from The Marlborough Express

Marlborough's equestrian community has shown it can foot it with the best in the country after several riders collected titles in their respective disciplines at the season-ending New Zealand Horse of the Year competition that finished on Sunday in Hastings.

In all, four Marlborough competitors claimed national honours at the equestrian communities blue riband event, including three overall class winners.

Jordan Murray continued her rise up the country's show riding ranks, putting in a superb performance to defend her Show Riding Horse of the Year and Paced and Mannered Riding Horse of the Year crowns. Riding mount Oncloudnine, the 20-year-old not only defended her two titles, but also finished as second under-21 rider of the year with her overall performance earning her a spot in the New Zealand showing team to compete in Australia.

Two Marlborough dressage riders also came home with Horse of the Year crowns.

Nicola French and imported German gelding Don Freese rode their way to the level-three horse title, the win capping off a top year for the 17-year-old. The duo won the South Island level three title and bagged the reserve champions sash at the recent national dressage championships, that title going to Taranaki's Vanessa Way and KH Allandro. At the Horse of the Year, French and Don Freese turned the tables, their two seconds in the level-three title classes enough to beat Way and her mount for overall honours.

The other Marlborough rider to claim a crown was para-equestrian dressage rider Ilona Lawrence on mount Larado. The pair took out the grade-one champion and freestyle tests to pick up the overall para-equestrian grade-one title. Another young Marlborough dressage up-and-comer, Melissa Parkes, impressed at the event, finishing third overall in the level-four horse class on her mount Don's Party.

2010 New Zealand and South Island champion dressage pony combination Sarah Wadworth and Buckton Dominoff also performed well, bagging first in the paced and mannered saddle hunter pony of the year and ninth overall in the saddle hunter pony class.