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
Teegan and Rockingham No Reason on the way to their first ever 3* win
When Megan Jones led various classes at the Canberra International Horse Trials in October it was probably no surprise that she was leading the CIC3* on Kirby Park Allofasudden who was having his first big run in a while but she needed to adjust her stirrup leathers quite a bit for another of her rides. The pony that we assumed was simply there to keep Allofasudden company was in fact Bain Park Nebiolo, a pony that Megan was riding for a client who won the EvA95B
However the Olympic medallist was ousted from the top spot by 20 year old Teegan Ashby on cross country day. Teegan won her first ever CIC3* start on Rockingham No Reason, a horse she bought simply because he was quiet. “He was awesome the whole way around” say Teegan of the horse has now won at both 2* and 3* level at his first attempt.
Watch our cross country videos from Canberra CIC Horse Trials
Another newbie to the 3* winners' circle - Libby Lowery
Teegan was not the only Australian young rider to win their first 3* in October. “I’m very surprised but very happy about it” says Libby Lowery of her CIC3* win at the NSW State Championships including the Limitless trophy at Lynton Horse Trials in Goulburn. It was less of a surprise for Stuart Tinney to win the CCI3* as he was the only rider in it but Neil Kennedy and his team had obligingly created a run for Stuart and Annapurna on the much improved going during a weekend when the event was finally having some luck with the weather
Watch our cross country videos from Lynton Horse Trials, Goulburn
Other young riders had less luck with the weather at the Australian Interschools Equestrian Championships. It was a BIG week for all involved but the team spirit prevailed during lashing storms, tired mascots, long journeys, some great eventing and, of course, full actions to singing YMCA. For the local riders the closing ceremony on Friday afternoon was the last leg of a very long week, but for the travellers from all around Australia, it was the start of the next phase – the long trip home
Watch our cross country videos from the Australian Interschools Eventing Championship
Party time at Boekelo
Over in The Netherlands it was time for the annual event that riders look forward to each year, as much for the partying as the competition. The small town of Boekelo in the Eastern Netherlands is not just famous for the Military Boekelo-Enschede which, with 60,000 visitors per year, is one of the largest outdoor sporting events in the Netherlands but is also home to the Grolsch beer factory, which handily adjoins the equestrian venue. There were withdrawals and upsets right from the start but the leader board for the FEI Nations Cup CICO3* team and individual class was well and truly shaken up after riders had tackled Sue Benson’s course on Saturday.
The winning Kiwis
The overnight leader Clark Montgomery riding Loughan Glen had a refusal at the very last fence on the course which must have been frustrating to say the least! Clark appealed the 20 penalties but the Ground Jury didn’t agree with Clark’s version of what happened and the penalties stayed in place along with 8.8 time, dropping him to 30th place. The Australian team of Chris Burton, Kevin McNab, Sam Griffiths and Paul Tapner went well to finish the day only 0.30 penalties behind the leaders New Zealand but it was Lucy Jackson’s clear round in the show jumping that sealed the win for the Kiwis at the final leg of the series. It was Germany however who claimed the 2014 FEI Nations Cup Series after a dominant year
Lucy was “over the moon,” as no doubt was the young French rider Thomas Carlile who won the individual title on board the eight year old Selle Francaise gelding Sirocco du Gers (below). Thomas had one rail in hand and used it but emerged a triumphant winner after a strong performance in all three phases
As the lorries start to roll out of Boekelo many of them were headed to the FEI World Young Eventing Horse Championship at Le Lion d’Angers, including with the previous year’s 6 Year Old winner, the stallion Tenereze competing in the 7 Year Old class and Upsilon in the 6 Year Old class and everyone asking, can he do the double again?
View our full daily coverage from Boekelo
FEI World Eventing Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion d’ Angers
The answer was ‘ sort of’ but on the first day it was a big French name and a less well known young Belgian rider who took the lead from some of the more fancied favourites at Le Lion. On cross country day however there were upsets for the dressage leaders of both classes, Nicholas Touzaint riding Caretinhus and Vincent Martens from Belgium riding Eiskonig, and suddenly Thomas Carlile and Michael Jung were back on top
Another star in Michael Jung's stable
Thomas Carlile proved once again how talented his young horse Tenareze is by adding the 7 Year Old title to his list of achievements while Michael Jung and Star Connection took the 6 Year Old FEI Eventing Championship but he was pushed to the wire by Chris Burton riding Dutch Man Retto.
View our full daily coverage from Le Lion d'Angers
Les Etoiles de Pau
We stayed in France for the last CCI4* of 2014 in the northern hemisphere but the first of the 2015 season – Les Etoiles de Pau in France. Some big names may have been missing but the world number one William Fox-Pitt was there and there was plenty of new talent to watch
Two of the world's most talented and experienced riders, Ingrid Klimke and William, led after the dressage but, as William said "Funny things can happen at Pau"
For Ingrid, this was true in a positive sense with the German star saying that her ride around Pierre Michelet’s cross country course had been “pure fun” although there may be some riders who may not have had the same feelings after a testing day. Riding her own Horseware Hale Bob and to the delight of her many fans, Ingrid finally took a CCI4* win at Les Etoiles de Pau to add to her list of achievements in the sport
View our full daily coverage from Les Etoiles de Pau
Interviews
With so many good events taking place around the world there was barely time to draw breath but we managed to fit in some interviews with both well-known and not so well-known riders!
Sheridan Wilson and Artane Murphy (appropriately nicknamed ‘Hurricane Murphy’) enjoyed their first 1* win at Avenel in Victoria and we found out more about this young combination and the big horse that has some shoes to fill
Not many people would know off the top of their head who was the Burghley 2000 runner-up. Australian rider Merran Wallis has not competed again at Burghley since that great feat but she had a good weekend at the NSW State Championships at Goulburn and we wondered if she was making a return to top level eventing?
Also at Goulburn was the visiting British eventing rider and coach Nick Gauntlett who had a successful weekend on board his new Australian horse. We talked to Nick about his ride on El Grado (above) and what the plans are for the future
28 year old Tim Lips was one of the bronze medal winning team from The Netherlands at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy - we caught up with him for a chat about his horses, WEG and family support
At home with Andrew Hoy
We spend some time with eventing triple gold Olympic medallist Andrew Hoy at his new yard in the UK and find out more about the four talented horses that may take him to yet another Olympic Gamesand, with Rio in mind, we talked to Prue Barrett, Eventing National Performance Director for Equestrian Australia. Prue discussed the Australian eventing performance at WEG, the importance of winning medals for funding, selection policies and squads for Rio and why the future looks good for eventing in Australia “We need to focus on the positives” says Prue, pointing out that Australia was the only country to get every team member home on cross country day
Most watched cross country video
Teegan Ashby and Rockingham No Reason – CIC3* winners Canberra
Top 3 (most read) blogs
Tinney Eventing’s “A Rider in all three disciplines”
Alice Hirst’s “We’re moving up to 1*!”
Rachel Watts “The ups and downs of WEG”
Top 3 (most viewed) photo galleries
Andrew Hoy’s Somerby Stables
NSW State Championships, Lynton Horse Trials at Goulburn
Australian National Interschool Championships
