THE Bahamas Youth Equestrian Team made its strongest showing to date in the southern Caribbean Grand Caraïbe circuit, gaining awards in every division at the 2025 Grand Caraïbe Guadeloupe competition held this past weekend.  

The team of Hannah Knowles, Marlo Pinder, Alana Pyfrom and Sennen Fitzmaurice, under the guidance of coach Raishun Burch, were among the 60 riders from six countries competing across three height categories at the La Manade facility in Saint Claude, Guadeloupe. Horses were provided by local stables and assigned to visiting riders by random draw. 

The competition took place over two days, with riders competing over challenging jumping tracks designed by Olivia Poulet of Guadeloupe.

The biggest splash was made by 12-year old Marlo Pinder, who moved up to the Elite Division (0.95-1.00m) to take the field by storm, riding Victoria St. Pierre to 6th place (out of 26 riders) on Day 1 and winning the class outright on Day 2 with the only clear round in a time of 64.28 seconds. These results combined meant that Pinder also claimed the silver medal for the overall Elite Division. 

More awards were to come as Sennen Fitzmaurice riding Uninsomnie D’Amour Z finished in 5th place out of 10 riders on each day of competition in the Grand Prix Division (1.05-1.10m). Hannah Knowles on Thequilla De L’Erg made a strong showing in the Espoir Division (0.85-0.90m), riding clear rounds on both days to finish in 6th and 7th place respectively out of a field of 24 riders. Pinder’s fellow Elite Division rider Alana Pyfrom, riding Alaknanda, was awarded Most Elegant Rider by the show organizing committee.

The Grand Caraïbe Guadeloupe competition is the final leg of a four-part series of competitions which takes place in Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, and Suriname between October and May. 

Captions for accompanying photos:

    •    Team Bahamas: L-R: Team Manager Kimberly Johnson; Alana Pyfrom, Marlo Pinder, Hannah Knowles, Sennen Fitzmaurice, Team Coach Raishun Burch. 

    •    Marlo Pinder aboard Victoria St. Pierre rode a clear round to win the second day of competition in the Elite Division. 

    •    Marlo Pinder (Bahamas) won the overall silver medal in the Elite Division. She is shown here with gold medalist Marc Elie Bertrand (Martinique) and bronze medalist Cassy Lignières (Guadeloupe).

    •    Hannah Knowles and Thequilla de L’Erg were consistent finalists in the Espoir Division.

    •    Sennen Fitzmaurice aboard Uninsomnie D’Amour Z placed 5th in the Grand Prix Division.

    •    Alana Pyfrom won the Most Elegant Rider Award.