Oasby (2) Horse Trials wraps it up for BEDE in 2019

An Eventful Life filmed all competitors on cross country at

Despite a number of events being cancelled across the UK due to enormous amounts of rainfall this week, BEDE Events managed to run a very successful (and surprisingly dry) weekend of competition at their last event of the season, Oasby (2).

Teri Rudkin won the Novice Section A on Angela Porter’s Wish List.

“I’ve had Joey for nearly a year, his owners bought him for me last November. He’d been beautifully produced but hadn’t got a lot of miles on the clock which was just what we were looking for. He’s an absolute gentleman to have around although does get up to a bit of mischief in the field; trying to get the other horses to play over the fencing and he just wants to please everyone, he’s got such a happy face"

"After he did a lovely test and a clear round show jumping I knew I had to put my foot down on the cross country! I love Oasby as an event and after missing the first one due to the weather I was convinced the same would be happening this weekend, but the ground was amazing.”

Edie Campbell had a great weekend, winning Novice Section B on Glendew (watch their cross country ride here) and Intermediate Section H on Fireball F, both of which she owns herself.

“I’ve only won a handful of times before so to have two wins on the same day was, frankly, miraculous. I was hoping for a good day but not that good!”

“I’m very proud of my little mare Glendew (Tinkerbell). You certainly wouldn’t point her out in the warm-up as the one to beat but she’s a turned into a little trooper. She went a bit sour as a five year old so I lent her to Nick Gauntlett to have a foal from, and I’ve had her back to event this season. Nick’s pleased because a win and a second place are making his foal more valuable!”

“I had a bad fall at Rockingham in May so I’m just getting back out competing now and it feels particularly special to have this success. The time was seriously tight at Oasby and I’m not sure my neurosurgeons would be that pleased at how fast I had to go! But it feels really fantastic to be getting back to it all, having spent most of the summer in bed”

The Novice Section C went to Tina Canton, who runs Tinderbox Sport Horses near Newark, on her own Bannagh Romeo.

“I bought George as an unbroken three-year-old from Tommy Considine in the west of Ireland; I was recovering from a bad knee injury at the time, so I was on crutches! He was backed in the spring then did a few events and qualified for the4 Year Old Championships. He has always been precocious on the flat - has more power than he knows what to do with so dressage can be damage limitation and I’ve had to really stay motivated with him to not lose faith! Fortunately, he’s an amazing jumper”

“He did an okay test at Oasby and show-jumped clear. I had heard that the time was tight, so I thought I’d ride him up a gear, to try to make the time as I felt the course was not too technical. He was great and was the first horse to go inside the time. My aim next year is to move him up to intermediate and be more competitive at 2*”

Katie Corteen and Forgeland Tiger Tot

Katie Corteen wasn’t originally planning on going to Oasby but she re-routed after retiring in the CCI3*-L at Osberton due to the ground conditions and came out to win the Open Novice Section D on her own Forgeland Tiger Tot.

“We re-routed to Oasby to hopefully have a nice run before the end of the season and it turned out to be a lot better than expected - the ground was excellent, and the sun even came out. I am a full-time solicitor and have had Totty for four and a half years; she had never even jumped before I got her and I juggle eventing two horses around my full time job which is super stressful! I have also just been shortlisted for the amateur event rider of the year in the Horse and Hound awards which is super cool”

Max Kettlewell, winner of the Open Novice Under 18 Section E with his own Lickeen Rua told us that “Oasby was a great success and I am still shocked/amazed about the whole thing!”

“I got Rua exactly this time last year and together we did my first affiliated event at Great Witchingham BE90 to get our MER for BE100 and then we did a few Under 18 classes which secured me a place on the East Midlands team at Frickle where the Under 18 Championships was a fab experience! We then did our first novice together at Aston Le Walls UA and then went to Oasby for my first affiliated Novice. It exceeded all our expectations! We started doing novice a little earlier than planned as my legs are growing faster than Rua’s but I wanted to get as much experience from him as possible”

“Oasby was amazingly well presented considering the weather in the lead up and the course was perfect for Rua as the cross country is his favourite part! The dressage was a personal best for him, but I have been working on it quite a lot and it was an amazing feeling to jump clear round a big show jumping track! Rua is a legend but now I need to find a bigger version of him.”

