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
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2014 was a big year for Zara Phillips and it all started by having a baby .........
2014 was a highly anticipated year. It was once again a major championship year with the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy set to take place in August/September and the world was getting ready. From the very start of the year the focus was on France.
It seemed that Championships are good for the sport, especially in the country they are held. In Britain the interest in equestrian sport soared following the London 2012 Olympics thanks to local heroes such as Charlotte Dujardin and William Fox-Pitt and Lottery Funding support and it was having a positive impact on the sport of eventing in Britain. British Eventing was in good shape with the number of events, days of cross country and participants all increasing in 2013 according to the British Eventing 2013 AGM and reports. Will the same result occur for France following the 2014 WEG we wonder?
On the opposite side of the world, eventing in New Zealand was still being plagued by the Jock Paget doping scandal that had begun in October 2013, but the young local eventers backed by experienced mentors were looking promising. Tinks Pottinger is not only a legendary name in eventing but also plays an important part in the development of young riders in New Zealand and we caught up with the eventing mum Tinks and daughter Amanda for an interview
Chris Burton and some of the Graf Liberty syndicate
With most of the top Kiwis based the UK, and many Australians also either already there or on their way for the WEG campaign it seemed that more and more event riders were taking the plunge to spend some time overseas. We talked to Chris Burton who has been based in the UK for several years now with good success and he gave us his opinion on if this trend is necessary
There are of course pros and cons to living in the UK; since moving there Chris has been working hard to build syndicates of owners for his owners and we found out more about the group of friends that have syndicated his horse Graf Liberty but of course one of the things that the UK based riders can’t enjoy in January is being able to enjoy a day at the beach when much of the horsey world is wrapped up in heavy rugs or cocooned in stables. This is what a good day out at the beach is all about ....
In other feature interviews ......
While the focus was on the coming WEG in France, American based Australian Peter Atkins received a last minute call to ride for his country at the last WEG in Kentucky – Alison Duthie found out mare about Peter’s mum, the remarkable Sandra Atkins who didn’t start riding until she was 21 but for whom it soon become a passion – a passion she passed onto the next generation of Atkins family and beyond …
Isabel English and Feldale Mouse - are they heading to Badminton in 2015?
And while Sandra may be in her seventies (and still going strong), Alison caught up with a much younger competitor we’re sure we’ll be seeing much more of in the next few years, Isabel English who, at the age of 18 had finished 12th in her first CCI4* at Adelaide but now has her sights set on Badminton ... maybe in 2015 ...
We talked to international event manager and FEI official Alec Lochore to find out his thoughts on how eventing is developing as an international sport, his role at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy and how event management is changing in the UK. But what if you want to event and don't own a horse? Zoe and Alex Rodgers and Laura Trujillo enjoyed a three day training session clinic with Paul Tapner and we found out what they gained from the training days riding borrowed horses
And of course, it was summer in Australia so we had visitors to our shores enjoying the sunshine. We caught up with the delightful UK based Italian rider Vittoria Panizzon at a clinic and young British eventers Sophie Beaty and Bella Innes-Kerr as they were relaxing by the beach!
Births, deaths and marriages
Unlike most people who want to get married in the best part of the year, most eventers plan their nuptials or other important occasions around the off season so you can be sure there are always a few well-timed (or in the case of Harry and Rosie Meade, not so well timed) happenings in January
Zara Phillips gave birth to a baby girl who weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces, at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with her husband, former England rugby player, Mike Tindall present at the arrival of baby Mia
While this was Zara and Mike’s first child, Harry Meade and his wife Rosie welcomed their second child into the world, although not quite in the way they had planned. Luckily Harry had just recovered the use of his arms after shattering both elbows in 2013 while Shane and Niki Rose had a much less eventful time for the birth of Harry. We weren’t sure if he was named after Harry Potter, Harry Meade or Prince Harry but Harry Rose certainly looked like an eventer to us!
On the marriage front, the then world number one eventing rider Andrew Nicholson married his long-time partner Candida ‘Wiggy’ Channer prompting one of our favourite tweets @NZEventing “Schooled ten horses then married Wiggy – good day’s work” #nicholsonontwitter
Now that's the way to travel - whether to Burghley or a wedding
We may be wrong but we doubt that Andrew Nicholson would have organised a Roller for his wedding (more likely to have ridden to the wedding). While Rolls Royce had launched a limited number of equine themed Bespoke Rolls-Royce Ghosts to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Horse, we found the Rolls Royce we'd prefer to drive in 2014
It was less of a happy time for connections of Lionheart the talented 4* horse, previously ridden by William Fox-Pitt but recently bought by American event rider Allison Springer, that was sadly put down following complications from colic
Training tips
After the excesses of Christmas and a bit of a break, riders and horses around the world need to shed a few pounds and sharpen up their skills. We reported on various clinics where top coaches shared their tips and we showed you how it worked in practise
Megan Jones shares some of her training tips
In two separate articles Megan Jones introduced us to one of her up and coming home bred stars, Kirby Park Invader and shares her training tips and jumping exercises for 'Freckles' through our videos and photos plus took us through a jumping session in the new Kirby Park grass arena and tackled the dreaded ditch riding Kirby Park Irish Stout
Chris Burton shared some invaluable tips in How to Jump a Ditch , How to Jump into Water and How to Jump a Drop Fence while Olympic silver medallist Sonja Johnson focussed on rider position and balance saying “I have an obsession with the lower leg. It’s what keeps us safe”.
We all know that we ride better when we’re more confident. Human performance coach Jon Pitts provides us with a greater understanding of what lies beneath confidence and how it can be made more resilient in the Jon Pitts Confidence in Riding Part 1 and Part 2
And we all know that a rider's smile can give coaches a buzz, but what it is that really annoys coaches – we asked the question … but let’s not forget that we all need to have a bit of fun. We loved Dom Schramm's video rap take on dressage and, as Dom says, “The next time that flatwork got you down in the dumps, don’t forget that after all, we’re only here for the jumps…………………”
Top viewed cross country video in January
CCI2* winner from Puhinui International Horse Trials Donna Smith and Balmoral Sensation (must have been Clarke Johnstone checking out the form) ...
Top 3 (most read) blogs
Kate Chadderton “Don’t call me, I can’t talk”
Rebel Morrow “Mardi Gras here we come”
Chris Burton and Bek Thompson “Burto’s board shorts on Boxing Day”
Top 3 (most viewed) photo galleries
