Latest from Horse & Hound in Bicton-horse-trials

‘The danger is the calendar will collapse’: eventing abandonment insurance to be reviewed

Becky Murray — Tue, 23 May 2023 16:08:04 +0000

British Eventing (BE) has announced a “full stakeholder review” of abandonment insurance, as the fixtures calendar continues to be hindered by cancellations.

In the latest blow, Somerford Park International, which was due to hold classes from novice to CCI3*-S, announced its 30 June–2 July event is off. Organiser Debbie King said Somerford is “not prepared to run without abandonment insurance”.

“Having built up trust with our client base over several years we are not prepared to jeopardise this and leave clients out of pocket in a challenging economic climate,” she said. “We self-insured last year and due to the high volume of cancellations this year the cost for us to insure has escalated by over 100%, something we simply cannot afford to absorb along with the other escalating costs.”

BE said in light of the “unprecedented abandonments due to the prolonged adverse weather” it is undertaking a “full stakeholder review of the existing arrangements in relation to abandonment insurance”.

This follows the cancellation of Rockingham International (18–21 May), as the ground had not dried “sufficiently to allow the event to proceed in a safe manner”. Chatsworth International (12–14 May) cancelled some classes, including the CCI2*-S, after heavy rain. Chepstow at Howick (16–17 May) also abandoned because of the weather.

Rockingham organisers said they are working with their insurer to “establish next steps in terms of refunds and will be in touch with everyone as soon as they know more”. Chatsworth confirmed the event has insurance “so will be refunding as much, over and above the BE minimum refunds, as the insurance company is prepared to pay”, while Chepstow organisers are also working with their insurers. To date this season, 18 events have been affected by cancellations, the refund status for some is still to be confirmed.

In 2021 there was debate about BE’s decision to scrap its abandonment insurance (news, 9 December). This meant organisers could take out their own insurance or self-insure, alongside BE’s minimum refund policy. Under the standard BE policy, if events cancel between five days of the event starting and 5pm the afternoon before, a 15% refund will be applied. But if an event has its own abandonment insurance, refunds of up to 100% could be applied, depending on the policy and the claim being accepted.

Now the topic is back on the table, with some riders and owners raising concerns about refund amounts, the time it takes to receive a refund, and the varying levels of communication from events. One amateur rider told H&H that at one stage she was waiting for more than £600 in entry fees for lost events for her two horses.

“Doing their best”

William Buck, co-organiser of Frickley Park International (17–20 August) and a British Eventing Owners Association (BEOA) committee member, told H&H events are “doing their very best” and the decision to abandon is a last resort. He added that there has been much misunderstanding around abandonment insurance and refunds.

“The BEOA has been in dialogue with BE to try to address this, and identify concerns organisers have, not just this year but for next. There has been a split between organisers; some can get insurance and some can’t – and that can drive entries. The ones with insurance will essentially attract full entries; the ones who don’t, won’t, and there’s a risk those events will disappear,” he said.

“Also when you have significant amounts of cancellations and they claim on insurance, there’s a real risk those events will not be able to get cover going forward, or the cover they get will be at such a cost that they can’t afford to run. The danger is that the whole calendar will collapse.”

Sarah Skillin of EquiConsulting, who works with insurers Shearwater, told H&H it is important to stress that many policies used are not eventing-specific.

“When events are experiencing claims delays, it’s likely because the insurers don’t just insure eventing, they insure non-equestrian events, which are also being cancelled, so things are taking longer than normal due to the volume of claims,” said Miss Skillin, who is also part of the Little Downham organising team, which had to submit an abandonment claim last year.

“Despite us taking a risk and giving competitors a 100% refund in 48 hours, Little Downham’s claim took five weeks; you have to prepare documentation, loss adjusters have to review it and come back with an offer, then there’s more paperwork. They send you the money, which can take a further five days, then you have to process refunds via BE, if you haven’t already done so.”

But Miss Skillin, who is also an owner and represents riders, added that she believes communication between events and competitors needs improvement.

“Events have to be clear what they are offering; whether it’s the basic BE refund policy or if they are intending to refund 100%, 80%, or 70%,” she said.

“As soon as any abandonment happens they need to communicate quickly and clearly what their intention is, even if that is by stating, ‘Subject to our claim being accepted, we’re planning to refund X%’. People will understand.”

