist Paola Lorenzo is tipped to compete with her brother Mateo and US-based Colin Syquia. Leviste, a 2000 Olympian who’s the first Philippine rider to win an FEI-level dressage event in Europe (she did it at the FEI Prix St. Georges class in Belgium last year), is geared to represent for dressage. Barrera-Juban said two others, who are based overseas, are also in line to join the team. Assisting her in managing EAP’s affairs are secretary-general Katrina Holigores and deputy secretary-general Antoinette Lacson who’s also the chair of the events and education committees.