LOCAL equestrian rider Victoria Wicks won the 2015 National Interschool Championship recently at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.
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The event hosted the nation’s top competitors in various disciplines, including show jumping, dressage, hacking, and eventing.
Riders came from all over Australia, with large contingents from the neighbouring states of Victoria and Queensland.
Wicks led from start to finish in the EvA95 eventing class, beginning with a great lead in the dressage phase on a score of 75.9 per cent, with second place sitting on 69 per cent.
The lead was then retained after a clear and on time cross country run with 22 tough fences over the 3km course.
The final phase saw the competitors jump in reverse order and Wicks as the leader of the class, had to showjump after all others.
This built the nerves as the pressure increased.
However, she jumped beautifully, with just the one showjump rail down, to finish the event well clear of the second placegetter.
“It was a big thrill to win at this level; my horse Woody was amazing and performed brilliantly,” Wicks said.
Wicks was also named part of the NSW Champion Eventing Team, and her lovely thoroughbred gelding Precious Wood, or Woody as he is known, won the Best Performed Thoroughbred Off The Track award from all eventing levels, sponsored by Godolphin.
Wicks came home with three rugs for her horse Woody, and two lovely rosettes, together with the honour of being this year’s national champion.