Lost opportunity for riders

The other major concern around event cancellations is riders losing opportunities to gain minimum eligibility requirements. A BE spokesman said the organisation was “saddened” to hear about Somerford, and that on top of the Chatsworth and Rockingham abandonments, this will be a “real concern for members”, particularly those wishing to compete in FEI classes.

“We appreciate that for many, these will have been key opportunities to gain MERs or educational runs and therefore BE is looking at alternative opportunities to add additional international and national classes into the calendar. Any international additions would be subject to FEI approval,” the spokesman said.

Bicton International had announced plans to run an additional class, a CCI2*-S, at its May event (25–28 May), but said “approval had been suddenly revoked by the FEI”.

An FEI spokesman said the federation “fully appreciates” the frustration of riders following the cancellations owing to the weather, and while the federation understands this has reduced opportunities, the FEI “cannot override rules that have been put in place to ensure the integrity of the sport and decision-making process”.

The spokesman added that British Equestrian and the Bicton organising team requested the FEI grant an exception to the rules, but said the rules are approved by the FEI general assembly, and there is “no provision to override this”. The spokesman said initially the FEI responded to the Bicton request with “it should be possible”, but within a few hours confirmed it would not be, along with a full explanation.

“This clearly demonstrates there was no lack of willingness on the FEI’s part, but that the rules would not allow for it and the FEI had no other option,” he said.

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(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Strong opinions on decision to bin ‘poor value’ eventing abandonment insurance

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‘We are devastated’: frustration at FEI over cancellation of replacement eventing class

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FEI responds to eventers’ ‘frustration’ after hopes dashed of replacement class

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FEI responds to eventers’ ‘frustration’ after hopes dashed of replacement class

Lucy Elder — Mon, 22 May 2023 14:49:11 +0000

The FEI has said it “appreciates the frustration” and that there was “no lack of willingness” on its part to allow a replacement CCI2*-S to go ahead – but that its hands are tied by its rules.

Event riders made a “personal appeal” to the FEI after hopes of adding a CCI2* at Bicton International (25 to 28 May) at short notice were dashed. This extra class would have been a replacement for those lost to the wet spring, such as Chatsworth’s cancelled short-format two-star. Bicton’s other classes will go ahead as normal.

British Eventing (BE) chairman Mark Sartori said on Saturday (20 May) that owing to the “extreme weather challenges” and the “ramifications of so many lost events”, BE is working with the FEI, organisers, owners and riders “to address the many issues our members are facing”.

“We are listening to our membership but need clarity from the FEI on replacement classes as well as working with our organisers on key issues such as abandonment insurance,” said Mr Sartori.

“We will be updating our membership as soon as possible. It’s vital that we work with all our stakeholders during this period and keep our membership informed.”

An FEI spokesman told H&H today (Monday, 22 May) that it “fully appreciates the frustration of event riders in Britain following several cancellations of classes and events due to bad weather”.

“This is an unfortunate situation which has especially impacted the lower-level classes, and while we understand this has reduced the opportunities for athletes, we cannot override rules which have been put in place to ensure the integrity of the sport and the decision-making process,” added the FEI spokesman.

A statement from Bicton on Thursday (18 May) said that approval granted by the FEI on 17 May for the addition of a CCI2*S had been “suddenly revoked”.

Eventing Riders Association chairman Bruce Haskell added that the decision to “un-approve” the additional class was made “outside of the Bicton organising committee, BE, British Equestrian [BEF] and the FEI eventing committee”.

“As athletes we again appeal to the FEI administration to see sense especially as the request for additional classes will directly impact young athletes, young horses, recreational working athletes, in other words, your future FEI customers.”

Today’s response from the FEI spokesman added: “The BEF and the Bicton organising committee did request the FEI to grant an exception to the rules, however, as the rules are approved by the general assembly and there is no provision in the rules to override this – the FEI headquarters and/or secretary general, not for the want of trying, were ultimately not in a position to grant the exception.

“In terms of revoking approval, the FEI did initially respond to the request, saying it ‘should be possible’, however, within a few hours, the FEI went back to confirm that it would not be possible, with a full explanation as to the reasons the request could not be granted.

“This clearly demonstrates there was no lack of willingness on the FEI’s part, but that the rules would not allow for it and the FEI had no other option but to uphold the rules at play.

