Local rider Greta Mason will be aiming for her first British five-star finish as she steers Sarah Winfrey and Geoff Mason’s Cooley For Sure around the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials (30 August-3 September).
Greta made a five-star debut with Murphy, a 16-year-old by Ramiro B, in Pau Horse Trials last year. They finished 14th overall. Greta is currently based in Wiltshire with her trainers Rodney Powell and Alex Franklin.
Rolling it back to her youth, Greta was a member of the Burghley branch of the Pony Club and she has also taught for the branch. So, she arguably knows the landscape better than most: “It’s the most brilliant course here and there’s plenty to jump. They definitely make the most of the hills and the terrain, too. ”
Greta and Murphy finished their dressage test with a score of 32.
“The dressage isn’t his strongest phase, so for him to go in, try really hard and not make any mistakes makes me really proud,” said Greta, who added that cross-country is the gelding’s time to shine. “He’s a very good cross-country horse; in fact, he lives for it. If I put him in the right place he’ll do what he can to get over the fences which puts me in a more confident position.”
Murphy joined the Mason family when he was a five-year-old for Greta’s brother to event.
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“My brother rode him in some BE100s and novices, and when he went to uni I took over the ride and took him the rest of the way,” said Greta. “Now he’s a bit older, he’s a bit of a pet pony. He’s not always been straightforward, though, and he used to be quite cheeky. But if a horse is going to compete at this level they need to have something about them.
“When he’s at an occasion like Burghley, he knows it’s a party and we have to work hard to keep him relaxed.”
Greta is confident that the duo’s decade-long partnership will stand them in good stead over the weekend: “I know him so well, and he knows me. I couldn’t imagine doing my first set of five-stars on any other horse.
“I grew up around Burghley Park,” Greta added. “The Pony Club held all its rallies where we are stabled, too. I’ve been to Burghley so many times on foot before so to be riding here is something else. Murphy will have also been here training over the years.”
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Former H&H showing editor and deputy features editor
Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.
