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Life In Time and Giorgia Burns Complete their CCI2*L Dressage at Blair
Images courtesy of @Dave Cameron all rights reserved and are subject to copyright For the 2 star long format at Blair we will be following this duo and they completed their dressage today finishing on a score of 38 putting them in the top half of the field going forwards to tomorrows cross country. We caught up with them to find out their thoughts on their test and the cross country course which lies ahead of them tomorrow. What are your thoughts on your test? I am not the happiest with my test, he started off well then on the first half of it he kicked the board and it made him really tense after that, so that will reflect heavily on my score. Have you walked the course? what are your thoughts? I have , I have walked it twice now . Its definitely relative to what you are sitting on but for me i think its decent! It starts off really nice, its starts off giving you the impression that its going to be a really good run this year and then from fence 6 onwards it asks a lot of questions. It will be interesting to watch how each rider rides it there are many options on some of the fences and different lines so it will be an interesting watch how people do things this year Do you walk the course on your own or with someone? I walk it on my own, my dad comes with me he is quite good , although he is non horsey he is quite tactful. I prefer to walk it on my own as i know the horse What will you do for the rest of today now ? I wamt to say i can chill out now but I will go walk the course once more, I wheeled it last night and my time is not quite right yet. Personally what I am thinking is that the time is going to be quite tight but that maybe because I am putting a bit extra on time on some of the more difficult routes. So I am going to have to go and walk it again and make sure that i get my time right. Also he will go back out for a leg stretch later on. Tell me a little about your horse Life in Time So Rolex, where do we start with Rolex?! he came to me a few years ago he was to be sold on from a lady as he was a bolter or very well behaved and was very difficult. So he came to me to get sold and I ended up just completely falling in love with him and me and him really really gel. No one else will ride him but I love him. He is a bit sharp, he’s very clever! He is all warmblood and he shouldn’t really jump, He is all dressage lines but he hates dressage just absolutely hates it and just loves jumping. He is a quirky little character and you never know what you are getting and you never know how he is going to be from one day to the next. Today he was a bit tense but the other days he’s been really...
read moreDaisy blooms at Blair: day two of dressage
Image by @Blair Castle – all rights reserved and are subject to copyright Daisy Berkeley slipped into the lead late in the afternoon in the CCI4*-S class at Land Rover Blair Castle International Horse Trials, and is in first place going into tomorrow’s showjumping phase. Riding Ballinteskin Cooper S, a 10-year-old owned by Daisy and her mother Caroline Dick, Roxana White and Mary Scott-Gall, Daisy scored 30.4 – just a fraction of a penalty more than the two riders who share second place on 30.5, Astier Nicolas and Sam Ecroyd. Daisy, who was part of Britain’s bronze medal-winning team at the 2008 Olympics, said: “The only mistake he made in his test was jogging a bit after I got a fly in my eye, and I prefer him a bit sharp because it meant he had a lot more presence. “He’s an awesome jumper and a lovely mover. I thought coming to Blair would bring him on before he goes to Blenheim for the CCI4*-L, and I love it here. I’ve brought my eight-year-old daughter, Mary, with me, and she says it is the best holiday ever!” Frenchman Astier Nicolas, a narrow second in this class on the grey eight-year-old Babylon De Gamma and also in the lead in the CCI3*-L aboard Lumberton, set the standard when first to go at 9am this morning. “Our test wasn’t perfect – he’s a bit of a weak baby – but soon he’ll be very good,” said Astier, team gold and individual silver medallist at the 2016 Olympics. “He’s very talented, and one of the best horses I’ve ever sat. He’s my biggest hope for the future.” Both Daisy and Astier complimented the ground conditions at Land Rover Blair Castle, saying that the going underfoot was “beautiful”. Sam Ecroyd also scored 30.5 on Davinci III, while Polly Stockton and Mister Maccondy are very close behind in fourth on a mark of 30.8. There are no changes to the leaders of the other three international classes at Land Rover Blair Castle after the second day of dressage. Emilie Chandler sits on top in the CCI4*-L with Gortfadda Diamond with a score of 31.8, ahead of Louisa Lockwood (Diamond Ructions, 33.3). In the CCI3*-L, Greta Mason (Cooley For Sure) and Sarah Holmes (Lowhill Clover) hold joint-second place with 32.2 behind Astier Nicolas and Lumberton on 31.5. And Aberdeenshire’s Emma Murray is still at the head of the CCI2*-L with 28.6 on Wainthropp. Again, two riders share second place in this section: Germany’s Josephine Schnaufer (Ronaldo IV) and Britain’s Polly Stockton (Sir Alfred II), both of whom scored 30.5. Cross-country commences shortly after 10am on Saturday morning with the CCI2*-L, followed by the CCI4*-L and then the CCI3*-L. The showjumping phase of the CCI4*-S takes place tomorrow with cross-country on Sunday. Follow...