“It’s also important to note a precedent was set in 2019 with regards to the FEI’s capacity to grant exceptions, when the FEI Tribunal issued a decision confirming that the FEI headquarters and/or secretary general were not entitled to grant exceptions if the rules did not allow the possibility of an exception.”

Meet this week’s H&H cover star: an anxious character, a great cross-country horse –and he’s Badminton-bound

Pippa Roome — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 19:22:48 +0000

This week’s Horse & Hound cover star, on the magazine issue dated 10 March 2022, is Pearl and James Chaffe’s HHS Noble Call, ridden by Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy.

The grey was bred by Irish Olympic showjumper Marion Hughes.

“She called me at the end of his six-year-old year and said she had a horse she thought I should look at,” says Padraig. “I tried him and thought he was a horse with real potential for five-star. He’d jumped 1.30m classes and I liked the stamp and feel of him.”

Now 11, “Ben” has progressed quickly through the levels, moving up to five-star in his fourth season eventing last year. He is pictured at the one-off five-star at Bicton Horse Trials last September, where he finished eighth. The horse impressed there with his great early round early on cross-country day.

“He’s always been strong in the cross-country and dressage is his weaker phase; perhaps going up the levels so quickly made it difficult for him as he got more tense because he progressed so fast,” says Padraig. “I had a great spin across country on him at Bicton and I’m really looking forward to getting him to Badminton Horse Trials this spring.”

Badminton final scores

Ben is likely to do the advanced at Thoresby this spring, then Bicton open intermediate, then Badminton.

“He’s proved he can be a five-star horse, so now he’s at the stage where we want to preserve him. The big thing now is to make his career as long as possible while working to improve his dressage,” says Padraig.

Ben had a six or seven-week break after Bicton last autumn, then a month hacking.

Padraig says: “He’s not done much competing since Bicton – a few showjumping shows – but he’s done quite a bit of winter training on the flat with Tracie Robinson and showjumping with Grant Wilson.

“He seems to be finding the dressage easier and to be more relaxed at home this year, so we hope he can carry that forward to his events, though Badminton will be an atmosphere like he’s never experienced.

“He can do everything – he’s a good mover, with good flying changes – but it’s just that tension creeps in. He’s an anxious horse and it’s a matter of being patient and waiting for all the pieces to fall together.”

Padraig has found that the best way to manage HHS Noble Call before an important dressage performance is to ride him several times for a short length of time on the morning of the test “without stressing him”. When it comes to the final preparations, he’ll work the horse in, then get off him for 10 to 15 minutes, then “hop back on and go in the ring”.

“We’ve found that’s the best way so far because when his adrenalin goes up, you can’t get him back down again without him chilling out. I’ve spoken to a few dressage riders about anxious horses and they’ve found this is the best way and it seems to work,” says the Irish Olympian.

In terms of Ben’s performance in the other phases, Padraig says: “He’s always been very solid across country. He can lengthen, shorten, and no fence is too big. He has a very good front leg technique so if he runs in close it’s never an issue. He can be spooky showjumping, but he’s brave across country and gives you a very safe feeling.

“In the showjumping, he’s naturally a very good jumper but he can make a mistake if he gets a bit worried. A horse like that is generally better at long format competitions because the cross-country takes a bit of the adrenalin out of them. He’s a bit of an overthinker and the atmosphere can get to him. But he jumped a good round at Bicton with just two poles down in the treble where I came in a bit forward, possibly.

“He can learn to showjump solidly and hopefully with time the dressage will keep better and better. The cross-country is his strongest phase and at five-star, that’s the one that’s important.”

And what’s HHS Noble Call like to look after?

“He’s a very nice horse to deal with at home and in every way. He’s super easy in the stable and a very friendly horse,” says Padraig.

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

‘Everyone was crying at the finish’: Teenagers rule in Bicton Arena international eventing classes

Julie Harding — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 08:00:28 +0000

At Britain’s final international fixture of 2021, Barnie Brotherton leads a charge of the young brigade as three out of the four CCI sections fall to talented teens at Bicton Arena (3), which ran from 20-24 October

Barnie Brotherton and the aptly named Cash Casino found themselves in the money when they scooped the £800 first prize from Bicton’s Rathbones CCI3*-S, plus they led a charge of other under-20s who additionally nabbed the cash in two of the three two-star sections.

