So here we are then… the 2015 season has begun! The first week in March saw the first horses set out across country in the UK. Over the next 8 months, 65,000 horses and riders will set out across country and I am one of the lucky people who gets to talk about and commentate on some of those rounds!
Three days in to the season and at Aston Le Walls it already felt as though we had experienced four seasons in one weekend. Ok so didn’t have any snow, but we experienced glorious sunshine, torrential rain and the freezing cold. But to say that the season began at Aston Le Walls is perhaps short sighted. For three years now, I have been invited to commentate on the British Eventing Jumping & Style (JAS) Final. The qualifiers for this competition are held throughout the winter, with riders jumping around a course of show jumps and simulated indoor XC fences and are judged not only on their jumping but as the name suggests for their riding style too. This year the final was held at Hartpury and with a bumper entry it started at 8am and finished at 8pm. It’s always a fun day and wakes me up from the winter slumber, blows the cobwebs away and prepares me for the 12 hour days commentating that are about to ensue.
The sun shone at Aston Le Walls (1) for one of the days at least!
The beginning of March then heralds the Australian Training Camp in the UK. A great opportunity for all of the squad horses to have a period of intensive training. They all performed a judged dressage test, had an athletic jumping session, jumped a course of SJs, a dressage lesson and of course the veterinary review. I popped along to Unicorn, just outside Stow on the Wold, where the squad is held, all be it briefly, but I understand that Alfie (Shannondale Titan) was on top form both dressage and jumping which is encouraging. Of course this counts for nothing if it all falls apart in the season!
At the opposite end of the scale we have Dylan the Villain. So called because he has a rather high opinion of himself, an opinion that he has yet to prove to anyone else! He went to Aston Le Walls himself doing his first ever event, which on the whole went very well. He scored a very respectable 23.3 in his first ever dressage test – had a couple down SJ and then jumped clear XC. It remains to be seen how talented he is – and even if he is – there are plenty of horses who have talent to burn but don’t want to do the job, so we shall see. The encouraging thing about Dylan is that he seems to be a horse that likes to go out and compete. He wouldn’t stand still at the start and was very buzzed up and excited. He’s not shown this enthusiasm for life before and I have questioned whether he would have the mentality for eventing – as we all know that they really need to love the job - but this could be encouraging. Watch this space!
Ricky (Ballymore Rich Cat) was out strutting his stuff with Jenny (Bill’s long suffering wife!) at Aston too. His day started out as all good days should in his opinion - polos before his dressage! It didn’t stop there of course, with the minty delights consumed before and after each phase, I think he had eaten about three packets before the day was out! He did a 24 dressage and of course blitzed the jumping with a great double clear.
Polos for the horses - a roast for us!
The following week, Alfie headed to Oasby for his first event of the season. With an-eventful-life out in force videoing the jumping and XC at the event, sadly I couldn’t be there to watch as I was booked to commentate at Tweseldown. I was thrilled however, to be able to follow Alfie’s progress throughout the day with live scoring available on www.eventscoreslive.com - amazing! The dressage marks were online approximately 10 minutes after each horse had completed their test, SJ pretty much instantaneously and you could even see when the horses were on the XC course. I very much hope that this is the sign of things to come in eventing. All 8 affiliated BEDE events (BEDE is a company, run by Aussie Stuart and his wife, Anna Buntine) are using this system and it certainly proves that live scoring is feasible. It is a great initiative to have such quick scores for those on site, but also for owners who cannot always be there to watch their horses at every event. I know that the system is being offered out to other events around the country and it has just been announced that Hambleden, one of the events that I commentate and control at, will be using the system, which is exciting news! I am not sure how the business model works – I can understand that the company providing the live scoring are charging the events for their services, but I’m not totally clear on what is in it for the events themselves other than the efficiency for the competitors and their connections. I would have to say though, that I for one, would be happy to pay a slightly raised start fee to cover the cost of the system. I wonder how many other owners would say the same. I guess that time will tell on that one?!
Back to Alfie… he scored a 25 dressage, which left him 2nd after the first phase and then jumped a lovely steady double clear for 5th. It was a very pleasing first outing for him after WEG, where I think I can confidently state that the ground conditions on the XC were less than ideal. As an owner I always feel slightly nervous when a horse has their first run after a break and whilst I was fairly confident that Alfie wouldn’t have been affected by a rather unpleasant last run, you never know. Needless to say, I was delighted when Bill reported that he had a double handful into the first few fences, with Alfie excited to be back out there on course! Now for any of you who know Bill, he is undoubtedly one of the sports gentlemen. A man of few words, he always has a friendly smile and without doubt, simply loves riding and producing horses. He has been riding horses belonging to my parents and me for many years and we have come to know him quite well. I do sometimes think he regrets the fact that I am so often sitting in front of a microphone however! Many a time have I seen walking towards the commentary box, shaking his head ruefully, wondering what I am going to say next. Equally, I am sure he will have the same attitude towards me writing this blog…. But I will not disappoint the readers! So instead I shall go through our post Oasby telephone conversation regarding Alfie.
