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
William Fox-Pitt was back on top in May, moving to the front of the world eventing rankings, ousting Andrew Nicholson who had led the rankings since claiming team bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games
In Australia eventing stars were well represented in the 2014 Equestrian Australia Sport Achievement Awards with Owner of the Year going to Shane Rose, Volunteer of the Year to Sandra Atkins and Domestic Horse of the Year to TS Jamaimo. The Hall of Fame Inductees included Andrew Hoy OAM and Service to Sport recipients Jim Dunn OAM and Dr Denis Goulding
Only a few weeks after the breeder of Kibah Tic Toc, Bud Hyem had passed away, Tic Toc, the horse that delivered two Olympic gold medals for Australia also died at age 36 and shortly after competing at Rolex Kentucky, the USA horse Smoke on the Water, owned by Marilyn Little, died due to injuries whilst becoming cast in a stable
Interviews
Apart from many rider interviews during an action packed month of events, we also caught up with Tim Downes (Head of the Ground Jury of the CCI3* at Sydney International Horse Trials), British rider Nick Gauntlett and Megan Jones for a chat while Kim Leibowitz and Amanda Young told us the stories behind their horses.
Kim’s Widgee Total Tribute not only won the four year old Young Event horse title at Sydney International Horse Trials but also took out the overall title while Amanda Young’s 15h (‘ish) New Zealand pig-hunting horse Bijou may be small for an eventing horse but we had to find out more about him when we saw them competing at Sydney International Horse Trials
Events
Of course the big event of the month was the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, complete with a new look course. The riders who complained of a ‘too soft’ Badminton in 2013 may have been kicking themselves at the end of this year’s event.
First we stopped off at the Brigstock International Horse Trials, held for the second year at the beautiful Rockingham Castle where some big names were competing including Andrew Hoy who had just withdrawn his horse Rutherglen from Badminton
If, like us, you have ever wondered what really goes on behind the stable doors at the big events you’ll love our Snippets from the Stables at Badminton. Rachel Watts, head girl for Chris Burton and TS Jamaimo, brought us a groom’s eye view and daily updates from Badminton which proved to be an exciting event for the Australian camp. Paul Tapner riding Kilronan took the lead during the first blustery and wet day of dressage and stayed there after a tough day on cross country. Whilst Giuseppe Della Chiesa’s cross country course was predicted to be influential no one expected it to cause the amount of drama that it did; of the 78 starters who set out on course, only 35 made it home and just 29 of those returned without jumping faults. Not one combination made it home under time.
The cross country efforts took their toll on show jumping day but Australia came up trumps. However it was not Paul Tapner but Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh, fifth after the cross country phase, that emerged the winners “When I was a little boy we used to wait for the video tapes to come out to Australia so we could watch the highlights of Badminton,” he said “To actually win it is the completion of that dream; it means the world to me. As a little kid growing up in Australia that was always the pinnacle.”
For our full coverage of Badminton including interviews with the riders click here
After celebrations at Badminton, Sam and Paulank Brockagh savoured the moment at home with friends and family while we covered an event in Sam’s home state of Victoria – the Ballarat Horse Trials held during the Mother’s Day weekend. The inaugural CIC3* held in the area famous for its gold fields was won by the galloping vet Rohan Luxmoore while Will Enzinger and the evergreen Mousetrap took the CIC2* and Tamara Campain and Andrew Cooper won the CIC1* divisions. 19 year old Tamara was on a roll, having also won the PCAV State Championships in the same month
Our sport isn't just about the WEGs, the Badmintons, and the gold medallists - it's also about the grassroots riders, the camaraderie, the love of their horses and knowing how to have fun. Each year we love attending the HRCAV TTT Horse Trials and at the 2014 Championships the Pakenham Upper Riding Club Sapphires showed how to win and the Glenvale Go Getters told us how to have fun
The number of competitors at HRCAV TTT Horse Trials is big but the biggest event in Australia is at Eventing Equestriad where over 650 competitors took part in May. It may have been a hot and dusty weekend but Sam Lyle won the Bates Saddles CIC3* in style riding his wife Nicky's super horse Carson Hill
In New Zealand a series of small earthquakes in the early morning centred just miles from the venue added to the pre-dressage nerves for riders and horses contesting the national titles at the NRM National 3 Day Event in Taupo. Clarke Johnstone and Balmoral Sensation continued their sensational new partnership with a win in the NRM CCI3*, leading from start to finish.
The UK based Kiwi riders were also on a roll with Sir Mark Todd winning the CIC3* at Chatsworth on the up and coming Amacuzzi and a convincing team win in the FEI Eventing Nations Cup competition at Houghton International Horse Trials with Mark and Lizzie Brown taking first and second in the CICO3*. And if you want to know if Lizzie Brown prefers drops or ditches, mares or geldings, Badminton or Burghley, Nicholson or Fox-Pitt you can find out in this fun video
It was a weekend of eventing when the second horse inspection played a pivotal role. At Houghton Hall the overnight leaders of the CCI2*, Canada’s Rebecca Howard and Xavier Faer, withdrew from the holding box at the final vet inspection and the leader of the Under 21 Championship, Sophie Beaty did not present the leading horse, Navigator
However Sophie climbed up the leader board with just one rail down riding her other horse Stanly to take the runner up spot while her good friend Bella Innes Ker dropped one place to third with two jumps down. It was a clear round for Will Furlong and Livingstone II which helped them secure the British National Under 21 Championship around a course which saw only four horses left all the poles in their cups.
Over the Channel the final day in Saumur ended early for the overnight leader of the CCI3*, Propriano de l'Ebat ridden by France’s Luc Chateau when they were not accepted at the Final Horse Inspection first thing on Sunday morning. Maxime Livio and Qalao des Mers collected the winners' spoils finishing on their dressage score of 41.2
France took the honours in the CIC2* class also with Thomas Carlile and Tenareze, a combination we were to hear plenty of later in the year, leading impressively from start to finish to take the win just ahead of Andrew Hoy and Rutherglen
Most watched cross country video
Rohan Luxmoore and Bells ‘N Whistles Ballarat CIC3* winners
Top 3 (most viewed) photo galleries
Top 3 (most read) blogs
Nat Blundell’s Post Badminton Brief
Makayla Wood’s Where to Start? My 2,500 Word Blog
Michelle Robson A sad farewell