Beating runners-up Dani Evans and Velma by a country mile, a nonplussed Barnie commented: “I hoped we’d do well, but I never expected to win. My horse has a splint that keeps flaring up and he had several months off, only doing three events before Bicton.”

The 18-year-old joined Harry Meade’s team at the beginning of 2020 as part of the Haddon Training Advance Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, and Barnie credited Harry as being instrumental in his recent run of success, which included a win in the under-21 open intermediate at Little Downham two weeks earlier.

“The lockdowns meant that Harry was home all the time, so I got plenty of coaching. It was definitely one of the reasons we’ve improved so much. I did six events in my first season [2018] and was eliminated in more than one,” Barnie confessed.

Financially supported by his parents, Wayne and Naomi Brotherton, Barnie, who added six cross-country time-faults to a 26.7 dressage score for victory, additionally noted that the 17hh Danish-bred grey Cash Casino, by Casino, purchased for him three years ago by his grandparents, Bob and Pat Austin, was a cut above anything he had ever piloted before.

“He’s a real quality horse, but he’s also relaxed and suits my style of riding. He goes in a snaffle across country and if you pull the reins, he’ll slow for you. He’s just so obedient.”

Emily King didn’t experience quite such a smooth ride around Helen West’s lauded three-star cross-country course. Enjoying a commanding lead after two phases with Imposant and with victory almost in the bag, the pair added 20 penalties to their scorecard with a run-out at the penultimate obstacle, the Horsehage Corner at 20. In total, 74% of three-star competitors jumped clear around the 3,575m track, while just 45% negotiated Krissy Spiller’s showjumping course on a sand surface cleanly.

Carrying on the trend

Ellie Fredericks, 17, and the elegant mare Pure Trendsetter, owned by eventing volunteer Liz Hills, Chris Emmett and Ellie’s mother Lucinda, finished at the head of affairs in the 55-strong Empire Coachbuilders CCI2*-S section B, leaving Amy Barlow and Igel in the runner-up spot.

“Everyone was crying at the finish, including Mum,” said Ellie. “I got Trendy a year ago today and then she could barely go around a corner – she was sharp and not at all bold. Mum thought I was insane, but I fell in love with her the moment I sat on her. The fact that we got placed is incredible.”

Lucinda added: “Ellie’s done everything with Trendy, but I’ve been doing hacking and hill work while she’s been under pressure with A levels. Ellie’s been close to winning before, but had some bad luck and so she wasn’t keen to know her placing before the cross-country. However, she found out when the commentator said: ‘And next into the start box is our leader, Ellie Fredericks!’ It piled on the pressure.”

Chilli son is a star

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Jo Rimmer broke the teenage stranglehold on the international classes by netting victory in Symonds & Sampson Axminster CCI2*-S section H aboard Nikki Axon and Mel Halstead’s Chilli’s Midnight Star, by Chilli Morning.

The 51-year-old rider previously competed the seven-year-old’s dam, Midnight Wispa, and said of her winner: “He thinks he’s God’s gift. He’s arrogant and loves crowds and knows he’s gorgeous, but his huge ego means that he loves to perform. It would be easy to race him up the grades because he’s so good, but it’s important that the foundations are put in place.”

Finishing a close second was Joe Roome (Brechfa Medrod), based, like Jo and her daughter, Jess, at Fontmell Parva Stables in Dorset and anticipating an all-too-brief celebration prior to Jo setting off at midnight for Pau with her top horse, Isaac Newton.

Echoing the thoughts of other riders at Bicton, Jo said: “I love coming here. It’s brilliant and the cross-country was imaginative, clever and educational.”

Andrew Fell, who took over the reins from his wife Helen West as organiser prior to the five-star in September, stated that this fixture had been far more challenging.

“There was so much going on in every area all at the same time,” he said. “It was incredibly complex.”

Prior to Sunday’s final prize-givings, when the sun finally emerged after torrential downpours, retiring official Jane Tolley was presented with a bunch of flowers to mark her many decades of service to the sport.

First international win

Accuracy reaps rewards for British newcomer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

THE pandemic scuppered Eneya Jenkins’ plans to return to her home in America, where she has lived since the age of three, last year and so she rerouted to the UK and based herself at Chedington Equestrian. She then capitalised on a season of competitive outings to finish at the head of the 80-strong WH Bond CCI2*-L.