read moreHirondelle De Fribois and Aimee Penny return to Blair
Image by @Katie Neat Photography all rights reserved and are subject to copyright. Image is from Blenheim International Horse trials in 2018 HIRONDELLE DE FRIBOIS B and Aimee Penny finished 17th in the CIC*** at Blair Castle last year The mare is a mighty 17h and Aimee is not the tallest of riders but they have a super partnership together. This mare is not the easiest of mare’s and Blair Castle last year saw her blow up in the dressage so we know that she can be feisty! Aimee has produced this mare solely from 6yrs of age (in fact I used to also ride a tricky horse about the same time as Aimee started out on this one and we used to have quite a lot of giggles about who was going to have the most fun in trying to complete the event! This is why it is now so nice for me to report on this combination . How do you feel you dressage went Yeah very happy with the mare in the dressage. She finds this phase the most challenging, but she’s right up there and there’s so much more to come. What are you thoughts on the course? Yeah the courses look amazing, there’s lot to be jumped, but she’s been around a couple of 4* double clear but has recently lost her confidence so we have dropped her down and hope for a good run Follow...
read moreSwanky Panky at Blair with Emily Hedgecoe
What a fantastic name and story their is with this horse and rider duo! We will be following Emily Hedgecoe on her horse Wickstead Swanky Panky through the BE100 Scottish Championships. They also got off to a great start in the dressage and came out with a score of 34.5 in a tough section, the scores in both the championships are very tight and so its all to play for in the showjumping and cross country. We caught up with Emily to see what she thought of her Dressage performance It was lovely she is really sweet and she didn’t spook at anything, she tried really hard. Our only problem was we had a break in the lengthened trot strides where she broke into canter but apart from that I am really pleased with her. Is this your first time at Blair? No last year I was here and I did the 90, and that was my first season of eventing and this is my second season of eventing. I have moved up to the 100 so I really have had a lovely progression and its been really exciting. Is she a good show jumper? No that is our worst bi, We will be lucky if we come away with two poles but we may have three and we may have more! but we shall see how we go! We just love her name, can you tell me more about her She came from Wickstead in Wiltshire which is Paul Tapner’s Yard. I bought her as a 6 year old and she had been brought up properly as an eventer. I bought her for my son who promptly gave up and I hadn’t ridden for 30 years so I took on the ride three years ago and now I am doing this having not ridden for a very long time!! We wish these two the very best of luck and what a lovely story it is. We look forward to following them and letting you know how they get on. Follow...
read moreSitting pretty after Dressage : Sarah Brown and Balhagarty Perfection at Blair Castle
Dressage day in the be90 Championships. Great to see the riders doing their tests in the main arena along side the International classes, A super experience for both horses and riders alike. Sarah and Balhagarty Perfection put in a super test which looked nice and relaxed and the score reflected this nicely as they came out with 36.3. in a very tough section which sits the perfectly in the middle of the section going forward into the showjumping. We caught up with Sarah to get her thoughts on her test: It was alright actually, it could have been worse! He was a little more tense in the arena than he was in the warmup but that is to be expected, apart from a bit of spooking at the flags I was really pleased with him We will catch up with Sarah tomorrow after her showjumping round and get her thoughts on the cross country course that lies ahead of them. Follow...
read moreBALHAGARTY PERFECTION at Blair with Sarah Brown
We catch up with Sarah Brown who is competing in the BE 90 championship at Blair …… I am 36 years old and have been riding since I was 8. I Work full time at the university of Edinburgh as a behavioural neuroscientist which is not as cool as it sounds! Percy is a 9 year old tb x Welsh d that I bought at 20months old when my last event horse was on box rest. He has never been sat on by anyone else and didn’t start work until he was 6. Saw his first xc fence at 7. He is a bit of a livewire and I often struggle to keep him settled in the dressage. Sj is my weakest phase! But we are always aiming to improve and have fun along the way. This year he has completed a handful of 90s and jumped clear xc round his first 100. Always been a dream to ride at Blair and very proud of Percy qualifying in his first season eventing. Follow...
