An Eventful Life filmed all competitors on cross country at
Keysoe (1) - find out more here
Keysoe (1) was three jam-packed, action filled days this early May bank holiday weekend. Saturday brought with it a few spills and thrills, with the air ambulance arriving for one of the novice riders which held up proceedings slightly, but the team pushed on and managed to get everyone round this beautifully presented course.
The BE80(T) sections were won by Lauren Cass on Ines JD (Section N), Deborah Burrell on Imperial Tangle (Section O) and Kelly Turner on Rhythm Of The Beat (Section P).
The BE90 section K was won by Caroline Dyer on her own Curraghgraigue Quebec, Section L by Elizabeth Grimsey on her own Knockavalley Aine and Section M by Lottie Surl on Glencullen Bailey, owned by Wendy De Capell Brooke. Olivia Marsh won Section Q on Perseus II, Tia-Lilly Crane took the Open Section S on Glenayre Knight and Kelsey Love on Castle House Gem, all of which were owned by their riders.
Harry Horton, a full time event rider based in Essex, had a fantastic event at Keysoe, winning the Novice Section B, the BE90 Section R and gaining third and fifth placings in the BE100 Section X and Open Novice Section C respectively. Having studied equine management at Hartpury College, Harry came home to work for an international event rider and then set up on his own two years ago.
Harry is very excited about his ride, Darc Silver, owned by Gemma and Sean Evers, saying “It’s not everyday you get horses like him so we are taking our time”
Harry also took the win in the BE90 Section R on Alvescot Wannabe owned by Helene Braeckman. This class was a bit of a step down for Alvescot Wannabe but served as a good confidence boost and, having gained herself a personal best dressage score of 24.3, Keysoe proved to be a very productive event for this mare. Harry credits his owners and trainers for his success, saying that they’re very supportive of everything he does.
Katy-Mai-Guiney and Paint Me Proud II in the BE80T
Sally Chamberlain won the BE100 Section F on Chevalian Royal Fire, Section G was won by the USA’s Tiana Coudray on Erika Louvo, owned by Craig and Jo Horton, and Anthony Clark won Section H on his own Miss Cougar K Girl, as well as claiming second place in the BE100 Section I on Mr Bing Bong, owned by Davina Pateman. I just adore hearing Mr Bing Bong’s name read out over the tannoy!
Twenty-one year old Greta Mason won the BE100 Section I class on WSF Verona owned by Lucy Daly and came third in section H on her own Weston General. Both of these horses have only just started competing at BE100 level so Greta was really pleased that they have both come out and performed consistently in all three phases. Greta has been riding WSF Verona while her owner, Lucy Daly, is away at university. They have been working hard to improve her show jumping, so to get a double clear at one of their most local events was really rewarding.
Mary Edmundson and Lionel II competing in the Intermediate
Francesca Bowden-Graves on La Principessa 2 Open, owned by Sharon Graves, won Section J and Andrew Downes took Section X on Ballins Kelligs owned by Brian Smith.
Holly Woodhead, the winner of Section Y, was born into a horsey family and has equestrianism running through her veins. She has competed at Pony and Young Rider European Championships, had success in the Bramham Under 25 class and was picked for the Senior Europeans at Blair Castle where she competed on her horse of a lifetime, DHI Lupison.
Last weekend she won the BE100 Section Y at Keysoe on Linda Penfold’s Benicia B, who also won her Open BE100 class at Whitfield just two weeks ago. Holly also took first and second in the Novice Section U on Harlassimo, owned by Mr and Mrs Hope, and Pengrafen, owned by Lavinia Rank. This was only Harlassimo’s second Novice, so Holly was rightfully delighted with this talented young Irish horse and she was thrilled with Pengrafen after putting a lot of work into his dressage to be rewarded with a score of 26.
Andrew Heffernan won the Novice Section A on Amelia King’s CSF Teddy. Andrew also took second place in the Intermediate Section D on Gideon II co-owned by himself, Gill Shea and Yvonne Watson. Owen Cooper won the Open Section V on Silver Sunshine, owned by Sheila Wyatt and Katie Richards and Section W, the Novice Regional Final, was taken on Diamond Mine, owned and ridden by Katie Barber.
Lucy Goodey and Cest Bibi in the BE100
Ireland’s Susie Berry won the Open Novice Section C on Nick and Helen Caton’s John The Bull and also took sixth place in the BE100 Section G. She describes John The Bull as being “incredibly talented but he definitely knows it, he’s very arrogant but it also makes him very brave”. Susie is aiming John for Rockingham intermediate and possibly a long-format 3-star at the same time as making the exciting, but daunting, move to set up on her own having been based with Piggy French since her university days. We wish Susie all the best with her future adventures!
The intermediate sections were taken by Edie Campbell on her own Fireball F in Section D, Lily Bradstock on her own Shiny Rose Z in Section D1 and Section E was won by Kylie Roddy on SRS Kan Do, owned by Anne and Colin Fox.
The College Equestrian Centre has been undergoing some exciting new developments, including refurbishing the existing arenas, installing some new stabling and expanding the cross country facilities. The café, shop and viewing area make this venue really quite civilised compared to some, and everyone I spoke to commented on what a professional experience Keysoe offers.
Article by Jess Johnson
The Keysoe cafe, a popular spot to watch the show jumping
