Bermuda finished top of its zone in the FEI World Jumping Challenge last weekend at the National Equestrian Centre.

The Island beat out competition from Barbados, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cayman Island and Jamaica.

Kirista Rabain of Bermuda placed first in category A, where the heights were 1.20 metres. Rabain, riding Helsinki van de Heffnick, finished the competition with four clear rounds in a time of 99.56 seconds.

Second was Giorgia Ieromazzo from the Dominican Republic who also had four clear rounds but with a slower time of 102.19 seconds.

Third overall was Bermuda’s Philip Correia on Emerson with four faults and a fast time of 88.99sec.

The competition was originally scheduled to be held in November but because of to damage caused by the two hurricanes in October permission was obtained from the FEI to delay it until last weekend.

The FEI World Jumping Challenge has been held for a number of years and gives the smaller Federations the opportunity to compete internationally against other countries on their own horses without the requirement to travel overseas to do so.

The FEI supplies the courses which must be built exactly to strict dimensions and with the same material, and for category A it is necessary to have a foreign judge approved by the FEI, as well as a local FEI judge.

There are ten zones worldwide and the top two riders in each zone are traditionally invited to a final hosted by a national federation which supplies suitable borrowed horses for all of the riders. It is anticipated that the final of the competition will be held in Bulgaria in July.

Rabain is a keen equestrienne, competing in harness pony racing events as well as riding Helsinki, which is owned by Bevis Tetlow, out of Hinson Hall Stables. She attends Bermuda College as well as working at Butterfield Bank.