We take a look back at some of the highs and lows, best interviews, event highlights and top training tips of 2015 from the world of international eventing, month by month, in our series of articles. Click on the highlighted text to take you to any of the articles mentioned to read in full
UK Event Coverage
Barbury
The battle of the greys was on again at the 2015 Barbury International Horse Trials with 2014 winner Andrew Nicholson and 2014 runner-up Francis Whittington going head to head in the dressage but in the end it was all about New Zealand after a weekend full of rain, records and race horses.
Andrew Nicholson and Avebury were unstoppable from start to finish, taking out the CIC3* for an incredible fourth time in row. The 15 year old gelding flew around Captain Mark Phillips challenging and up to height cross country course, coming home 12 seconds under the optimum time. Nicholson also went double clear on his second ride Nereo, moving up from fourth after the dressage to take second and Mark Todd rounded off the Kiwis domination in the top class, taking third place on Leonidas II
View how the Barbury International Horse Trials 2015 unfolded each day through our photo galleries as we take you behind the scenes and into the thick of the action and watch Australian rider Emma Dougall and the eight year old gelding Tenor De La Robiniere ride the CIC2* cross country at Barbury International Horse Trials
Over in Ireland it was all about Australia when three of the classes at Camphire International Horse Trials in southern Ireland over the weekend were won by Australian riders and Andrew Nicholson was still on a roll a little later in the month when he won the first Amlin Plus Eventers’ Challenge at Hickstead, producing a polished clear to win on the nine-year-old gelding Cillnabradden Evo
Australia
Quirindi
Quirindi, NSW holds a long format event each year and we headed north for sunshine, the CCI and the pleasures of camping in a gooseneck ...........It wasn’t quite as warm as we had hoped but the weather held up for cross country day although it was a mite slippery as Heath Ryan discovered to his dismay
Heath led the Mitavite CCN95 on Wimborne Constable after cross country but didn’t even make it to the first fence on his other horse Flash Bandit, who was in the lead after dressage, when Flash Bandit’s legs slipped from underneath him and they found themselves eliminated for a fall.
“It was also quite difficult to explain to the owner that we never actually jumped a fence!”
Stuart Tinney and Carlchen at Quirindi
Another Olympian Stuart Tinney had lovely rounds on the two horses in the CCI2* but also made a bit of a boo-boo in the CNC2* “I was running a bit late for the CNC2* on Annapurna as the last horse of the day” said Stuart “They let me finish the course but apparently I cantered past an oxer I was meant to jump!”
At the end of the day the only thing to do was enjoy a good meal and CCI1* leader Charlie Brister provided some dinner recommendations
On the final day the really icy cold blast descended, horse blankets were put to good use and some Queensland riders were worried about snow (yes, snow in Queensland!) blocking their way home but for overseas visitors, the drive home meant that they got to see some Aussie wildlife up close
Sydney Eventing Winter Classic
After the cold of Quirindi, we were treated to the perfect day for eventing at the Randwick Equine Centre Sydney Eventing Winter Classic where Judy Clarke won the CNC3* on Diablito, after a 15 year break from competing at 3* level
Judy Clarke and Diablito
Stuart Tinney not only designed the courses at the Sydney Eventing Winter Classic but also rode one of them – what did he think of his own course?
International
PanAm Games
The eventing at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto kicked off with USA, Canada and Brazil as hot favourites for medals. The United States led after the dressage but it was a very close thing with Canada in second place and Brazil third
After taking on Wayne Copping’s 2* cross country at Will o'Wind Farm, Brazil's Ruy Fonseca topped the individual placings and the Brazilian team moved into second place
But it was the USA all the way on the final day to take the win and with it a place at Rio 2016
We found out more about Canada's Colleen Loach who won a team medal at the Pan Ams, thanks to the generous owner she groomed for at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy - Peter Barry
Also in America, the 41st FEI North American Championships for Juniors and Young Riders (NAJYRC) came to a close after six hectic days of competition including eventing at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington
Videos
What happens in the Control Box on cross country day? We dropped in to watch Clare Prentice, Henry Symington and Spencer Sturmey in action at Rockingham and found out .......
We loved our first visit to Chilham Castle Horse Trials in May and put together a little video of our time there and there was plenty of video action in our wrap from Chepstow, Purston Manor and Aske in England and Tamborine in Australia
Tips from the Top videos:
New Zealand eventer Caroline Powell explains how traditional road work still forms an integral part of her horses' fitness training
Mary and Emily King recommend exercising your horse on grass surfaces and turning them out as much as possible, even the night before a competition
A little tip about warming up your horse from Australia's Paul Tapner
Features
Eventing as a sport or business is an expensive undertaking and the start of a new financial year was a good time to take stock. This article focused on how to set business goals, review your vision of success and put in place systems to improve your financial management
As the chill of winter descended upon the paddocks in Australia, our thoughts turned to how we can best make our horses warm and comfortable in the cold, wet and often windy conditions and, in what is often a cold, wet and windy place, Blair Castle, the 32nd FEI European Eventing Championships were looming. We looked back at the riders, horses and venues that have shaped a remarkable sporting history since the classification started 62 years ago
Interviews
Millie Dumas is an up and coming young British rider with a French connection and some good new talent in the stable
Could Emily Rink, the fifteen year old eventing rider from Queensland, be the next Elle Mcpherson?
Cross country course designer Ian Stark told us how things are coming along for the FEI European Championships at Blair Castle, what the riders may find most difficult about the course and who will be wearing kilts
Emma King
Emma King had never competed at the MI3DE before but, with two horses in the top three of the CCI1*, she had a great debut in 2015. We found out more about the 28 year old Western Australian eventing rider and her two top horses
Queensland's Madeline Wilson ventured south to battle the elements at Quirindi - we found out more about this 21 year old, the youngest of a family of eventers, and her two horses Kolora Stud Triple 8 and I'm Bruce
Shane Rose told us about the accident that had sidelined him for two months and his focus for the rest of the year
News and happenings
There was little change to the revised 2015 eventing squads under the Equestrian Sport New Zealand High Performance Programme with still no Andrew Nicholson who had “chosen to withdraw from negotiations to reintegrate him into the High Performance Squad”
But it was musical chairs in the FEI World Eventing Rankings as Michael Jung reclaimed the number one spot and nine Australians were in the top 50, including Stuart Tinney back in the top 10 and two Victorian riders making their mark
Chris Burton set a new international dressage score at Camphire International Horse Trials in Ireland riding Santano II, an eight year old gelding by Sandro Hit and this is what it looked like
Top blog of July
Kiwi eventer, lawyer and uniform wearer Fraser King changed nationality and started his Dutch eventing career and blogging with a bang!
Top photo gallery
That jolly big tractor garnered lots of interest at Barbury, or maybe it was Andrew Nicholson’s historic win (or just Libby’s great photos) but the cross country day photo gallery from Barbury International topped the hits in July