Recording her first international win aboard Sankro, the 19-year-old daughter of British financier Roger Jenkins and his Bosnian-born former wife Diana, said: “I was in Croatia at the beginning of 2020 with my family and while Covid meant that we couldn’t get back to the US, I’d also lost a horse [Lawtown Boy] while I was away and, not wanting to return to an empty stall, I thought I’d give eventing a go in the UK. I wanted a new beginning.”

Completing on their dressage score of 24.3, Eneya and the 11-year-old Sankro (aka Doug) left the more seasoned Padraig McCarthy (Pomp N Circumstance) second and Aaron Millar (Tomatillo, third, and Count Onyx, fourth) trailing in their wake.

“Across country I was worried about the hills as Doug can be a bit lazy, but I walked the track with my trainer, Chris [Burton], and worked out exactly where we were going,” said Eneya. “Accuracy makes such a difference. In the end, we recorded one of the quickest times.”

Eneya purchased Doug from Amy O’Connor in February.

“When I lost Lawtown Boy, I contemplated quitting eventing, but Doug was so like him that he’s made it easy to carry on,” added Eneya who, despite her links to the US, rides for Britain.

The above report will also be available to read in H&H magazine, on sale Thursday 28 October

Bicton Arena (3) grassroots three-day event classes

ZARA HEAD and Clenagh High Society emerged victorious in the 101-strong BE90 three-day event after they completed on their dressage mark of 28.5. Their victory was made all the more remarkable given Zara is only 12 years old.

Zara Head and Clenagh High Society in the BE90 three-day event (Image credit: Jayphotos)

“It was the most amazing experience of my life so far,” said Zara. “She’s an incredible horse and tried her best each day. It was very tense but I just rode each fence until the last and can’t believe we won.”

Clenagh High Society is a six-year-old Irish mare who was bought from a showjumping dealer during lockdown.

“She was bred to showjump and didn’t know what dressage was or what a cross-country fence looked like when we got her, but she’s very bold and has taken to it all like a duck to water,” explained Zara’s mother Anita. “She would jump to the moon and back for Zara and they have established a great partnership.”

The duo was third after the dressage, climbed to second after cross-country and then triumphed when Jane Rogers and Corrieview Oscar rolled a pole, relegating them to the runner-up spot.

Jane also occupied second place in the BE100 three-day class after she and Corrieview Merlin Magic finished 1.5 penalties behind Harriet Dickin and Pull Ya Socks Up.

Harriet and the seven-year-old Irish gelding made it two wins on the bounce, having also triumphed in the BE100 at Broadway (2) the previous week.

The BE100open three-day honours were awarded to Captain Amy Cooper and her 13-year-old Irish gelding McAllister, while the BE90open three-day class went

to Crisy Salmon and the former five-star horse Stonedge.

This report will also be available to read in H&H magazine, on sale Thursday 4 November

The Horse & Hound Podcast 67: Sir Lee Pearson | Bicton five-star | SJ Euros | Rider fitness by sport | News round-up

Carol Phillips — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 08:00:21 +0000

In our 67th weekly episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, H&H dressage editor Polly Byan talks to Sir Lee Pearson about winning three gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics on a home-bred horse, and what the future may hold for the para dressage legend, who become a foster father last year. In a sport-packed episode H&H’s podcast host Pippa Roome chats to Catherine Austen about Bicton five-star, before catching up with H&H’s news writer Becky Murray to discuss the European Showjumping Championships as well as other topical news. Finally, in this week’s advice section, we welcome back personal trainer Katie Bleekman for the final episode in her mini series to talk about the type of fitness needed for different equestrian sports. We hope you will find this useful.

Episode 67 of The Horse & Hound Podcast, our popular audio service available every Thursday morning for our H&H digital subscribers is now live.

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In our 67th weekly episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, H&H dressage editor Polly Bryan talks to the truly inspirational Sir Lee Pearson about his Tokyo Paralympics, how it feels to win three gold medals on a home-bred horse, and why he was moved to speak out about the importance of love and acceptance for all, regardless of their sexuality or disability, while at the Games. She also quizzes Lee on his plans for the future – after six Paralympics, is the para dressage legend and foster father preparing to hang up his boots? Not a chance. He’s planning for Paris, and beyond, with a host of exciting new home-bred young horses coming through, and he also intends to ride at grand prix before he even thinks about hanging up his boots.

