From Brash to Allen, youth leads the way in the world of show-jumping.

While the current number one in the ranking list, Scott Brash, has impressed with his achievements and displays (at just 28 he has already won Olympic Gold in 2012 in the team category, a European title last year in the team event, appeared at the WEG and was victorious in the Global Champions Tour last year), there is now another young rider who everybody is talking about.
At just 19 years of age, Bertram Allen won the latest stage of the FEI World Cup (held in Verona) over the weekend in his first ever appearance in the competition. That was achieved after having taken part in Normandy earlier this year in the senior world championships. Last year meanwhile he won a world title in Lanaken in the world championships reserved to young horses with the 6 year-old Barnike. The mare is still a part of Allen’s team and with whom he dominated again this year in the 7 year-old category.
Allen is a pupil of one of the best riders and international masters of the equestrian circuit, Marcus Ehning, and even US rider Reed Kessler moved from the USA to Germany to have lessons. On Sunday, the pupil overtook the master in Verona as Ehning came in third place and not with any old horse. The German riding expert was with the splendid Cornado NRW. To make victory even sweeter for Allen he also finished ahead of a world champion in the team category from the latest WEG games, Maikel van der Vleuten on VDL Groep Verdi TN, in second.
By no means easy riders to beat but the Irish star along with his trusted grey mare Molly Malone V was able to overcome this arduous test and win the latest stage of the FEI World Cup, which to repeat, was his debut in the competition. Who knows how many more surprises are in store from this rider but the real question is this: if Brash left us amazed, what will Allen do?
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(Marzia Cucchetti)