read moreDiamonds are a girl’s best friend: Day one at Blair
Emilie Chandler is in the lead in the CCI4*-L class at the Land Rover Blair Castle International Horse Trials after dressage. Riding Maria Doel’s 10-year-old Gortfadda Diamond, Emilie scored 31.8, with Louisa Lockwood in second on 33.3 aboard Diamond Ructions. Land Rover Blair Castle is a nine-hour drive from Emilie’s Leicestershire home, but she said: “I love Blair, and have been coming here for many years. He is a really classy horse who has just stepped up to this level this season. “The loudspeaker crackled really loudly during our test, which unsettled us both, but I’m thrilled to be in the lead, even if it wasn’t our best test.” France’s Astier Nicolas, the reigning Olympic individual silver medallist, tops the leaderboard in the CCI3*-L with seven-year-old Lumberton, owned by SARL Ecurie Jean Louis Bouchard. Astier’s last visit to Land Rover Blair Castle was in 2014, when he won the CCI4*-L on the mare Quickly Du Buguet. “My owners liked the idea of coming here, because it is so beautiful, and the surety of finding good ground in the summer season was another big reason,” explained Astier. He bought Lumberton from German rider Kai Steffen-Meier in November 2017. “Lumberton’s a very cool bloke – very laidback in all three phases. I’d like to take him to Le Lion d’Angers [for the world young horse championships] and I want to test him round a big and bold track like this beforehand.” Astier scored 31.5, giving him a small lead over both Greta Mason (Cooley For Sure) and Sarah Holmes (Lowhill Clover), both of whom have a mark of 32.2. Sarah has made the long journey up to Blair from the Isle of Wight. Aberdeenshire rider Emma Murray tops the CCI2*-L with a very good score of 28.6 on Wainthropp, owned by her husband Shaun. He took over the ride on this nine-year-old mare after Emma finished 12th on her in this class in 2017, but he broke his collarbone in May and Emma decided to take her through to the end of the season. “Blair is my favourite event so I thought we’d come here and have a nice time,” said Emma. “She’s good at dressage – we are going to the British Dressage National Championships at Stoneleigh at elementary level in two weeks’ time – but I didn’t expect to be out in front. It would be lovely to stay there!” Again, two riders share second place in this section: Germany’s Josephine Schnaufer (Ronaldo IV) and Britain’s Polly Stockton (Sir Alfred II), both of whom scored 30.5. International dressage continues tomorrow with the CCI4*-S, which features stars such as William Fox-Pitt, and also the Scottish Grassroots Eventing Festival commences. Dressage starts at 9am. Emilie Chandler & Gortfadda Diamond © Douglas Lamont Follow...
read more10 Reasons To Visit Dublin Horse Show…
Images courtesy of Lucy hall Photography – All rights reserved and images are subject to copyright We visited the Longines Dublin Horse Show for the very first time and disappoint it did not. We wanted to see what all the hype was all about and visit the prestigious show ground. It was very apparent to see why people came back year on year to the show. We have devised a top 10 reasons to visit the show and we hope to return next year…you never know we may even dress for Ladies Day next year! Ladies Day for the fashion and hat’s The efforts some of the ladies had gone to, too try and bag the 10,000 euro prize pot was eye opening. The hats, the dresses and the high heels were incredible and need to be seen to be believed! Aga Khan Trophy – Nations Cup This prestigious trophy saw the top show jumpers of each nation jump as a team around a 5* track to clinch the win with one discount score allowed. This year team Great Britain pulled it out the bag with 4 of the best show jumpers competing in the two rounds. Ben Maher, Scott Brash, Emily Moffitt and Holly Smith. Guinness Of course you have to sample the Guinness it only tastes like proper Guinness in Ireland and what better place to sample. Atmosphere There was something quite special about the atmosphere at the RDS. The buzz and excitement from the rings and the suspense and the thrills from the arena. Everyone seemed to be having a great time whatever the weather. The elegance of the side-saddle and showing class Everyone and every horse looked immaculate and was turned out to the highest degree in traditional dress. The side-saddle was exceptionally elegant and traditional and just added to the whole persona of the show. Grand Prix The 5* Show jumping in the main arena held on the last day of the show. This class has incredible prize money and sorts the wheat from the chaff. Exhibition Halls and Trade Stands The shopping, food outlets and exhibitions halls were vast. The cuisine catered for every taste and there was everything the horse, rider, stable and home needed around the show ground. The social crack A very social show bringing everyone together and it felt like people had come from far and wide to meet up just for the show with old friends and to make new ones, it was a very friendly social show. Nostalgia The show dates back to 1864 when it was first hosted in Dublin, it has always attracted the best show horses and the best international show jumpers in the world. Dublin Horse Show is now in it’s 146th year. The show has the biggest prize pot for international show jumping in the world. Family fun and children’s entertainment Everything had been thought of to keep the non-horsey husband and children entertained too and even the young equestrian. ‘This Esme’ YouTuber sensation did meet and greets. Other entertainment included: The Crazy Circus, Brain Daly – Magician, Jugglers Breakfast with Monsieur Gusto, Thomas Garnett Duo, Irish Dance Showcase, Professor Plunger, Ballet...
