Harry Meade will pilot three horses round the Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country track today, a physical and mental marathon for any rider.
“The key is treating each horse like an individual and being able to flip mentally from one to another when jumping from horse to horse,” says Harry, whose three rides are all very different in experience and character.
The 41-year-old rider will start cross-country day on Superstition, who paves the way as pathfinder for the whole competition. He was produced up to four-star by New Zealand rider Lucy Jackson and won at at that level with her, with Harry taking over in 2019. A son of Satisfaction FRH, he is now owned by Harry and Mandy Gray.
Superstition sits 29th after dressage and sets off at 11am. He is the oldest of Harry’s rides, at 15, and has three top-10 placings at US five-stars under his belt, but he’s never contested Burghley.
“Superstition has hardly run in the build-up – he gets stressed competing, so I don’t run him a lot but he’s had some good cross-country schooling sessions. He’s a brave horse,” says Harry.
Harry Meade continues his Burghley Horse Trials cross-country day on the Jack Of Diamonds daughter Cavalier Crystal at 12.40pm. Charlotte Opperman’s 14-year-old mare lies 24th overnight and is the only one of Harry’s rides with course form, as she was third here last year. She has been with Harry since her six-year-old season.
Harry comments: “She would be the most straightforward of my three – she’s very game and mentally resilient, really up for it.”
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Finally, Harry will mount his best-placed dressage performer, the 12-year-old Annaghmore Valoner, who is 11th after dressage. The Coroner mare belongs to Dinah and Stephen Posford and their daughter Juliet Carter and the British jockey took over the ride from Sam Griffiths. “Annie” makes her five-star debut this week after winning Bramham CCI4*-L in June. She starts the cross-country at 3.45pm.
“Bramham is about the only four-star that sets you up for a proper five-star, but she wasn’t one that I got off at the end of that track and immediately thought she’d be up for Burghley,” admits Harry.
“She’s potentially not that mentally resilient across country so it’s just about enabling her to enjoy every fence. If there’s any imperfection it affects her breathing and can rattle her, so I’ve tried to give her a really good run in from Bramham to here. I’ve given her some nice easy intermediate runs, so hopefully she can come in feeling confident and I can look after her on the way round.”
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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.
