Back in May we were mourning the loss of Badminton and Burghley but still looking ahead to a Summer of eventing. There was renewed hope when Bicton Arena was awarded the CCI4* replacement classes for Bramham and still we cling to hope that an Autumn UK 5* may be found.
So, no big news, no fun adventures to international venues, no tales of trips to big country houses and the goals for 2021 seem to still change by the day.
But what does remain constant are the riders' ultimate goals – 5* glory and a little respect. Who wouldn’t want to win a 5*?
For the girls it is winning their local event. Lici Hawker lives a stone’s throw away from the iconic venue and dreams of lifting the coveted trophy one day.
“I’d love to win Badminton, it’s 10-minutes down the road and I’ve been every year. It’s funny the jumps have gone from looking unjumpable to each year being a bit more like ‘yeah I can jump that one, and that one’ and I could make a good go of this. So now I’ve been round a couple of times on my lovely horse Charlie (Charles RR) and yeah, I just want to improve on the results and one day, hopefully, get the win there – that would be the ultimate dream!”
For Connie it is Burghley, a Burghley Pony Club girl at heart it would be a pretty special feeling to win the other Big B.
“Burghley has always been a dream. As a local girl growing up in the Burghley Pony Club and I guess I’ve grown up in the park really. It has always been my ultimate aim to go and ride around the 5* and hopefully one day that will happen and then maybe go there and be competitive – that would be the ultimate dream.”
For Will the dream is a little bit different. Having won double gold as a young rider and now already competing at the 5* level, completing both Badminton and Burghley, Will’s goal is more connected to his peers and does give a little warm and fuzzy feeling!
“My ultimate goal is simply to be respected by my peers” said Will when asked, “I’ve been lucky enough to be successful through the youth teams and now moving on to 5* level. Obviously, an ultimate dream is the Olympics but I’m realistic that this is an incredibly competitive sport and being realistic, being respected by my peers and running a competitive business is the main goal.”
We’ll be here to support the riders in trying to achieve their dreams and goals even when they’re no longer on the Young Eventers Programme.
We’ll be welcoming a new cohort of riders later this summer but that doesn’t mean that we simply wave these three off into the sunset, wishing them well as they go. Far from it, the riders move into the Windrush Academy alongside Susie Berry, Mary Edmundson and Alex Kennedy, where they still benefit from the Windrush support network, a shoulder to lean on and advice as an where they need it. We’re aiming to create a community of eventing ambassadors for the future, and this is the initial step in that direction.
Applications for the 2021 Windrush Young Eventer Programme now open
