One of the fastest horses in the Mars Badminton Horse Trials field, Sarah Ennis’ Grantstown Jackson, might be a tiger on the track but he’s quite the opposite as a character. The 13-year-old Clover Brigade gelding impressed at the European Championships in Haras du Pin last year, when he clocked the second fastest time of the day from first draw, and is likely to climb up the order through the jumping phases. They scored 36.4, just 0.1 shy of their personal best at four- and five-star.
“It’s not his strongest phase, but he’s getting better and better, and we only missed one change today,” says Sarah. “He’s such a loveable character, who wants to live in your pocket and eat Polos. You could give him to a two-year-old to lead; he’s so sweet he wants to live in your house.
“I don’t think he was the easiest horse when they backed him and it’s taken years to learn about his character and personality, but now he’s become a friend, who thinks life is great – and he just wants Polos.”
Sarah explains that he takes a lot of confidence from her, as “Jackie” is naturally a “worrier”.
Badminton final scores
“He’s super-sensitive, the most sensitive horse I’ve ever had – maybe that’s what makes him amazing,” she says. “You have to have your tails pinned down, his ears quiet – he wears covers, but they have to be the right length because if the front bangs on his head, he hates it. He says ‘oh my god what’s happening?’, and I’ll say ‘good boy Jackie, it’s all right’ and he’s OK. He listens when I say he’s a good boy, so when I go cross-country you’ll hear me saying, ‘good boy Jackie’ all the way round. If I even change my voice or say ‘Jackson’, he’ll stress.”
For Sarah and Jackie, the “weakest phase is done with” and they can now look forward to the jumping. His dam is thoroughbred and his sire an Irish Sport Horse by Clover Hill, making him around 80% blood.
“Cross-country would be his strongest phase; he gallops like there’s no tomorrow,” Sarah says. “He’s incredibly fast. He just covers the ground. At home at the start of the year he’s a bit cheeky and he’ll bolt up the gallops – there’s nothing I can do, so I just let him go and know he’ll stop at the top. He has a lot of thoroughbred blood and while that doesn’t always make a difference, he rides like one.”
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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