read moreGREAT BRITAIN DAZZLE AT THE FEI NATIONS CUP OF IRELAND
Images by Lucy Hall Photography – all rights reserved and images are subject to copyright. Article by Debra Hargrave. Great Britain dazzle in the rain with a win at Dublin. Despite the whether the British team of Ben Maher (Concona), Scott Brash (Hello Jefferson), Emily Moffitt (Winning Good) and Holly Smith (Hearts Destiny) claim the Aga Khan CUP in the finest style. Lying last on the leaderboard going into this final leg of the Europe Division 1 series they left it to the very last minute to win a place at the world Final in Barcelona this October. With their backs to the wall they put in a gritty performance and pulled off victory without the need of Smith’s help in the second round. Finishing with just one time fault and clear of Italy who finished on 12 faults and Ireland claiming third spot on 16 faults. It’s not exaggerating to describe Britain’s lack of form this season has been disheartening, and with qualification for Tokyo 2020 still on the agenda for many top nations there is still a great deal to play for. “We had a task to do and we did it in style” said Team Manager Di Lampard. “We’ve ridden the storm this season, we’ve had the downs and the difficulties, but it had to change at some time and with a good team and the right spirit I felt it was going to come right this week, and it did!” With clears from Brash, Moffitt and Smith, the mistake by Ben at the final element could be discounted to leave the team clearly in command on zero score at the halfway point. Italy went through on 8 faults, Ireland with 8 faults and Switzerland on 9. But with such a tight grip on the lead Britain were never going to let go, this was the last leg of the seven round division so it was all or nothing. Maher skilfully guided his inexperienced 9 year old home with just a single time fault second time out, so when both Brash and Moffitt each produced another foot-perfect run – the game was already up. Not only had they bagged the coveted Aga Khan Cup for their country for an incredible 27th time in the 93 year history, but the 100 point they collected elevated Great Britain up seventh place in the leaderboard from which the top seven of the 10 competing nations qualify for the finale in Spain. Other teams to qualify are Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, France, Belgium and Sweden. Surprisingly three countries who have not made the cut are The Netherlands, Germany and Austria. “Over the last three years we’ve been producing young riders and a larger squad of riders, and you can’t rush these things. They need the right horses and they need owners to stick with them and that all takes time” said Di Lampard. Credit to 21 year old Emily Moffitt, trained by Ben Maher, competing at her first 5* Nations Cup showed great maturity as she steered the hard pulling ‘Winning Good’ to produce a double clear. “Riding is the easy bit, shouting from the sides is the hard part! Emily did exactly what she was told today so I’m very proud of her, and also proud to be part...
read moreBarbury International Horse Trials 2019
By Lucy Hall All images by Lucy Hall Photography – All rights are reserved and subject to copyright Beautiful Barbury….Barbury Horse trials was in danger of not running at all this year. The FEI was determined not to lose the fixture in the Eventing calendar and Musketeer Events were drafted in to organise and run the event. As a local to the event and a supporter of Barbury for the passed 10 years this was excellent news. National Novice sections and CCI-S 3 and 4* Classes are run over 4 days, riders come from far and wide to compete at this beautiful venue where the viewing is the best in the world. From the main arena you can see a lot of the cross country course and from up at Wood Henge you can see all but 2 fences on course which makes for a great atmosphere and fantastic viewing of top class sporting action. Musketeer Events did a fantastic job of organising the event with the little preparation time they had. It was great to have a relaxed friendly atmosphere back at Barbury where nothing was to much trouble and everyone was friendly and welcoming from the Secretaries to the Media nothing was to much trouble and everyone was helpful and accommodating. I thought it was a lovely touch having everyone (even the novice sections) jumping in the main arena, national or international classes everyone got their chance in the ‘Big Atmosphere’ arena at an iconic event. On the Sunday the CCI-S4* cross country went through the main arena at the top end with competitors jumping two huge fences into the water – a real spectacle for the spectators while the 4* show jumping was still going on and then later the Shetland Grand National. Although I’m not convinced the 90 second Grand National final was a good idea when Imogen Murry went through the arena only to receive an early bath due to her horse being rather distracted by the little legs below racing around! But hindsight is a great thing and timings will either be better next year or the Shetlands will have to hold fire. Andrew Nicholson regained his King of Barbury crown with Diana and Paul Ridgeon’s Swallow Springs in the CCI-S4*. Andrew and his ride ‘As Is’ won the CCI-S3* section B while Piggy French and Brookfield Quality took the other 3* section in big competitive classes. The Novices ran mostly on the Friday but due to huge entries two sections were run on Sunday after the 4* had completed. The weather was awesome which made it all the more attractive and the ice-cream van’s did a roaring trade especially at £4 a pop! A great variety of trade stands and food outlet’s that catered for everyone’s needs were on site. If I had to…… then one little gripe was the lack of loos but as one fence judge said “if Musketeer can pull this off in the little time they have had, I can’t wait to see what they can achieve with a whole year to organise”. A photographers dream photographing at Barbury so until next year… Barbury you were BEAUTIFUL! Follow...
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