‘I’ve never had so much fun’: Olympic dressage rider finishes runner-up on eventing debut
Abi Lyle and Becca McCreath’s Nice Try II were competing in the GoBE80 at Little Gatcombe on 19 September
Olympic dressage rider Abi Lyle swapped her tailcoat for cross-country colours to finish runner-up on her British Eventing debut.
Abi and Becca McCreath’s 12-year-old gelding Nice Try II (Obi) were competing in the GoBE80 at Little Gatcombe on 19 September.
“I’ve been wanting to do an event for ages but life got in the way or events got cancelled, so I was happy that I finally got to do something before the season ends,” Abi told H&H.
“It was my proper debut and hopefully it will be the first of many!”
Abi and Obi led the first two phases, having posted a 24 dressage.
“Obi is such a little gentleman, and this was only his fourth or fifth event,” said Abi.
“He’s one of these really nice horses that will go on the bit and be really consistent. I was riding him round thinking, ‘Oh, I’d like a bit more of this or that’ but had to remind myself: ‘No, this is eventing dressage!’
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“We showjumped clear and he was a really good boy. Becky keeps Obi at Aston-le-Walls so I’ve been having plenty of lessons with Nigel Taylor in preparation.”
Abi and Obi jumped clear across country, with four time-faults, to finish second.
“Before I set off the steward asked if I was Abi the dressage rider, and said: ‘Good for you, well done’ and I was like: ‘Hang on, I haven’t got round yet’,” said Abi.
“I had my plan, but I’m ashamed to say I was heaving and wheezing by fence seven! There’s probably no limit to how much sitting trot I could do – but my God I was exhausted going round a cross-country. I’ve never had so much fun but also want something to end at the same time.
“We did lose the win for time-penalties, but I loved every minute, and probably because I was so knackered I didn’t over-ride him. He was fantastic. I finished and thought ‘I need to do this again’.”
Abi enjoyed the eventing community spirit.
“Eventing is so cool, everyone’s friendly and helpful. When people are jumping their rounds they’re whooping and saying ‘Good boy’, it’s just so nice to see people enjoying their horses like that,” she said.
“Dressage is fun but you can’t really express it, but in eventing you see people being ‘Woo’ and I just thought that was class. In the lorry park we were chatting away to our neighbours, and it was all just really lovely.”
Abi hopes to borrow Obi for some more events next season, when he is not competing with his owner Becca. In the meantime she is producing five-year-old mare Pipsqueak – whose competition name is Anti-Hero, a nod to the Swifties – bred by Abi’s friend and yard owner Georgie Round. Abi and Pipsqueak are competing in their first hunter trials this weekend at West Wilts.
“She’s called Pipsqueak because she was really little when she was a baby, she’s a little cutie,” said Abi.
“She’s not got the decorum for a one-day event yet, but she’ll jump anything you put in front of her. We did a little training event at Aston and she didn’t look at anything, she just loves it. We’ll put the work in over winter and hopefully we’ll be set up and ready to go out at the start of next season.”
But dressage fans can rest assured, Abi isn’t hanging up her tailcoat. She is entered for the Kronenberg CDI in Belgium next month with her Olympic ride Giraldo, known at home as Arty.
“I’ll always be dressage,” she said. “Arty feels great so I thought ‘Let’s not spend the winter festering, let’s get out’ – and it’s supposed to be a really nice show.”
Abi is also adding another string to her bow, having this week started a part-time criminology and law degree through the Open University.
“I previously did university in something else but never finished, and it’s always weighed on my mind. Since the Paris Olympics, I thought, ‘I’ve done that, and now I want to get a bit of academia in there’,” said Abi.
“The course takes six years, so I’m going to just see where I’m at. I’m super interested in the criminal justice system and with my past experiences, I’d love to apply myself to help in more significant ways that I currently do, so I thought this would be a good place to start.
“It’s online study and I spend a lot of time flying and in airports when I’m away teaching, so I can make use of that time. My priority is still to keep going with the horses; I’ve got Arty and some of Fenella’s [Quinn] lovely horses that are exciting and I definitely want to do some internationals next year.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.