“Thank you to An Eventful Life for supplying the prize of the video! I will look forward to watching it when it arrives - it’s my first one”

Here you go, Max!

The Open Intermediate Under 21 Section F Saffron Cresswell won the class on her own Renkum Corsair, Yasmin Ingham won section G on Banzai Du Loir owned by Sue Davies and Janette Chinn, and James Sommerville won section I on Altaskin Jack owned by himself, Rachel Sykes, and Jennifer Sommerville.

Alex Postolowsky won sections J and M in the BE100 class on Indigo Blue II, owned in collaboration with Valerie Mason, and Iden Van De Rosweide, owned by Wendy Rose.

Tinky Morris and Krystal Rayne

Twenty-two-year-old Tinky Morris won Section K on her own Krystal Rayne.

“I’ve just graduated from Sheffield Hallam and am now teaching horse riding as well as private primary tuition. Rayne is a 12-year-old New Forest x Friesian (strange combination I know!) and it was our first win. The course was amazing - BEDE did a fantastic job, especially with the ground, considering all the rain we have had - they definitely deserve a shout-out”

“Rayne can be quite the diva and was very annoyed about being left on the lorry whilst I rode my six-year-old horse in the afternoon. In typical eventing style, I somehow managed to fall off Joey whilst walking back from the show jumping as Rayne was causing havoc whinnying for him - whoops! Talk about literal ups and downs of eventing”

Grace Lumley also had a successful weekend, winning Section L in the BE100 on Kilnamona Henry (watch their cross country ride here), owned by Sharon Parnaby, and and Section S in the BE90 on Test Pilot owned by Alex Colquhoun.

Frayer, owned by Mrs BEDE herself, Anna Buntine, was expertly piloted by Olivia Henson to win the BE100 Section N and Georgie Frow won section O on DHI Jura owned by Simon and Jayne Brodie. The Open Section P was won by Grace Donnor on Leagaun Wild Boy, owned by Gini Hope.

Grennanstown Future Cruise, ridden by Lucy Robinson and owned by Alan Bell, won the BE90 section Q.

“It was great to be at Oasby at the weekend, I had five horses and they all had great runs. I’ve recently been signed off from my medical suspension from fracturing my back in two places at Houghton back in May. It’s been a long season but very glad to just get the last few events in even if some have been cancelled due to so much rain”

“Grennanstown Future Cruise, a five-year-old owned by Alan Bell, was competing in his first ever event. He exceeded all expectations, jumping a double clear finishing on his dressage score of 26.3 to win by six marks. Belline Second Chance was in the BE100, having not long come over from Ireland, so we are still a new partnership but finished eighth with just an unlucky pole"

"RLE French Clover, another of Alan Bell’s horses, was in the OIu21’s with another unlucky pole show-jumping but a fast clear cross-country so he finished in the placings for seventh”

“Szanel owned by Victoria Palmer was doing her first Intermediate and jumped a fantastic double clear to finish third in the OIu21 class”

“Last of all, Lesley Prince’s Tiger Lily XX, also in the OIu21, finished 15th with one down and a steady clear cross-country”

The final three BE90 sections were won by Kate Dodd on her own Concordia Liberty, Jasmine Watson on Eliza Yeardley’s Dysart Dunn, and Jasmine Watson on Kiali Van Der Waterhoeve owned by Philippa McMullan.

Oasby was a great success for BEDE, as can be seen by the feedback given by the riders above. We now look forward to three days of competition at Aston-Le-Walls this weekend, our last event of the season in the UK, before the team here take a winter break to prepare for 2020 and it all kicks off Down Under!

Article and photos by Jess Johnson