BL: “He warmed up for the dressage really well mate”
Me: “Good – that’s encouraging – he wasn’t too excited then?”
BL: “No mate, he warmed up really well – as well as he ever has – and then when I got in the arena, well I just threw marks away mate…”
Me: “Can you just not do that in future please? It would be really good if we could both agree that you no longer throw marks away?”
We watch this space – but if anyone sees Bill out on Alfie throwing marks away in the dressage, could they please remind him of this conversation?!
Fence judges waiting for the briefing at Tweseldown
Tweseldown ran four days of competition. It has been running on the second weekend of the season ever since I can remember, with the sandy ground coming into its own in the early stages of the season as it very rarely cancels. This year, there were low entries for the Intermediate and Open Intermediate classes, which was rather disappointing for the organisers and a real shame as the courses were the best I’ve walked there for a long time, really flowing, galloping tracks, ideal for early season runs. I hope that we’ll see more competitors back at Tweseldown for the later season Intermediates. The Novice, BE100 and BE90 classes were packed as ever and it was great to see so many competitors (and horses) coming home with a smile on their face after XC.
On the Sunday of Tweseldown, Bill took Dylan to Oasby for his second event and I can report that he won his first ever rosette! He took 4th place in the BE90 Open, much to the delight of his owners! Whilst I was at Tweseldown commentating and following his progress on the live scoring, my parents had travelled to Oasby, with dogs Rupert and Nell in tow and a car brimming full of Mars Bar Rice Crispie cakes for the Levett team. I did point out to my parents that they may have their priorities slightly wrong – Alfie had performed in the Open Intermediate on the Friday without an owner in site and yet Dylan the Villain had a full audience! Perhaps it was the promise of the fireworks in the dressage, which had prompted this attention? And yet despite his best efforts to dislodge his jockey in the dressage warm up, Dylan did actually behave in the arena. He then jumped his first double clear for his 4th rosette. Two outings and he is already beating Alfie! Ok so one was in a BE90 and the other an Open Intermediate – but still… Anyone would think he had come 4th at Badminton, such was the excitement and pride bursting from my parents recounting of the day. Videos were shared, photographs perused and all because Dylan may (and I do mean may) be the apple of his mother’s eye! Joking aside though, Bill says that Dylan’s attitude to XC is very much like his mother’s and if he were to turn out anything like her we would be very pleased indeed! Next step for him, Stafford BE90, where we can only hope that he continues to make progress and realise that this eventing lark is really quite good fun.
Whilst I think that most people know what role the commentator has throughout the day, there is still a lack of understanding about the other function that I fulfill at events. I act as a Cross Country Controller throughout the season as well as commentating. This involves wearing a “split headset” with the fence judges reports in my left ear and the emergency and administrative radio network in my right ear. I can then communicate with both the fence judges and the emergency services and take appropriate action in the case of a fall. This includes (though is not limited to), putting on the red light at the start, to prevent any more horses from starting, sending the doctors, paramedics, vets or fence repair as necessary and also stopping horses on course, if the course is blocked. I have been doing this role for about 12 years now and last year I was asked by British Eventing to become a Controller Mentor – that is to say train up new controllers. In the interests of further improving the safety of the sport, there is now a formal training process that Trainee Controllers have to go through, including the completion of a logbook, so it is the role of the controller mentor to oversee this. We had our meeting at British Eventing Head Quarters on Monday, a great opportunity to meet up with everyone and discuss the progress from last year and make plans for the coming season. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes in eventing, that the average competitor has no idea takes place.
The eventing community seem to be very good at moaning about various aspects of the sport; that this rule is wrong or this should be changed, but attending a meeting like that really highlights the fact that the sport is really trying to improve, grow and modernise and it is an honour to be part of that. As was pointed out in the meeting by my good friend Henry Symington, over the last few years, British Eventing has been at the forefront of the sport’s desire to become safer, driving initiatives forwards. Who knew that in 2015, there would be such an argument over the FEI’s new rules on frangible pins, when 15 years ago they didn’t even exist! And there seems a good place to leave this blog.
Wherever you are, whatever level you’re riding or supporting at, stay safe and have fun! Until next time….
Clare
