Did we film you in 2017? Just put a rider or horse name in the Cross Country Search Box at the bottom of this page to find out
In 2016 our countdown of the most watched cross country videos finished with one of the most popular professional riders, William Fox-Pitt on Parklane Hawk, as the top viewed combination.
It was maybe not surprising that the video of William’s return to competition at the Barefoot Estates Burnham Market International early in 2016 after a life-threatening fall at Le Lion d’Angers in October 2015 garnered most the views on our website. But who will be on top this year?
There are certainly some top class professional riders in this year’s top 10 whose videos are not only great to watch but instructional as well (check out how the best in the world do it) but once again the amateur riders have shown that they love their videos and that lots of their friends, family and coaches love them too!
The Top 10 videos cover a wide range of classes, from BE90 up to CCI4* and, while we had three male riders last year, this year the ladies really dominate the field
Number 1
Zoe Traherne
We’ve run the gamut of levels of competition in our Top 10 countdown but we’re delighted that our most viewed video comes from grassroots competition. Zoe Traherne and Lavalla Jimmy Joe finished sixth in the BE90 at Oasby (1), one of the earliest events of the year where the going is always good, whatever the weather.
We love how this 15.2h six year old grey gelding has his ears pricked the whole way round and together they make the course look so easy and so much fun
We figure this is what eventing is all about .....well done Zoe and Lavalla Jimmy Joe
Watch Zoe Traherne on Lavalla Jimmy Joe at Oasby 2017 (1) here
Number 2
Phoebe Buckley
In second place is Phoebe Buckley who finished 32nd in the Novice class at Barbury Castle. Maybe not an earth shattering result so you may be wondering, who is Phoebe Buckley and how come she is at number 2? We wondered the same and then discovered Phoebe Buckley’s blog – here’s a little excerpt
“Publicly pulling strips off people is not cool. Not even god does it. End of.
So remember what I always say. Life is about balance. And you must keep the balance of your life tipping up”
Now we’re addicted to Phoebe Buckley’s bad spelling and slightly quirky but very interesting view of eventing and the world! Others obviously are too ......
Watch Phoebe Buckley on Custer Of The West at Barbury International 2017 here
Number 3
Donna Edwards-Smith
Let’s do the Hokey Cokey with Mr Hokey Pokey!
Coming in at number three is one of the most popular eventing combinations in the Southern Hemisphere, the Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse cross and popular palomino DSE Mr Hokey Pokey ridden by New Zealand’s Donna Smith
DSE Mr Hokey Pokey made his CCI4* debut at the Australian International 3 Day Event in November and, despite the video being uploaded late in the season, the video shot into third place
In Adelaide Donna told us that her aim for the golden boy of eventing at his first 4* was to ‘finish with a bigger CV than when we started’ and they certainly did that. As always Mr Hokey Pokey tried his heart out in all three phases, finishing just outside of the top six in seventh place and, although they weren’t the fastest on course, they came home with a fabulous clear cross country round.
This how they did it
Watch Donna Edwards-Smith on DSE Mr Hokey Pokey at the Australian International 3 Day Event 2017 here
Number 4
Bubby Upton on Cola III (again!)
Bubby is back! Not only is Bubby Upton in 6th and 7th place, she also takes 4th place thanks to her win in the CCI2* KBIS British Eventing 7 Year Old Championship at Osberton International on board Cola III
“If anyone asked me which horse is likely to be my first 4* horse, I would say him” said Bubby in our interview so you can expect big things of this guy!
Watch Bubby Upton on Cola III at Osberton International & Young Horse Champs here
Number 5
Viviane Pendleton
In 2016 we had had two Olympic medallists, a European medallist, a show jumper turned eventer, an amateur eventer and then in fifth place we had a rider we had never heard of until checking our stats
But not only did Viviane Pendleton place fifth in our Top 10 last year, she’s done it again this year! Riding Kate’s Touch, the full time lawyer and amateur eventing rider was 44th in the CIC2* at Rockingham Castle in 2016 and this video is still getting plenty of views on the website. Is someone stalking you Viviane? Or maybe you really are Victoria Pendleton in disguise?
Watch Viviane Pendleton on Kates Touch at Rockingham Castle International 2016
Number 6
Bubby Upton on Cola III
We’ve already seen Bubby Upton in seventh place on Cannavaro but she also takes sixth place on Cola III at Cholmondeley Castle 2017
Bubby and Cola III won the Open Intermediate U21 at Cholmondeley by nearly 10 penalties over the second placed competitor, leading from start to finish and coming home on cross country with the fastest time of just 2.4 time penalties
Watch Bubby Upton on Cola III at Cholmondeley Castle 2017 here
Number 7
Bubby Upton on Cannavaro
Britain’s Bubby Upton had a fabulous year in 2017, winning individual gold and team silver at the FEI European Junior Championships at Millstreet in Ireland on board the lovely Eros DHI who we met later in the year at Blenheim
Bubby started the year well early in the season on her new horse Cannavaro with a win at Burnham Market International in the Open Novice Under 18 and it is this video that earned her seventh place in our most watched videos (but this isn’t the last you’ll see of Bubby in this year’s countdown!)
Watch Bubby Upton on Cannavaro at Burnham Market International 2017 (1) here
Number 8
Kerry Dicken
19 year old Kerry Dicken finished 5th in the Open Intermediate Under 21 at Belton Park International riding Faerie Myth, partly thanks to this double clear cross country ride.
Kerry started with a good score of 31.1 in the dressage and maintained it till the very end, also show jumping clear on board the 15 year old chestnut mare known at home as Maisie. The pair had a strong following on the website with the most number of views in our half-yearly wrap at the end of June but they have still finished the year well in eighth place overall
Watch Kerry Dicken on Faerie Myth at Belton Park International 2017 here
Number 9
Hannah Savage
Hannah Savage is the first of our competitors at Grassroots level that had a big following this year
Hannah and the 17h gelding Major Turn finished third in the BE100 at Little Downham (2) in 2016. Starting on a dressage score of 28 they added just four faults in the show jumping and then jumped double clear around the cross country
Hannah and Major Turn didn’t compete in 2017 although Hannah seems to have found a new star in A Cooley Deal Breaker. They had three wins, a second place and sixth at BE80T and BE90 level during the year
But it was Major Turn’s video from 2016 who turned eyes in 2017, coming in at ninth place in our most watched videos of the year on the website
Watch Hannah Savage and Major Turn at Little Downham (2) here
Number 10
Olympe Dumont (FRA)
Our cross country videos may be best known in the UK, Australia and New Zealand but it is a French rider that starts the countdown this year with Olympe Dumont riding the 11 year old bay gelding Azar Des Aulnes Z
29 year old Olympe may have picked up 20 penalties on course at Houghton Hall where she was competing in the CICO3* in May but her smile when she completes the course says it all!
Watch Olympe Dumont and Azar Des Aulnes Z at Houghton International here
