Felsted's Rowena Ockendon-Day has secured herself a place in the final of a major national show jumping championship to be held at the Royal International Horse Show in July.

Rowena, 21, finished second in the Hunter Wilson Novice qualifying competition at the Towerlands Equestrian Centre at the weekend from a mammoth field of 90 entries.

Of these, 24 went clear, with seven partnerships going through to contest the final timed jump off.

Drawn fourth of these, Rowena riding the six year old Buddy Brown produced the first of only three treble clears and their second place was good enough to guarantee a place in the Hickstead final.

"This is the one competition I had particularly been aiming for" a delighted Rowena said.

"As the horse is owned by Douglas Bunn, who also owns the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, where the final is to be held. I only took over the ride from his daughter, Chloe, 10 weeks ago when she went to Edinburgh University."

Rowena's next challenge comes at the Olympia Show Jumping Championships just before Christmas, when she contests the Young Show Jumper of the Year final.

She qualified another home produced horse, Gramena, at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May and this combination were runners-up in the winter Grade C final at Hickstead in July.

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