Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding
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With fences out on course called the Leaf Pit, the Land Rover Burghley Arch, two angled Discovery brush fences and a large sofa fence just crying out for Daniel Lambert, surely we were at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in Stamford, Lincolnshire? But no, this is March and we are not even in the Northern Hemisphere – the cross country taking place was in New Zealand at the Land Rover Horse of the Year in Hastings.
It was a very clever idea and course designer Chris Ross had taken inspiration from the famous Captain Mark Phillips’ course at one of the biggest events in the world. The weather may have been different to a British September day, a lovely 25 degrees on the North Island of New Zealand, and the backdrop slightly more suburban but it still gave the visiting riders a familiar feel and proved a testing course
The names of Blyth Tait, Jock Paget, Jonelle and Tim Price added to the illusion for the aptly named Land Rover Burghley Saturday ay HOY. Tim, the Burghley 2018 winner has his name on the real Winners Avenue, but he couldn’t quite manage it in his home hemisphere
Tim Price and Ricker Ridge Escada
If the fences resembled Burghley, the road crossings were reminiscent of Adelaide. There were no high rise city buildings in the background but both the 3* and 4* riders crossed the sanded Elwood Road early in the course. Jonelle Price riding Sam Lissington’s Ricker Ridge Divine Right had a problem at Fence 3b just before the crossing when the mare skidded to a halt; they pressed on for a while and all seemed well again but Jonelle opted to retire later when the mare pulled a shoe
The first rider out, Donna Edwards-Smith on Mr Hokey Pokey, had taken a tumble at Fence 5C in the Main Arena which caused a short hold. While Mr Hokey Pokey got up and was led away, Donna was not moved for some time before being taken to Hastings Hospital for -rays. There was more drama there as the hospital went into lockdown due to a bomb scare before she was scanned and cleared
The fall caused a few riders to come and take another look but it didn’t prove problematic for anyone else but another early fence, Fence 3, added 20 penalties for three other riders apart from Jonelle. The Land Rover Discovery Fences at 9ABC (reminiscent of Discovery Valley at Burghley), coming hard on the heels of Daniel Lambert’s Sofa (without Daniel Lambert) caused the most difficulties however with five riders picking up penalties and causing the retirement of Jackson Bovill on Visionnaire, third after the show jumping
Tim Price looked to be having a great ride on Ricker Ridge Escada much to the Kiwi crowd’s delight but a glance off at 18B, near the end of the course, put them out of the running for a podium finish; despite that and the fact that Tim was riding a horse he first rode on Wednesday evening, he had the third fastest time to leave him in seventh place
Blyth Tait and Cor Jet
Tim and Blyth Tait are now two riders to have jumped through the Burghley arch in two continents and Blyth, winner at Burghley in 2001 and 1998, used all his skill to pilot his catch ride Cor Jet around the course to finish with 12.8 time penalties and third place (48.8).
“I couldn’t have had a better catch ride, Chloe’s done a fantastic job, I just had to kick and steer,” said Blyth, which was an understatement of course. The owner Chloe Phillips-Harris was ecstatic, saying, “It was fantastic, he looked as happy with Blyth as he feels with me.”
Blyth finished behind two young Kiwi riders that have done a great job over the past few days. Maddy Crowe went out of the start box in the lead and came home after a smooth and clear round with 7.6 time penalties, thrilled with her ride "She went way better than I expected. We are both green at this level, but she’s such a trooper”
But would that, and her score of 35.7, be enough to hold off the contenders to come?
Maddy Crowe and Waitangi Pinterest
It seemed that it was when Muzi Pottinger was given 15 penalties for knocking a flag at the stump in the second water complex (is this the first 15, previously 50, given this year?) and she must have cursed her luck, after a similar thing happened at the Australian International 3 Day Event in November 2018, almost costing her second place. But, as in Adelaide, the review process took the penalties away and Muzi went one better at the Horse of the Year, winning the CCI4*-S on a score of 34 thanks to just two time penalties
Sam Lissington and Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ
CCI3*-S
Earlier in the day the CCI3*-S course had also proven troublesome for some, including the overnight leader Blyth Tait on Havanna. Blyth had a run-out at Fence 4AB, a roll top to brush fence on a curving line on top of a rise that followed a gallop through Elwood Park; this fence caught out several combinations including Blyth, Elise Edwards-Smith, Jasmyn Speake and Christen Lane but Jock Paget, Amanda ‘Muzi’ Pottinger and Sam Lissington made it look easy
Jock picked up 6.4 time penalties, a very good effort considering he had only jumped on board Sam Lissington’s Ricker Ridge Riley last Saturday, to finish the day in seventh place but it was the horses’ owner who moved into the top spot riding Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, adding just 2.4 time penalties to take the CCI3*-S win on a score of 29.6
Monica Oakley and Festival
Monica Oakley had several rides around this course and she used all of this experience on the very smart chestnut Festival for one of only two double clear rounds, finishing in second place on 31.5 while Muzi Pottinger on board The Comedian finished with the same time penalties as Sam Lissington for third place (35.5)
