We take a look back at some of the highs and lows, best interviews, event highlights and top training tips of 2014 from the world of international eventing, month by month, in our series of articles. Click on any highlighted text to take you to any of the articles mentioned to read in full
Kevin McNab - Back in the saddle and finally cleared
It was finally here – the month that we had all been waiting for with hundreds of thousands of spectators travelling from around the world to the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy. For the riders the drama of team selection was not yet over; Sonja Johnson made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw Parkiarrup Illicit Liaison from Australia’s three-day event team only days before flying out while New Zealand eventing had its first husband and wife combination to make a championship team after the news that Jonelle Price was stepping in for Caroline Powell
Following the withdrawal of Pippa Funnell (Billy Beware) and Izzy Taylor (Allercombe Ellie) from the British eventing squad, Harry Meade and Nicola Wilson received a welcome call up and Jock Paget, a member of the New Zealand squad, was finally cleared by the FEI Tribunal of any wrong-doing in relation to his horse Clifton Promise failing an equine anti-doping test.
The waiting was also over for Kevin McNab who said “I knew I had done nothing wrong — I’m not a doper and I’m careful about what I feed my horses. I always knew that it had to be contamination and the written decision by the FEI Tribunal makes it absolutely clear that I was not at fault. I am a strong supporter of anti-doping. It has been a very unpleasant experience and I hope that if anything good can come out of this it will be that my case and that of Jock’s serves as a reminder that the effect of doping-related allegations against the innocent are extremely distressing and the protection of innocent parties is as important as detection of the guilty.”
Interviews
With the WEG fast approaching we of course focussed on some of the riders heading to Normandy. Ireland’s Aoife Clark was having a great run up to the Games, including a win at Gatcombe Park and we found out more about Aoife, her support team, her horses, and their preparation for Normandy
The four Brazilian eventing team members competing at the Games in Normandy also had Rio 2016 very firmly in their sights – we find out more from Brazilian team member Ruy Fonseca while closer to home Shane Rose talked about the schedule for the Australian horses heading to Normandy, his preparations leading up to the WEG and Burghley and what it’s like to fly with the horses heading overseas
Although he didn’t know it when we filmed this video, Stuart Tinney too was to head to Normandy. In the discussion however the cross country course designer and rider talked about what he was aiming to achieve with the CNC level courses he built for the Sydney Eventing Winter Classic and how he thought the courses rode. It’s always interesting to hear the course designer’s thoughts but especially when the designer is also a rider of Stuart's calibre
You can view the courses at the Sydney Winter Classic and see how they rode in our cross country videos here
Events
As the WEG did not start until later in the month there was still plenty of time for some last minute preparation at events although some riders opted to be cautious at certain competitions.
Bill Levett and his nominated WEG mount Shannondale Titan started well at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park by leading the Advanced Section after the first day of dressage. The pair led on a score of 28.6 despite an error of course due to a halt in the wrong spot but the top four breathing down Bill’s neck read like a who’s who of eventing. A few riders in the Advanced class here opted not to run their horses aimed at Normandy, including Bill but one rider headed to Normandy who went for a good run was Ireland’s Aoife Clark on Fenya’s Elegance. With a clear show jumping round under their belt they added only four time penalties to their dressage score to finish on a score of 34.2 and win the class. However it was the grey horses that came up trumps on the final day of competition at the for Andrew Nicholson, Francis Whittington and William Fox-Pitt
Still in the lead with a clear show jumping round in the CIC3* on Sunday morning Francis Whittington (above) was the last to go on Captain Mark Phillips’ twisty cross country track. Francis and Easy Target jumped clear but came home with 4.4 time penalties which were to cost him the win as Andrew Nicholson had also jumped clear but with 0.4 time penalties on Avebury. Francis’ second place however did mean that he was crowned British National Champion aboard Catherine Witt's Easy Target as the highest placed British rider. Catherine had a very good weekend as an owner with William Fox-Pitt also winning the Intermediate Championship on another of her grey horses, Luxury FH, jumping one of the few clear show jumping rounds to take the lead from Sam Griffiths and Favorit Z
Read our full coverage with rider interviews from the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park here
Aston-le-Walls was abuzz with the news that Jock Paget, who had brought his World Equestrian Games horse Clifton Promise along, and Kevin McNab had just been cleared by the FEI Tribunal regarding the Burghley doping. Jock and Promise put in a good dressage test in the Intermediate class, clear show jumping and steady cross country round to finish in 20th place but it was British rider Kitty King’s rising star Persimmon that took the win. You can watch their winning cross country ride here
An Eventful Life was videoing all competitors on the cross country from Friday to Sunday – you can view winners’ videos from each of the classes here
Hartpury
Following a day at Aston-le-Walls many of the higher level riders headed to Hartpury where Australia and New Zealand had dominated proceedings on the first day with Jonelle Richards, Chris Burton and Sam Griffiths in the lead. It was a long cross country day with several hold ups on course and the crash crew doing a sterling job of replacing frangible pins but, by the time the prize giving was over late in the day, Chris Burton finished on the top of the podium in the CIC3* for the third year in a row. Chris, who won here in 2012 on Kinnordy Rivaldo and in 2013 on Tempranillo, achieved the hat trick on yet another horse, Graf Liberty.
