A show jumping warm up arena is always a good place to catch up on the gossip. At Geelong Horse Trials last weekend I had a chat with Murray Lamperd and Amanda Ross (above), two Victorian riders who have planned to head overseas to compete this year.
We spoke to Amanda at Lakes & Craters in December last year about her plans to move to the UK for a while with her two horses William Wordsworth and Loxley, both owned by Michelle Clough. At Geelong Michelle (below) filled me in on the latest news (in between moving poles in the warm up arena).
“The plan was for us both to head over in March /April with the horses” she said “But it’s probably going to take a little longer to organise Amanda’s visa so at this stage I’ll be going over first (Michelle is a British citizen) and Amanda will do the season here, get a long-term visa organised and come over later in the year. There’s no point in taking the horses all the way over there to have to come back after six months – it’s a longer term plan than that. We’ve already organised some accommodation for the horses so I can check all that out and really get organised before Amanda arrives with the boys”
Michelle may miss her horses and watching Amanda compete here in Australia during the next few months but she is looking forward to going to Badminton Horse Trials instead
“I’ve got a friend who lives close to Badminton so I’ll be going every single day and I can’t wait!”
Murray Lamperd is also heading to Badminton. When we spoke to Murray recently, the plan was to take his top horse, Under the Clocks to Rolex Kentucky in April but it has turned out quite difficult to organise the transport
“Originally we had hoped to be able to share the pallet transporting Under the Clocks to Kentucky which would have been reasonably cost effective” said Murray “But that has fallen through so we’ve had a rethink. With several horses going to the UK around that time, it turns out to be a better travel option so we’ve decided to aim for Badminton instead”
Under the Clocks trotting up Murray at Adelaide 4* Photo: Jenelle Christopher
Under the Clocks is so keen to compete overseas that he is organising some fundraisers to help with the costs – such a clever horse!
He has asked us to mention that there will be a cocktail party and silent auction to raise money for Murray’s overseas campaign. It will be a night you do not want to miss, there will be excellent food (hopefully lots of hay for Under the Clocks too) and drinks (no alcohol for Under the Clocks though, as he is the athlete after all). Details are;
SATURDAY 16TH MARCH
7:00PM - 11:00PM
2 Island Road, Wallington, Victoria
Tickets $50 ($10 for children under 16)
Formal/Cocktail attire
RSVP by Saturday 9th
Call (03) 5255 1020 to book your tickets
