William Whitaker and Michael Pender win the Puissance of London

Last night, two of the youngest pilots of the CSI 5*-W in London finished tied for first place in the Puissance after a very high quality competition! For the second year in a row, the High Jump event took place in five exciting heats. In the end, the victory had to be shared between British William Whitaker and Irish Michael Pender as they both cleared the last passage at 2.18m without a mistake!

William Whitaker’s result, which came very close to a complete victory at home, was all the more impressive as it was the first Puissance competition ever for his horse, RMF Charly. “I was a bit apprehensive about this event, but the crowd lifts you up and you feel like you’re not alone any more,” said the rider. “I’m over the moon with this horse. He’s got a great gallop and he’s getting better and better.”

Twenty-year-old Irishman Michael Pender clearly has a bright future too. “It’s a pleasure to ride a horse like Hearton du Bois Halleux,” said the young man. “It makes your job a lot easier. Anything you ask him to do, he’ll do it. He was a little tense at first, but he improved with every turn.”

Last year’s co-winner, British Guy Williams, finished on the last step of the podium with his grey Mr Blue Sky UK, a pair regularly victorious in this kind of exercise.