With the British weather turning on the tap overnight the organisers quickly changed plans and moved the CCI1* and 2* show jumping into the big indoor arena. The riders and horses were no doubt pleased to be somewhere dry and warm(ish) for the final day which saw Chris Burton on the podium again. This time Chris was riding Santano II to win the CCI1* on his dressage score of 35.7, having led from start to finish.
The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
With less than a week to go until competition commences, the Australian Eventing team were fit and raring to go. Emily Penney popped in for a chat with the team members at the training camp in the UK where ‘the banter and jokes that are flying around the camp is infectious and a strong sense of united determination is practically palpable’
While Emily was interviewing the riders in the UK, the AEL WEG coverage team of Libby Law and Debbie Higgs were settling into base camp near Le Haras du Pin in Normandy from where Debbie brought us her personal impressions in her blog
It was a breathtaking start to the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games as the Opening Ceremony celebrated the Nations, the athletes and, of course, the horse in a dramatic show of sound and light and for fun we covered the first few days of pure dressage at the main stadium in Caen, found out about the British silver medallist who learned to ride Down Under and discovered where to eat around the Stade d’Ornano (we didn’t know it at this stage but the topic of food was soon to heat up, so to speak)
However it was soon down to business for the competition we had really come for – the eventing at Le Haras du Pin. Although the grounds at the National Stud, may have been a bit soggy after the two days’ of rain , the runway in front of the Chateau was perfectly groomed and solid for the all important first horse inspection
We took you for a look behind the scenes at the eventing venue to check out the warm-up areas, vet area and even a saddler on hand for those last minute repairs before the dressage began on Friday which was led by a delighted William Fox-Pitt on Chilli Morning. We spoke to many of the riders competing and two, New Zealand’s Lucy Jackson and Australia’s Shane Rose, spoke particularly about the atmosphere of the dressage stadium and the effect it was having on the horses.
The last rider of the day on Saturday, Germany’s Sandra Auffarth (above) was certainly capable of changing the leader board and indeed she did. Riding Opgun Louvo for the German team, her score of 35.2 put William Fox-Pitt into second place (37.5) and Jock Paget into third (38). But the main topics of conversation around the (muddy) tracks were the cross country course and wet weather at Le Pin and the Ground Jury decided to take out two loops and two fences – Fence 20 and Fence 23 on the original cross country course – and shorten the time by just under one minute. You can view the full cross country course fence by fence here
Overnight Chris Burton had to withdraw TS Jamaimo due to colic but soon the team trailblazers including Zara Phillips and Michael Jung were out on the cross country course and we brought you their impressions in video interviews as soon as they came off the course
It was a day of enthralling and dramatic cross country action which saw William Fox-Pitt (above) regain the individual lead while Germany, Britain and Australia would be vying for team honours the next day. However it was also a day tinged with sadness at the loss of Harry Meade’s Wild Lone
The final day of the eventing competition had an unusual twist with the competitors and their horses moving from the National Stud of Le Pin to the city centre of Caen. Following the final horse inspection at 7:30am, where all horses presented were passed despite a few tense moments for five competitors, the horses were loaded up and trucked to Caen in convoy. Australia lost its grip on a bronze medal in the show jumping phase at a packed Stade d'Ornano while Germany proved its dominance with double gold
Read our full coverage of the eventing at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games including audio and video interviews with riders here
During this big event, as at all others, Libby Law provided daily photo galleries and many of the shots for our articles. We can’t close our review of the month of August without mentioning that Libby herself had a big win that month in the Professional category of the FEI Solidarity World Photo Grand Prix competition with the fabulous photo of Andrew Nicholson after falling the water at Tattersall's - SPLASH PALACE, as Libby would say!
If you’re not viewing our photo galleries with Libby’s superb high quality photos from all major events, you are missing out!
