Riders battle it out for the Jumping NSW 2018 Amateur Series
In 2018, Jumping NSW has again been running the NSW Amateur Showjumper of the Year competition. This competition aims to bring together a number of separate Amateur jumping competitions at a range of venues, into a year long series, aimed at rewarding the best Amateur rider/horse combination in the state.
In each designated event, the top combinations are awarded points based on placings. Regardless of the number of events that each combination competes in, only the best six scores count and are added together to determine the combination with the highest points score for the year. With events in a wide variety of locations throughout the state, and only the best six rounds counting, the competition is designed so that those competitors who attend more events than others, cannot dominate simply by scoring points regularly.
Advertisement
To participate, riders must meet the criteria of the definition of an Amateur rider (Article 255) and be a member of Jumping NSW. The first ten placings in each event receive points, with first place being awarded 11 points, second place receiving 9 points, third getting 8 points, etc, all the way down to tenth, who receives 1 point.
So far this year, the winners of each event are as follows:
| ROUND | VENUE | RIDER NAME | HORSE NAME |
| 1 | Northside Jump Club Championships | Melanie Heygate | Pacific Odyssey |
| 2 | Gundagai Agricultural Show | Damian Churchill | Franklins Peace |
| 3 | Canberra Cup | Damian Churchill | Franklins Peace |
| 4 | Tamworth Agricultural Show | Eva Rasmussen | Devil Wears Prada |
| 5 | Goulburn Agricultural Show | Alana Stallard | CA Gordon |
| 6 | Camden Agricultural Show | Niki Rose | Glenorchy South Park |
| 7 | Hunter Regional Championships | Jade Middleton | Evenescence |
| 8 | Hawkesbury Agricultural Show | Dominique Stevens | Yalambi’s Harvard |
| 9 | Dubbo Agricultural Show | Damian Churchill | Franklins Peace |
| 10 | Camden Winter Festival | Jade Middleton | Evenescence |
| 11 | Tamworth Indoor | Melissa Jasprizza | Woodsend Merlot |
| 12 | Waratah Show | Jane Wilcox | Miss Pippa |
| 13 | Sydney Jump Club Spring Show | Anna White | Body Builder |
| 14 | The Canberra Classic | Jeremy Williams | Betty Boo |
| 15 | Hunter Spring Championships | Jade Middleton | Evenescence |
| 16 | ACT Cup | Alyssa Williams | Anigrey |
| 17 | NSW Country Championships | Damian Churchill | Franklins Peace |
| 18 | NSW Championships | Bronte Webb | Cera Cadett |
With only two more rounds scheduled, at Sydney Jump Club on the first weekend of December and then the following weekend at the Summer Jumping Classic at SIEC, the competition is about to reach an exciting conclusion. Whilst the top two combinations would look to have the competition as theirs to fight out, any number of the top current top ten could make a late charge and finish in the placings in the championship.
Advertisement
The table below list the current top ten placings in the competition, based on their total points scored. Click HERE for the full Pointscore to date. That is, combinations who have scored points in seven or more events, have not had their totals adjusted to count only the top six scores.
| PLACE | RIDER NAME | HORSE NAME | POINTS |
| 1st | Damian Churchill | Franklins Peace | 63 |
| 2nd | Melanie Heygate | Pacific Odyssey | 62 |
| 3rd | Alana Stallard | CA Gordon | 45 |
| 4th | Melissa Jasprizza | Woodsend Merlot | 44 |
| 5th | Jade Middleton | Evenescence | 37 |
| 6th | Ces Staples | KC Spotabug | 33 |
| 7th | Alyssa Williams | Anigrey | 29 |
| 8th | Anna White | Body Builder | 24 |
| 9th Eq | Abbey West | Capabella Vermont | 23 |
| 9th Eq | Eva Rasmussen | Devil Wears Prada | 23 |
The winner of the overall series will be presented with their prizes at the Summer Jumping Classic at SIEC in December. They will receive a rug and their name on the Jumping NSW Perpetual Trophy, which they retain for 12 months.
Australian Jumping wishes all competitors the best of luck over the last two rounds.