“My mare is working at grand prix, so if I can grow some… confidence we might try to get out at grand prix later this year or the start of next year. It will be an awful score and will be awfully messy, but it’s everyone’s dream – we are just sorting those canter zig zags out at the moment and a bit more engagement in piaffe and passage” – Sir Lee Pearson on his future plans

Moving on to the week’s elite sport, H&H’s podcast host Pippa Roome chats to Catherine Austen about all the action at Bicton five-star, which saw Gemma Tattersall win her first five-star title (and get engaged), before catching up with H&H’s news writer Becky Murray about the European Showjumping Championships as well as other topical news.

“It was a brilliant event. Bicton five-star was a one-off – they did an incredible job. It was demanding, it was a good competition with really good horses and riders, and what matters at a five-star is that the best horses and riders end up at the top – it wasn’t a chance result and that franks the event” – H&H’s Bicton reporter Catherine Austen

In this week’s advice section, we welcome back personal trainer Katie Bleekman for the final part of her rider fitness mini series, which focuses on the particular types of fitness needed for the various equestrian sports.

“‘Functional training’ ensures what you do relates to your specific sport – so you are training the same muscles that you are going to use when you are riding” – Katie Bleekman

We would love to hear your feedback on all our podcasts, so please do send your thoughts to pippa.roome@futurenet.com

H&H Plus podcast: episode 67

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Mark Phillips on frangible penalties: ‘Riders hate it – but it’s here to stay’

Mark Phillips — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 20:15:45 +0000

Former Olympic team gold medallist, four-time Badminton winner and top course designer Mark Phillips shares his thoughts on the frangible penalties given at Tokyo and Bicton

HAVING been retired from five-star course-design at Luhmühlen and Burghley after my 2019 track in Lincolnshire, it was with some trepidation that I took on the five-star Burghley replacement at Bicton, which had to be put on in 11 weeks instead of 11 months!

I learnt a lot, though, from the four-star tracks in June, especially the effects of the Devon terrain. Sadly, not enough of the riders learnt that same lesson: a few were found lacking on the fitness front.

Luckily, all thought the Bicton cross-country course, which was beautifully presented by the team, asked five-star questions, even though it lacked some of the massive galloping questions seen at other five-stars.

However, the terrain more than made up for those big efforts and some definitely underestimated the cumulative effort of the questions. Also, nearly half the fences had a jumpable width of 6ft or less, which meant riders had to apply a different sort of concentration.

Part of the skill

THESE days, risk management and the ever-developing frangible technology are never far out of the news. Michael Jung breaking a MIMclip at Luhmühlen and Tokyo, both incidents denying him a top-three finish, has highlighted the issues as never before.

The 11 penalties for breaking a frangible is hated with a passion by all five-star riders and their coaches, particularly as most of the activations are from hindleg pressure, when there was no possibility of a potentially serious rotational fall. Similarly it is not supported by the traditional cross-country folk, who have always considered that a horse ought to be able to use its back legs as “air brakes”.

However, public perception and that of the governing bodies at home and abroad around the world is that the technology and the penalties are not going away. Therefore, riders have to learn how to ride these fences and to train their horses accordingly.

We had five pins break as riders jumped into the Ariat Challenge at Bicton and on each occasion, either bad riding or a horse that lacked rideability caused the activation. We have to accept that this is part of the future skill of crossing the country, even if it’s a country mile from the traditions

of yesteryear.

Special atmospheres

BICTON did an outstanding job of putting on a true five-star competition at short notice. It will never be Burghley, but hopefully the Devon venue will retain a place in the calendar where we can enjoy top-end sport in this special facility. I could not, though, help reminiscing about Burghley, where I designed for a period north of 30 years.

The new director of Burghley is due to be announced before the end of September so I thought also about outgoing director Liz Inman, who has been part of the Burghley institution for a longer period even than me. She carried on the traditions, developed by Bill Henson, that have made Burghley a favourite event for riders, owners and spectators.

The challenge for the new director will be to move the event forward without losing the atmosphere that makes it so special.

Bicton had its own special, family atmosphere. There was no doubt, though, about the quality of the competition at the top, with the leading three riders all displaying an array of championship medals and big-time wins.

In the end, Gemma Tattersall came out on top for long-time owner Chris Stone, ahead of the rapidly improving Billy Walk On and Pippa Funnell. Sadly the dream of a second five-star win for Piggy March and Vanir Kamira was not to be.

