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
We kicked off the month in Christmas mode with a gift to our 4* members – the chance to win a Chris Burton saddle. Find out more from the man himself in this video as Chris tells us about the features of the saddle he helped to design specifically for eventing riders and you still have a chance to win with the draw taking place on 1st March 2015
In general news from around the world Mike Etherington-Smith announced that he was standing down as the Chief Executive of British Eventing in order to devote more time to his cross country course design work, some of which is in Australia. Mike, who has worked with the Sydney International Horse Trials for several years on their course design, will also be the new designer for the Australian International 3 Day Event from 2015
Earlier in the year we had interviewed Will Quirico, a keen young rider just starting off on his eventing journey riding Sandhills Tiger, a very experienced, well travelled event horse previously ridden by Hamish Cargill. In December, Hamish Cargill sadly informed us that Tiger had died and he wrote a lovely tribute to the horse that had taken him to some of the biggest events in the world
Training
This is one worth trying at home - Dirk Schrade created a tight exercise for Michelle Robson and her talented warmblood Eastern Star Capone to tackle during the indoor jumping training at Equitana. The very small education arena where Dirk conducted an indoor jumping training session with Michelle and Rachael Lee meant that he had to come up with some tight turning exercises. However, as he pointed out, this was a good exercise for Capone as he has so much power that working on straight lines enables him at times to run away.
“To me this is a very good exercise for this horse” says Dirk “You just keep playing with the exercise until the horse is really relaxed....... try not to use too much hand, just guide him softly ..... don’t try to find a distance, just use the line and see what happens ........”
Events
Puhinui International 3 Day Event
As the northern hemisphere eventers start to head indoors for their adrenalin fixes (and cups of tea) each December we head to Auckland, New Zealand – the home of Libby Law and Puhinui International Horse Trials. While Libby was snapping our digital cross country walk for you on the Wednesday we chatted to some early arrivals stretching their horses’ legs at the scenic Puhinui Reserve. Clarke Johnstone was giving Balmoral Sensation a quick dressage lesson and it may have been auspicious that he and Abigail Long on BMW Advokaat were the two riders we chatted to – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves ...
Visiting Brit Nick Gauntlett
The all important question of the first horse inspection on Thursday was not only who was the best dressed but why was Nick Gauntlett in uniform? In fact the commentator had confused visiting British rider Nick Gauntlett with Fraser King who, despite being a barrister in real life, was sporting his Territorial Army uniform. And we do love a man in uniform, especially accompanied by a gorgeous horse
Dressage day on Friday saw a personal best dressage score for Clarke and Balmoral Sensation but some horses found the atmosphere a little too much to handle while Saturday was full on from start to finish. From Breakfast with the Stars to the Eventers vs Showjumpers High Jump Challenge there was plenty to keep us busy, including of course a full day of cross country action across the classes. The Breakfast with the Stars (watch our full video here)was a fun and interesting question and answer session with the visiting ‘Stars’ Tim and Jonelle Price, Blyth Tait and Nick Gauntlett before the start of the CCI1*cross country. There were only minor movements across the board in this class and 20 combinations made it around the course without jump or time penalties with the overnight leader Aleisha Collett riding Mi Focus maintaining her lead, adding nothing to her dressage score of 53.40.
There were considerable changes in the Cato Packaging CCI2* class with three retirements and two eliminations including the third placed Christen Hayde on Kinnordy Gallilee due to a fall at Fence 8, which caused problems for many. The leader after dressage, Amanda Pottinger had a problem here and also picked up 20 penalties at Fence 24, another jump which caught a few out. With 40 penalties and time faults Amanda dropped down the leader board, as did Blyth Tait who also had a problem at Fence 24, moving him and Leo Distinction from second to 10th. There were only three clear rounds without time penalties from Diane Gilder riding Your Attorney (55.4), Virginia Thompson riding Star Nouveau (56.7) and Emily Cammock riding Lewis (66.9) moving them up to equal first, third and eighth respectively. Diane was tied in first place with Katharine Van Tuyl riding Double J Sunshine (above) who moved up from ninth place with only 0.4 time penalties.
