Amateur Rider at Horse of the Year Show Jumping It’s never easy being the first out in what promises to be a hotly-contested jump-off but Kate Cavanagh and Wallflower made it look easy in the Wade Equestrian Amateur Rider of the Year today. The combination from Geraldine was one of five through to the jump-off from the 30 starters who had qualified for the title class. “I was pretty surprised she won it,” admitted Cavanagh, a former eventer who rides full time. “The plan was to keep travelling and leave her alone. She has the jump in her – if I do my job, she does hers.” Cavanagh bought the horse as a newly-broken four-year-old from the McVean family and opted for the amateur class over the six-year-old purely because she hadn’t put the mare against the clock before. “I figured the six-year-old would be fast.” But she and Wallflower showed the rest of the pack a clean set of heels as they bolted away with the class taking just 47.31 seconds for their clear round. “I didn’t think I would ever have a horse who could outsmart some of those other horses.” The win was particularly special because earlier in her career, Wallflower had been a slightly spooky horse who sometimes struggled to get through the start flags. All five combinations in the jump-off were clear, with Anna Stephen and Lollipop SP coming in for second in 47.82 seconds, Olivia Crozier on La Fonteyn third in 37.96, Kaleigh Kent and Double J Sponge Bob Square Pants fourth in 48.06 and Kelly Hawkeswood aboard Larinium LS fifth in 49.5. Shelagh Nolan and Ngahiwi Eyeza Blue placed sixth after picking up a single time fault in the opening round