THE 2024 PHILIP SMITH MEMORIAL EQUITATION CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE LOW DOWN

This year’s competition had everyone on the edge of their seats! According to the judges, organisers and coaches, this year’s group of riders was the strongest they had ever seen, with four formidable contenders, each of whom could easily have clinched victory.

How it works

The top four placed riders from the South African Youth Championship Equitation Open Class from the previous year are invited to compete in the Philip Smith Memorial (PSM) Championships. If a rider cannot accept the invitation, their invite passes on to the next highest-placed rider. This year, the four riders competing for the prestigious title were Katie Franck and Juliana Haden-Smith from Gauteng, Daniel Beddow from the Western Cape, and Hamza Minty from KZN.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ruben Le Roux from Limpopo tied for third at the PSM qualifying event: the SA Open Equitation Champs in 2023. However, he was unable to compete, so the spot passed onto reserve rider Juliana. If he had competed, it would have been the first time that three boys were in the final, and that each rider was from a different province!

PSM 2024 RUN-DOWN

Phase 1 - Flatwork

The first phase of flatwork saw such exceptional riding from all four competitors that the three judges were still unsure who had come out on top in the points ranking at the end of the day. The judges, Gregory Goss, Vay Snyman and Marianne Conlyn, were surprised by the overall standard of riding, and not one judge had a sure favourite or winner at the end of the flatwork phase! Interestingly, they did note that the riders rode the other horses better than their own, and the riders who took more risks profited from them. So, if you are ever in the competition, take the risk to reap the reward!

The PSM flatwork test changes slightly every year and is kept a big secret! The riders only receive their test a few weeks before the event and have to memorise it, as they are allowed no outside assistance during the whole event; this means no help in the warmup in any of the phases and no caller for the test! The test itself is quite demanding, with elements that can be found at Medium Dressage, and some parts have to be ridden with no stirrups! Some movements that could be found in the test include lengthening and collecting paces, loops, flying changes, leg yields and reinbacks. According to the judges, the most challenging movements for the riders were the rein back of four steps, where they noted issues with accuracy, and the flying changes, where they noted problems with straightness and horses changing late behind.

FAST FACT

With the PSM, the scores after the flatwork phase are not released, which leaves the riders, their families and coaches (and this year, the judges) in suspense from Thursday lunchtime until Saturday afternoon.

Phase 2 - The jumping phase

The jumping phase was held on Saturday in the Bob Charter arena and saw the four riders jump a grid exercise with one hand and no stirrups. They then have to quickly regain their stirrups and jump a course of eight jumps, including a triple combination on each of the four horses. A few of the riders struggled to get their stirrups back in time for number one but persevered, as in the case of Daniel’s one ride, where he only managed to recover his stirrups after fence number three! Bokertov Kiss n’ Tell, kindly loaned to Daniel by Catherine Neill, was the fan favourite and produced clear rounds with three of the four riders.

In the jumping phase, each of the three judges, Anna-Marie Esslinger, Rogan Asken and Rainer Korber, judged the riders on their jumping efforts, style, effectiveness, rhythm and versatility, amongst other things. Two points were deducted for a knock and five for a refusal. If the rider was eliminated by taking the wrong course, having three refusals or falling, they received zero points for the round but were not eliminated from the whole competition.

Much like the flatwork phase, the jumping phase proved the quality of riders vying for the title, as all four riders produced classy rounds with only tiny mistakes here and there. This meant that any of the riders could have been walking away with the trophy, so there was a very tense waiting period while the scores were calculated! With less than 95 points separating 1st and 4th, and only 11.5 points separating 1st and 2nd, it was a very tight finale! For the first time since 2012, and only the second time in the history of the PSM, a male rider won the title.

RESULTS

4th - Juliana Haden-Smith - coached by Joanne Van Achterberg and Kelly Slater (Gauteng) - 3482 points

3rd - Katie Franck - coached by Joanne Van Achterberg and Kelly Slater (Gauteng) – 3508 points

2nd - Hamza Minty - coached Chad Cunningham (Kwa-Zulu Natal) – 3565 points

1st - Daniel Beddow - coached by Jess Fourie (Western Cape) - 3576.5 points

We had a quick chat with the winner and other contenders after the event

2024 PSM CHAMPION - Daniel Beddow

HQP: How does it feel to have won the PSM?

Daniel: It has been a dream of mine for a long time to qualify for the Philip Smith, so it feels very surreal to have actually won it.

HQP: Any advice for future PSM riders?

Daniel: My advice to any future riders is to take your time and enjoy every moment because before you know it, it’s all over. It’s also very important to be able to put any mistakes behind you and move on because you won’t know how many points each rider has until the end.

HQP: Anything you would have done differently?

Daniel: If I could go back and do it again, I would’ve taken more time to be in the moment as well as to have been more precise with my distances in the jumping phase.

HQP: How long have you been riding for and specifically competing in equitation?

Daniel: I have been riding for eight years and competing in equitation for six years. My first equitation show was at PE Champs in 2018; since then, I have slowly worked my way to the Philip Smith. All this was only possible because of my amazing coach, Jess Fourie.

HQP: What are your future riding goals?

Daniel: I am not too sure what riding I’ll be doing in the future as I'm going overseas to study, but hopefully after that, I'll be back.

HQP: Finally, what did you learn from your PSM experience?

Daniel: Throughout the Philip Smith, I learned that you really have to keep going, even if you make mistakes. I also learned that it's possible to succeed in such a competition on a borrowed horse, which is ultimately what made the Philip Smith possible for me.

Runners up

Thankfully, all of the other riders have a few more chances to qualify for the Philip Smith, so we may well see them again in the future!

HQP: What advice do you have for future PSM contenders?

Hamza: I think the best advice I could give is to go into the competition with a winning attitude. It's a very long process during the show, but at the end of the day, you qualified for it, so you're one of the best and deserve to be there. Also, you should always watch the other horses and riders in the show ring or the warm-up.

Juliana: My advice would be to enjoy it and stay as level-headed as possible to think clearly. Riding different horses beforehand also definitely helped me a lot, especially in the flatwork area.

Katie: Remember to be effective. Keep in mind that every judge is looking for different things, but don't just sit there and look pretty – you need to showcase how good of a rider you are. Another thing is to watch how the other riders ride their own horse… This can really help you when you have to ride the horse yourself.

HQ: If you could have done anything differently, what would it be and why?

Hamza: I don't think there is anything I would have done differently other than think quicker. Also, when warming up the horses, I should have tested my buttons a bit more to see their weak spots and how I could make it easier for them.

Juliana: I would hang my hand loose by my side when jumping the grid one-handed. I carried it on my hip, which cost quite a few points, and that was unnecessary.

Katie: I would have pushed the boundaries a bit more in the flatwork phase in terms of not being afraid to get stuck in and effective. I think I could have pushed the horses and gotten a little bit more out of a few of the horses I rode, which could have given me better marks. In general, I would say I wish I'd enjoyed it a bit more and not been so stressed, which is easier said than done! But you put hours into your preparation, and it goes by so quickly, so If I were to go back, I would take more time to cherish the unique experience.

HQ: Are you going to try to get another shot at the PSM?

Hamza: Since I am only 15, I still have a few more years to try to win the PSM. I am still thinking about it, but I know it would make Chad super happy if I won it, so I think I will try to qualify again this year.

Juliana: I loved the competition and learnt so much from those two days—I'm definitely keen to try to qualify again and give it another shot!

Katie: I am definitely going to try and qualify again.