Away from the very friendly Start Box for Katie Thomas and Cefnpant Iolo, 4th in the BE100 Open
An Eventful Life filmed all competitors on cross country at
Cholmondeley Castle - find out more here
The event at Cholmondeley Castle had some very difficult weather conditions to deal with this weekend.
First the event organisers had incredibly hot weather during the week leading up to the event and then, with persistent rain all weekend, the second day of competition had to be abandoned. The Saturday competition went smoothly, though it was clear that the ground was suffering by the end of the day and the most cheerful starter I have ever met kept everybody’s spirits up (not to mention the coffee trailer ensuring that everyone was kept warm and well-caffeinated)
With the raining teeming down we sadly had to take the decision to pull the video cameras off the course after the BE90 classes on Saturday morning but we did capture all competitors in this level and the BE90 Section A was won by Becky Hartley on her own Who’s De Baby on their dressage score of 27.
This horse had a very successful racing career before his previous owners, Caroline and Glynn Davies, decided to give him a change of scenery and he has taken to eventing like a duck to water. Becky says he has “such a trainable brain and a very laid back attitude towards life”. She is looking forward to stepping him up a level the next time they go out and is very excited for his future.
Laura Hanson won the Section B on Bonnie Release the Stars, owned by Anna Johnson, and Emily Jarrett won Section C on her own Whitemoors Hot Toddy on a cracking dressage score of 22. Emily says that “Tod has been a tricky character. We bought him through a ‘project horses’ page on Facebook"
"He had been imported from Germany as a four-year-old and proved too much for his owner early on, but she loved him so just turned him out and kept him as a pet. When he got to seven, she decided he was wasted in the field so advertised him. We bought him straight out of the field, knowing he was incredibly quirky; reared, bucked, napped, but had an incredible jump and temperament on the floor. We took the gamble and hoped to give him a job.”
“I got him back into work and hunted him for two seasons with the North Staffs before starting his first season eventing this year. Hunting has absolutely made him. He still loves to nap when he can, but is much more rideable these days when he does try it. He is the most talented horse I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding, which is why I persevered for so long before I attempted to event him. As a person he is amazing, very gentle and patient when my three year old son helps out. I’m very excited about the future with him, if I can keep his brain thinking forward I think he will go far.”
“It’s a huge team effort at home. My husband is an equine dentist but alongside that helps me run a busy yard at home of 15 hunters in the winter, then throughout the summer we are busy schooling and producing young horses for owners for a variety of disciplines.”
Section D in the BE90 was won by Laura Ridout on Coolodge Sox with just two time faults across the country. This was their first visit to Cholmondeley Castle and Laura says “I would definitely go again, the cross country course was lovely to ride, although I think that’s the first time in a very long while that Sox and I have not made the time! We were very fortunate to produce a very good dressage test to keep us in the lead.”
“Cholmondeley is quite a drive for us, but we’re doing quite well competing in the Tir-Star Eventing Saracen Grassroots Bursary and wanted to try and gain some more points towards it. I will definitely be returning to Cholmondeley, it’s such a wonderful venue.”
A big pat for Harthill Bouncing Bean by Katie Heath, 2nd in the BE100 Section E
Claire Deuten won the BE100 Section E on Butterfly Van Het Keizershof Z, known as Lottie at home, owned by Fiona Walker. Claire was thrilled with Lottie, having got her best dressage mark by about 10 marks at her third BE100. Claire explains “She’s not an easy mare and came with a reputation for being difficult. She’s quirky, and I got several messages after Cholmondeley from people who know the horse congratulating me on our success.”
“She had a nasty injury last year when she fell on the concrete and we nearly lost her, so to come back from that as well as she has is phenomenal. She’s probably one of the most talented horses I’ve ever sat on, with the potential to go round Badminton. She was the last to go round the BE100 course so she got the worst of the ground but made it feel so easy.”
“She’s as quick as a cat and as brave as a lion, I’m thrilled with the horse and thrilled for the owners, who are now looking to create a syndicate for this mare.”
Another of Claire’s rides, Diamond Woods, would have come second in her class had she not had an unfortunate 20 penalties at the water after spooking at an umbrella being put up as she approached. Claire also ran her five-year-old Kiltealy Blue who got a little stuck in the mud in the show jumping so she took him cross-country first to try to give him the best of the ground and was pleased with his run seeing as this was only his third BE100.
Claire was due to run another three horses on the Sunday, but agreed with the decision to abandon “Cholmondeley is a lovely event and really well run, but it was clear that the ground was suffering so the right choice was made to cancel the Sunday competition.”
Aimee Penny and PSH Mirror Image
Oliver Lofthouse won the BE100 Section F on Mary Lofthouse’s Amicitia and Aimee Penny won Section G on PSH Mirror Image.
Tyler Cassells won the only Novice section to run this weekend on Unis Midnight Illusion, owned and bred by Karen and Graham Brooks. Tyler says “Cholmondeley is a local event for us so we ran five horses on Saturday before leaving on Sunday to travel to western Germany to take part in the CCI3* Europeans - it was a such a shame for the organisers who had prepared the dry ground so well then the rain just did not stop. The horses all tried really hard for me - the show jumping was very influential which played in my favour having jumped clear.”
Tyler also claimed second place in the same section with Nigel Greaves’ Glory Dancer.
“Cholmondeley is always a challenging cross country, cleverly using all the terrain and it’s always a relief to clear the influential water complex. It was icing on the cake to have a 1-2.”
It was a shame that the weather put an early end to the competition at Cholmondeley, and the organisers were understandably disappointed but, as Claire Deuten pointed out in our chat over the phone “If it was easy we probably wouldn’t do it!”
Jon Kirby and Popaflora (above) and Laura Collett on Outback II (below), 3rd in the BE100 Section E
