Eventing in numbers: an 11.5 dressage score and 1 speedy advanced rider

Tuck into this week’s numerical digest of the week’s horse trials action, from Britain, Ireland and the USA

Dates: 20-26 July, 21st week of the 2015 season

The basics

Number of British Eventing (BE) fixtures: five (Dauntsey (1), Aston-le-Walls (3), Frickley Park (1), Borde Hill (2), Dalkeith (2))
Number of BE sections run this week: 91
Event with most sections: Aston-le-Walls — 22 sections
Number of BE sections run so far this year: 1588
Number of combined BE and FEI sections run so far this year: 1628
Number of BE fixtures run so far this year: 105

Best dressage scores

Dauntsey: 22, for Neil Spratt and Eluna, who added one showjump down to take third in BE100 section G
Aston-le-Walls: 18.5, scored by Tim Price and Koh I Noor, winners of novice section B
Borde Hill: 22.3, for Rockrimmon Razamataz, ridden by Iona Kininmonth. The pair went on to finish 14th in BE100open section K after 13 faults showjumping and 19.6 time-penalties across country
Frickley Park: 19.8, recorded by Harriette Howard on Starholme Amberleigh, who added 10.4 time-faults in BE100open section M but still won the class
Dalkeith: 11.5, scored by BE100 section L winners Alex Hua Tian and William XVII — this equals the previous best dressage score this season, set at West Wilts back in June by Clare Valendar and Porthall Molbert

Speedy gonzales

1: number of pairs who beat the 6min 15sec optimum time over the advanced track at Aston-le-Walls. The speedster was Ian Wills, riding Hartpury Sky Is The Limit
2: number of riders who came home inside the 4min 4sec optimum time in the open novice at Frickley Park — Sophie Platt (Caesar II) and Mark Poskitt (Arty)
0: number of pairs who beat the 5min 17sec optimum time over the novice course at Borde Hill. The fastest had 8.4 time-faults, with this time shared by Ken Spencer and Freshmans Pink Floyd, who won section N, and Tina Cook’s two rides (Billy The Red and Calvino II), first and second in the open novice

And also…

280: number of volunteers at Frickley Park
2: number of finishers in the four-year-old class at Dalkeith, from five starters
2: number of pairs who finished on their dressage score in the young rider final trial at Aston — Ella Hitchman on Rocky Rockstar (pictured) and Kristina Hall-Jackson on Lemington Lets Dance
45: percentage of pairs in the open novice at Borde Hill who finished
3: number of classes at Dauntsey which went to non-British riders — two of them to Neil Spratt

Further afield

24.5 (83.54%): mark scored by Christopher Burton and Santano II in the CCI2* at Camphire, Ireland — the best score at this level since 2010, according eventing statistics company Equiratings. “Burto” did a one-two in this class and also won the CIC3* on Nobilis 18
1: number of British winners at Camphire — Flora Harris and Cesano H took the CIC*
2nd: placing taken by Britain’s James Alliston and Parker in the CCI3* at Rebecca Farm, Montana, USA

Full report from Aston-le-Walls in H&H this week, out Thursday, 30 July 2015.

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.