Seven combinations made it around the Honda NZ CCI3* cross country but the only ones to make the time were Clarke and Balmoral Sensation. Once the CCI3* cross country drew to a close some of the eventers took to the main arena to entertain the crowds by jumping huge jumps and taking their clothes off. Unofficially entitled “Tip, Strip and Out” the Eventers versus Showjumpers High Jump Challenge saw some seriously big jumping up to 1.65m combined with some very funny commentary, bareback riding by Tim Price (both horse and rider), Dannie Lodder revealing her blue shorts again (see our first trot up gallery) and the winner riding in her bra. You can watch the whole thing here
On the final day under a beautifully sunny sky Clarke pulled off the perfect win in the CCI3*, giving plenty of cause for celebration including victory laps through the water jump and Formula One-style champagne. Only six competitors from the original field of 13 went into the final phase and, despite some rails falling, the leader board remained the same. Jessica Woods in her first ever CCI3* put on a good performance with a clear round on Defies Logic while Nick Gauntlett was philosophical about his two rails and three time faults on El Grado as part of their familiarisation phase. It was still good enough to hold on to third place however, finishing on a score of 73.4 while the galloping barrister Fraser King had one rail riding Nadal KSNZ to stay in second place on 65.6.
You can find our full daily coverage from Puhinui including videos, interviews and photo galleries
Watch our cross country videos from Puhinui here
In Australia it was the end of an era for two gentlemen at the Lakes and Craters 3 Day Event in Victoria but a new era started with the brand new R and M Roycroft Memorial water jump being christened and in Perth Clayton Fredericks and Chris Burton won the Holden cars at Eventing in the Park where prizes to the value of $110,000 were on offer
Watch our cross country videos from Lakes & Craters here
Frenchman Eddy Sans won the inaugural indoor cross country course at the CHI Geneve with Nethlands’ Tim Lips riding Bayro and Thomas Carlile riding Sirocco du Gers coming oh so close
Interviews
There were some great stories that emerged from Puhinui in our rider interviews. It was at least 15 years since Blyth Tait competed there and he modestly said that he ‘could do with some good luck’ on the ‘tough’ CCI2* course. But he did have his lucky groom Fiona Fraser and her horse Leo Distinction ............... and we loved the explanation of how Clarke Johnstone’s Sportsman II was found online and ‘put in the shopping cart’ by owner Rhys Powell, a man who also has a few good horses lined up for the Kiwi riders at Eventing in the Park in Perth
The galloping barrister Fraser King had a good year in 2014, winning the NZ National One Day Event Championships and finishing second in the CCI3* at Puhinui. We talked to Fraser about his busy life and his off the track thoroughbred Nadal KSNZ and although Andrew Nicholson may have been a notable exception from the first New Zealand high performance squad announced for 2015, he was the entertaining star of our video from earlier in the year at Blenheim. Find out which horse changed Andrew’s approach to dressage, how he goes about educating his young horses and why Avebury finds the Burghley course so easy despite being ‘like a pony’
Two riders that did make the Kiwi squad however were husband and wife Tim and Jonelle Price. We caught up with them to chat about the year that’s been for the two riders ranked 11th and second in the world, their team of horses, where to find new talent and erm, kitchens ........... while Australian rider Simon Tainsh is one aiming to make future teams with his warmblood mare Just de Manza
And that was the eventing year in 2014; you can 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 or you can test your eventing knowledge and see how much attention you had been paying during the year? Our Christmas quiz was also a good test of your international eventing knowledge and lots of fun – and now you even have the answers on tap if you want to cheat!
Most watched cross country video
Clarke Johnstone and Balmoral Sensation – winners CCI3* Puhinui
Top 3 (most read) blogs
Alice Hirst Do horse riders have a ‘look’?
Teegan Ashby Hello everyone and goodbye 2014!
Emily Rink What a Year!
Top 3 (most viewed) photo galleries