That said, it was certainly a top three that Burghley would have been proud to have on its podium.

This exclusive column can also be read in H&H magazine, on sale Thursday 9 September

Dancing with one heel, stretching your knees out further and being Valegro: Bicton five-star’s best rider quotes

Pippa Roome — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 18:00:17 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials is over, but we loved Britain’s only five-star of 2021. Because we’re not ready to let it go quite yet, we’ve collected together our favourite rider quotes from the week for you here…

“He’s so amazing at measuring his jumps. He’s not a flamboyant jumper or anything, but he’s really fun – he makes me laugh, because if he comes to a fence that’s a bit wider, he just goes, ‘Oh mum, I think I need to stretch my knees out further’. And that’s all he does, whereas some horses kind of go, ‘Boof, it’s a big jump’, he just goes, ‘Oh I’ll stretch my legs further out’, which is just really funny.”Gemma Tattersall on winner Chilli Knight

“She did the best round of her life at the right time [when she jumped clear to win Badminton 2019], and she never owes me anything else, but we did our best.”

Piggy March after eight faults on the final day with Vanir Kamira, who finished third

“I hope with some more cementing of our partnership, he’ll learn to enjoy the atmosphere in the future and be a real show off.”Izzy Taylor after her test on Fonbherna Lancer, who impressed for fourth in the first phase

“It’s just taken a long time – obviously the two years with Covid, but he’s been a big lanky, slightly ungainly horse and for me he could not have performed better in all three phases.”

Pippa Funnell on runner-up Billy Walk On

“I think riders will have to use their heads – you have to let horses breathe if they are getting tired as you won’t get home if you have your foot on the accelerator all the way.”Padraig McCarthy on riding the terrain on Mark Phillips’s cross-country track

“Almost a decade went by when he couldn’t stand in any of his halts, so he’s come a long way.”

Tim Price is winning after persuading Ringwood Sky Boy to stand in two of his three halts in the dressage

“She is what she is – I joke saying I’m going to make her into Valegro or something, but she’s not built for it, she doesn’t find it easy. She’s a definite mare – there’s that fine line of it being okay and not. She can feel marey and if she’s happy and she smiles, her movements are up to two marks anyway.”Piggy March on doing dressage with Vanir Kamira, second after this phase

“The challenge is constant – it’s proper five-star, you’ve got narrow after narrow, corner after corner, and Mark’s encouraging you to go on long distances to accuracy questions. When horses get a little tired, seven or eight minutes in, that’s when the problems start occurring.”

Oliver Townend has his say on the course

“We could be the bridesmaids!”Piggy March to Pippa Funnell after Gemma Tattersall’s boyfriend Gary Stevens proposed at the final press conference

“I’ve had to change the way I train her to not train her really. I haven’t practised the test, so I was quite nervous I was going to go the wrong way because I like to practise. I’ve just found that hacking on a long rein and keeping her really happy and relaxed is her way. She’s so honest that she’ll do everything you ask her if she’s in the right frame of mind.”

Ros Canter on Pencos Crown Jewel’s dressage test, which left her in the top 10

“I didn’t really want to have one foot without studs – it’d be like me dancing with one heel.”Pippa Funnell on the fact her dressage test with Majas Hope was put back as he needed the farrier’s attention

7 stories you need to read about Bicton five-star’s final day: a surprise proposal, a nosebleed and the future of eventing

Pippa Roome — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 16:15:48 +0000

Britain’s only five-star of 2021 concluded today with the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials showjumping. Here are seven things you need to know about the final phase…

1. Gemma Tattersall achieved her first five-star win, riding the 11-year-old home-bred Chilli Knight, owned by Chris Stone.

Find out whether Gemma always knew Chilli Knight would be a winner at this level

2. And then, her boyfriend Gary Stevens proposed to her…

Read more about the surprise proposal

3. William Fox-Pitt gave us an update on his ride Oratorio II’s condition after his nosebleed on the cross-country course yesterday.

Check out what William told H&H about pulling up yesterday and how the horse is doing today

4. Pippa Funnell showjumped clear to take second on Barbara and Nicholas Walkinshaw’s 12-year-old Billy Walk On.

Learn what Pippa said about the importance of five-star competitions in eventing

5. One horse was withdrawn after yesterday’s cross-country and not presented at the Bicton Horse Trials final trot-up.

Find out which horse was withdrawn and what his rider said

6. Piggy March slipped from first after cross-country to third with two fences down on Trevor Dickens’ 2019 Badminton Horse Trials winner Vanir Kamira, who is now 16 years old.

