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‘He deserved this – he’s done everything for me’: veteran home-bred superstar helps rider to under-25 national title

Pippa Roome Pippa Roome

    • Alice Casburn took the national under-25 title in the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results today (13 June).

    The 24-year-old piloted her mother Caroline’s home-bred 18-year-old Topspin to a showjumping clear and one of the fastest cross-country rounds today, finishing with just four time-faults to rocket up the leaderboard. She was sixth in the overall CCI4*-S placings.

    It was a fabulous result for these long-term partners, who had already won young rider team gold and individual bronze and finished in the top 10 at Defender Burghley Horse Trials four times.

    “He just keeps digging and keeps getting better and he has come out feeling so well this year,” said Alice.

    “Mum and I actually had our first little fall-out at the start of the year, because I had in my head that he was 18, and Mum was saying, ‘Look, are you riding by the number or are you riding by what you’re riding?’ I thought about it for a minute, thought, ‘I’m riding by the number’ and actually, he’s come out so well – the flatwork has improved and when I went into the showjumping, he was spooking at everything and having a great time.

    “I felt like he deserved this more than me – he’s done everything for me, from the bottom all the way to the top, and I’m very, very grateful and lucky to have him.”

    Alice now has the first under-25 World Championships, at Millstreet in late July, in her sights. Mars Badminton Horse Trials has never suited Topspin so she had already decided at the end of last year not to take him back there and when the under-25 worlds, at CCI4*-S, came on to the horizon, it made sense to make her Bramham debut.

    Alice said: “I know that horse inside out. Kylie Roddy said to me on the way down to the cross-country, ‘You know him more than anyone’ and I really needed that today, because I definitely felt the pressure this morning with the thought of Millsteet. You never know but I’d like to think we’d be in with a squeak of going.”

    A last hurrah at Defender Burghley Horse Trials beckons for September, either way.

    Bramham Horse Trials under-25 results: veterans dominate

    Cerys Macaulay, 24, landed second on another 18-year-old, Kananaskis, owned by her boyfriend Richard Coney – who won junior and young rider medals and went five-star on the horse before Cerys took over the ride – and his mother Wendy. She initially took on Kananaskis with the aim of rehabbing him after some injuries and has built from there.

    “We didn’t expect him to come back eventing, let alone keep go up the levels,” she said. “It took a while in our first season to get comfortable with each other but I feel like we know each other well now. He tries very hard for me.”

    Tom Bird landed third on his own, his mother Fran and Helen Kerry’s Lenny.

    Barnie Brotherton led this under-25 division after dressage, having broken his arm six weeks ago, but he and DHI King Nelson had a run-out at the open corner at fence 13b, which caused a good number of problems in the CCI4*-S.

    Defending champions Tom Woodward and Low Moor Lucky were second after dressage, but Tom withdrew the 19-year-old after four faults in the showjumping.

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    Pippa Roome
    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.
    Pippa Roome

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