Bulletin

Union High School Grade 11 learner, Tristan Hope, recently showcased his exceptional equestrian skills at the 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗲𝗮 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗲 in the Hofmeyer district.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

On Friday, 21 February, Tristan took on a challenging 𝟴𝟬𝗸𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 riding SMP Bella May. This ride marked a significant milestone for Bella May, as it was her first competitive outing after successfully completing all the novice stages. The route proved to be tough, particularly the last 20km, which was tackled in pouring rain.

𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 5:04:05.

His stellar performance earned him a well-deserved 1st place in the young riders category and an impressive 5th overall.

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱. He was honoured with the award for the Best Conditioned Horse, a recognition that reflects both the rider’s skill and the horse’s condition following the ride. The award criteria include evaluating the horse’s pulse rate, muscle stiffness, and overall well-being, underscoring the importance of care and preparation in endurance riding.

The excitement continued on Saturday, 22 February, as Tristan returned to the saddle, this time riding Henarstep Willow for 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝟴𝟬𝗸𝗺 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲.

The race unfolded in thrilling fashion, with a nail-biting finish that saw Tristan neck-and-neck with a fellow competitor.

Ultimately, he crossed the finish line first in the young riders’ category and secured 2nd place overall, completing the race in 4:21:27 – a Springbok time.