Serena Kullich, 23, is without doubt one of the maximum crowd pleasing younger showjumpers at the circuit however she could also be generating one in all this nation’s maximum gifted younger horses in seven-year-old Benfields Victory.
Serena and Benji (Billy Congo x Pauldary’s Romeo) sealed a marvellous 12 months when contesting the celebrated Yeti Below 25 British Showjumping Championship on the London Global Horse Display in December, the place they completed with simply 4 faults in spherical one.
“That was once a dream come true to qualify for that magnificence, particularly with him most effective being seven,” says Serena, who rode the youngest horse within the box via 3 years. “It’s a display I’ve sought after to do for lots of, a few years – it was once an amazingly a laugh surroundings, and an implausible display to compete at.”
In September, they jumped on the international seven-year-old finals on the FEI WBFSH Leaping International Breeding Championships for Younger Horses at Lanaken.
Serena has about 10 horses at house, however Benji is the solid megastar.
“I’ve were given slightly a couple of four-, five- and six-year-olds coming thru that I’m generating in the course of the ranges and with a bit of luck they could qualify for Lanaken subsequent 12 months,” she says. “In the event that they’re as excellent as Benji I’ll be extremely joyful. However I really like generating them and gazing them develop, and I’ve had Benji since he was once 5. He’d achieved a couple of displays once I were given him, however in reality I’ve achieved the whole lot with him and produced him, so when he was once perfect British-bred seven-year-old, that supposed so much. He was once additionally the one seven-year-old to leap transparent each day at Bolesworth.”
The pair have shaped a outstanding partnership within the ring, however clear of pageant Serena says she’ll luckily leap Benji with out a bridle at house.
“I’ve labored with [Applied Horsemanship trainer] Sean Coleman for 3 years now,” she says. “Once we were given Benji, he was once very distracted, on the subject of the whole lot round him, so it was once all about operating with him to focal point and now we’ve any such nice partnership that I will be able to faculty him and leap him at house with out a bridle.”
Serena Kullich: from eventing to showjumping
Serena has ridden all her lifestyles and showjumped on ponies earlier than competing as much as three-star stage eventing.
“However I’ve all the time had a love for showjumping,” she explains. “Even if I used to be eventing, I neglected the showjumping. Then I slowly ended up transferring again into showjumping and now it’s simply showjumping once more.”
The gifted younger rider has additionally been decided on for the British Showjumping gold building programme and attended the primary training camp in early December.
“I didn’t realise they provide you with such rounded beef up, from all sides – now not simply coaching – so recreation psychology, health, and recommendation on displays and power within the recreation, that roughly factor,” she says. “That’s so precious and now not one thing you do or know that a lot about with out a chance like this.
‘There might be 3 extra camps in the course of the spring, then they permit you to at a world display in the summertime. They permit you to along with your objectives but it surely’s additionally thrilling simply to development in the course of the recreation.”
Serena’s objective for 2024 is to step up the beautiful Benji to rating categories in his eight-year-old 12 months.
“Someday I’d like to be decided on for International locations Cup groups,” she says. “Then with the younger ones I am hoping to stay generating them in the course of the age categories and possibly qualify for Lanaken once more.
“The Olympics would indisputably be the objective in the future, however I’m taking it step-by-step and we’ll see how a ways we will be able to pass. The entirety Benji has achieved this 12 months has simply been unbelievable, so I’d like to stay going with him and spot the place it takes us.”
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