Merran Hain rides Untouchable
Merran Hain has won all there is to win in the world of equestrian in New Zealand. She spans the disciplines, having represented the country in dressage, jumping and eventing, with her name etched on all the big trophies . . . but she never tires of a good competition.
This season she once again won the TiES Show Hunter Series and highlighted, as she does every year, that age is no barrier to . . . well, anything really.
As well as a top rider, she is a mentor, supporter, sponsor, and the place to go if you need a full and frank understanding of your horse or your own riding.
She was in fine form at the Glistening Waters Championships, both in and out of the ring. Merran and 21-year-old Untouchable were also second in the NRM Open High Points Series, finishing just eight points behind winner Louise Marriott (Rangiora) aboard Clicquot, and third in the hotly-contested Carousel Equestrian Amateur High Points Series, just three points adrift of winner Emily Twort (Henderson) aboard Cameo KSNZ.
And at the awards evening put money on the bar to celebrate all that she loves about horses and riding. She won’t be drawn on whether it was to celebrate her retirement from competitive riding. “I am admitting nothing,” she says with a laugh. “I would just say I would be going out gracefully . . . if that were even true though.”
Her three children, and probably the eight grandies too, would be the first to toast that decision.
Her victory in the TiES Show Hunter Series was by no means her first and she isn’t sure how many she has won, but it is at least four and she claimed the same crown last season too.
This time she had help from her “boys” – Jesse Linton, Logan Massie, Luke Dee and Tim Wilson. “I think they all rode very well and it is a pleasure to see them riding,” she says.
Merran bought Untouchable as a four-year-old from Sir Mark Todd, who later figured he probably should have kept the Warsaw Pact gelding as an eventer. But instead he has been a superstar for Merran, winning plenty on the flat, in showjumping and show hunter.
“I think people underestimate thoroughbreds,” says Merran. “I have owned Smiley John, who represented New Zealand in dressage and Chief who did the same in eventing, so really rate them as a breed.”
Results –
TiES Show Hunter Series: Merran Hain/Luke Dee/Tim Wilson/Logan Massie (Gisborne) Untouchable 69 points 1, Hazel Jones (Plimmerton) Atlan 63 2, Dana Cottle (Palmerston North) Travino 47 3, Nicholas O’Leary (Whanganui) El Diablo 20 4, Fabriana McQuarrie (Christchurch) Shaw Lee 17 5, Claudia Faulkner (Canterbury) Tripel Shot 15 6.
For full results, head to www.evoevents.co.nz
The Jumping Team – 8 May 2022