What was meant to be one final outing before retirement turned into the perfect ending for Isle of Man equestrian Lynda Christian and her horse JC, as the pair were crowned champions at the British Carriagedriving National Championships in Essex at the weekend.

Competing at Ashfield Carriage and Polo Club, the Manx combination produced a memorable performance to take the national title, making JC’s final competition one to remember.

The 22-year-old horse was due to retire following the championships but clearly had other ideas as he and Christian signed off their competitive partnership in spectacular fashion.

Speaking afterwards, Christian commented: ‘We went to the championships to say goodbye to everyone as it was JC’s last competition and he is now retired at 22, but he wanted to say more than goodbye and we ended up national champions’

The result brings an impressive competitive career to a close for JC, with Christian keen to acknowledge the many people who have helped the pair along the way.

‘We couldn’t have done this on our own. I would like to thank Fred and Beryl Pendlebury for their support over the years, Helen Squires for back stepping and keeping me on four wheels throughout all the competitions, Sam Carroll for her work in the background at the champs and the Isle of Man Steam Packet for its continued support.’

There was also a special touch to the weekend when 19-time British national carriage driving champion George Bowman was in attendance to watch.

Bowman was the person Christian bought JC from as a seven-year-old, making his presence at the horse’s final competition particularly poignant.

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