The Tribune

SEVENTEEN-year-old Reine Pagliaro’s successful ride in the FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Riders & Juniors marked the first time ever that the island nation competed in an Equestrian event at the World Championship level.

Last week marked an exciting milestone for Equestrian sport in The Bahamas. A total of 74 riders from 20 countries vied for top honours over a technically demanding 120km course which took riders through open fields, wooded sections and hilly terrain in Ermelo, the Netherlands.

The course was so demanding that over 45 percent of the competitors failed to finish.

However, Pagliaro rode a strategic and determined race in partnership with her horse, the 11-year-old grey Arabian gelding Beautiful Knightmare (affectionately known as Beau). The pair finished the course in 38th place, clocking a final time of 8:09:35 at an average speed of 14.706 km/hr.

Saeed Salem Almuhairi of United Arab Emirates was the individual first place winner, followed by his teammate Abdulla Ali Alamri. Rut Badia Marfa of Spain finished in the bronze position.

The young athletes from France won the Team gold, Team Malaysia won the silver behind France, and Belgium earned the Team bronze.