Young female Cambodian rider Alicia Khiem met with mixed fortunes in the International Junior Show Jumping Competition on Borrowed Horses CSIJ-B at the Hannover Riding Center in Taiwan this week.

With obstacles set at 100-110cm, the event had been designed for young riders from 14 up to the age of 18.

Riding her borrowed mount Adline, Alicia went through her routines without a hitch in the team competition, returning with an impressive 62 seconds for the round. The rankings were so tight that her timing could only get her fourth place, a fraction out of the podium finishers. She however picked up a consolation medal.

Astride Adline again in the individual challenge, Alicia had to jump a rough course of 14 obstacles of various degrees of difficulty.

She handled the first stage of 1-8 jumps well, but in the next set of jumps she had a penalty on the 12th that set her back to an overall finish of seventh in the event. Alicia got another medal for passing the first stage to join five Japanese and one Taiwanese rider with two medals each.

“We are proud of her performance and so was the President of the Chinese Taipei Equestrian Federation Alen Hsu, who had given her so much support,” said Cambodian Equestrian Federation President (CEF) Mona Tep, who was in the horse park watching Alicia in action.

“Cambodia has been invited since the start of the junior initiative in Taiwan, thanks to Jack Huang, FEI representative in Group VII representing Asian countries, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. We are honoured to be part of such a prestigious event,” she said

Apart from local support from the Chinese Taipei federation, Alicia was also sponsored by Horseware, who provided her with the best riding gear as well as performance mats for her horse.

Alicia heads to Bangkok next for a similar junior event called the Princess Cup from November 20 to 26.