Imogen Murray and Ivar Gooden at Burghley 2017
An Eventful Life is filming all competitors on cross country at
Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials - find out more here
26-year-old Imogen Murray may be one of the younger riders in the field at this year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials but it will be her fourth time to gallop around the Burghley track and on cross country day, Imogen and her 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Ivar Gooden will be ones to watch
Last year the Leicestershire-based Imogen won the Barbara Cooper trophy awarded at Burghley for the ‘best performance by a young British rider’, finishing in 19th place thanks to a fabulous cross country ride when they added just 5.2 time penalties
Bred by Pat Coffey, Ivar Gooden is by the thoroughbred Young Convinced (also the sire of Mark Todd’s former four-star ride Major Milestone) out of a mare by Coevers Diamond Boy. He was purchased through Goresbridge sales by Aivar Ward, who still owns him today as part of the MS Team Sydnicate, and who brought him the UK as a four-year-old. A chance meeting in a pub led to Imogen getting the ride; in 2013 the pair was shortlisted for the world young horse championship and the following year they completed the seven-year-old world young horse championship CCI2*. In 2017 Ivar Gooden completed his first 4 (*at Badminton) and at the end of that year was only one of only two horses to have completed both Badminton and Burghley with a double clear.
This pair may not be at the top of the leader board after dressage but keep an eye for them on cross country day at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials ………..
