Clayton Fredericks prefers the weather in France! Photo: Pauline Chevalier
The weather struck again this weekend with cancellations at many events throughout the UK.
Salperton Park in Gloucestershire was one the few events this weekend where riders managed to get a run in although all competition on Sunday was cancelled after an inspection of the grounds. There have been lots of comments on our site recently regarding selection and the virtues of being based in the UK as an Australian eventer (see the discussions HERE) but one thing is for sure, the weather in the UK certainly is not an advantage!
Clayton Fredericks bemoaned on Twitter “Okay so finally after many great European horse trials, going to event in UK and it’s abandoned? What a pain!!”
Australians Chris Burton, Andrew Hoy and Emma Dougall managed to get a run in the Advanced Intermediate while Bill Levett opted just for the showjumping and dressage phases (Andrew won the AI Section G on Cheeky Calimbo). They were joined by the New Zealanders having a run before their team announcement on July 4th with Andrew Nicholson, Clarke Johnstone, Jonathan Paget and Mark Todd all in attendance as well as many other top riders such as Mary King, Andrew Nicholson, Zara Phillips and Pippa Funnell. The results would suggest that most of the riders on possible Olympic mounts were taking it steady on the cross country and probably using this as a schooling run.
In the Intermediate classes Paul Tapner had a good weekend with his younger horses, winning the Section B on Indian Mill. Aussies Sammi McLeod, Bill Levett, Brook Staples and Kevin McNab also competed in these classes.
A report and photos from Salperton are coming up thanks to Dominic Sancto
Next weekend is the Barbury International Horse Trials at Barbury Castle, Wiltshire. This event is listed by Equestrian Australia as a Fitness Trial for UK- based team members and reserves; as the team has yet to be finalised due to appeals this may be difficult but the entries from Australia and internationally certainly read like a Who’s Who of eventing.
We’ll be reporting directly from Barbury as a Featured Event from 28th June - 1st July so stay tuned for all the action through the lens of Libby Law.
Sam Griffiths at Burghley 2011 - we'll see him back there this year
UK based Aussie Sam Griffiths has written in his blog that although “I am still totally gutted not to have made the Aussie team for London” he is “not going to dwell on it, I'm very happy for my friends, Chris Burton and The Fredericks for their selection and wish them every success. In the meantime, I have now got my sights firmly fixed on Burghley with Happy Times and possibly Pau with Paulank Brockagh. It is actually a relief to be able to choose the right path for the horses instead of feeling huge pressure to run them at events that I would not normally do with them” To read the Sam’s full blog CLICK HERE
With Sam, Wendy Schaeffer and several other top Australian combinations likely to run at Burghley I can’t wait to be there to cover all of the action. Although I’m really looking forward to being at the eventing at Greenwich, there is no doubt that the big Four Star events take some beating (and at least you can go to trot up, as Hugh Thomas would no doubt point out!). So even after our Olympic eventing coverage we’ll have lots more Aussie action for you on the ground at Les Etoiles de Pau and the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials
But first, Barbury.................
