Nick and El Grado were second in the CIC3* after the dressage
What do top eventing horses Chilli Morning (William Fox-Pitt’s WEG mount) and Grand Manoeuvre (now ridden by Laura Collett) have in common? They were both produced by British rider and coach, Nick Gauntlett.
Nick has ridden to top level on a range of different horses and has achieved the great feat of jumping clear round Badminton on four of his five attempts (he fell in the water at his first attempt!) but this weekend he took on the slightly unusual challenge, for an English rider, of riding around the NSW State Championship course at Lynton Horse Trials in Goulburn
Having only taken the ride on the nine year old bay thoroughbred El Grado ten days ago the new combination came away with a fourth place in the CIC3* at Goulburn. We talked to Nick, who is normally based in Gloucestershire, about his ride on El Grado, what the plans are for the future and the bizarre Australian ‘yards’!
Nick Gauntlett
As Nick approaches the Road Crossing (above), his wife Amanda and son Henry watch on, albeit from different angles (below)