Find out what Piggy said about Vanir Kamira’s performance today

7. Today’s Bicton Horse Trials showjumping course involved 12 numbered fences, with a double at fence five and a treble at fence nine. There were five clear rounds over the track.

See pictures of all the showjumps

Piggy March on finishing third at Bicton with Vanir Kamira: ‘I’ll take that; she owes us nothing’

Pippa Roome — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:56:01 +0000

Piggy March said she was happy with how Vanir Kamira showjumped today to take third place in the final Chedington Bicton Horse Trials results.

The mare, who is not always the cleanest jumper in this phase, had two down – the oxer at fence six and the spread over the water tray at eight – to drop from first place after cross-country.

“I will take that all day – bless her little heart,” said Piggy. “That’s a decent track, it’s square, with lots of lines. She did all right.”

Vanir Kamira – known as “Tilly” – had three fences down at Somerford on her last outing before Bicton and four on the run before that, in the CCI4*-L at Bicton in June.

Piggy said: “The last few rounds we’ve had, she sort of felt a bit older and that she’s not really that bothered about knocking the jumps down, and I thought she really tried today. She’s a good old girl, she’s 16 years old and hasn’t done anything much for a couple of years, so I’m just pleased that she’s come out feeling really good.

“She’s very sound, she’s very happy, she owes us nothing. She did the best round of her life at the right time [when she jumped clear to win Badminton 2019], and she never owes me anything else, but we did our best.”

Vanir Kamira, who belongs to Trevor Dickens, has a phenomenal five-star record – her third place in the Bicton Horse Trials results means she has now finished in the top six on five of her six runs at the level with Piggy.

William Fox-Pitt updates on Oratorio’s condition after nosebleed on Bicton cross-country

Pippa Roome — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:37:45 +0000

William Fox-Pitt has explained what happened when Oratorio II suffered a nosebleed yesterday on the cross-country at Chedington Bicton Horse Trials and given an update on the horse’s condition today.

“I really felt he set off well, though I thought quite early on he was lacking a little bit of his usual power,” William told H&H. “I thought it was me imagining it, I thought, ‘Come on, you know how fit and well he is’.

“I carried on through the main arena, but jumped the next couple, thinking, ‘Where’s your engine?’. Then I thought, ‘You know what, he’s a nice horse, something’s not right, there’s six more minutes to go, forget it.’ I thought there was too much ahead to do so I pulled up.

“When I got off noticed he had a bleed and obviously that was what had stopped him from feeling right.”

William said this was the first time he’d ever ridden a horse who had a nosebleed on the cross-country.

Bicton Horse Trials: William Fox-Pitt on Oratorio’s condition today

“He’s all fine now – these things do happen and there’s nothing to say he should do it again,” said William, who kept Oratorio at Bicton overnight after cross-country so he could have some time to clear his airways and so he could be examined by British team vet Liz Brown this morning before travelling home.

He added: “Tomorrow we’ll do some more tests – we’ll scope him to look down into his lungs and see if there’s anything there that caused it and take blood tests in case he’s got some sort of virus.

“We’ll know more after we examine him, but there’s nothing to suggest it wasn’t just a freaky thing and we might never know why it happened. He’s shown no signs of virus or cough or cold so we’re slightly perplexed.”

William says he will have a meeting with Oratorio’s “very understanding” syndicate of owners after the vet has examined the horse and decide whether to “divert to Pau or call it a day” for the year.

“Hopefully he’ll fight another day,” said William.

A proposal after prize-giving: Gemma Tattersall gets engaged after winning Bicton

Pippa Roome — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:12:07 +0000

You know that saying about all your Chrismases coming at once? Gemma Tattersall must know exactly what it means after she won her first five-star today at Chedington Bicton Horse Trials – and then got engaged.

Gemma was taking part in the press conference in the middle of the public tradestand area alongside second and third-placed rider Pippa Funnell and Piggy March, when her boyfriend Gary Stevens said he had a question – and asked Gemma to marry him.

Compère Nicole Brown asked him to repeat himself, just to be sure.

“Gemma, will you be my wife?” he asked.

There wasn’t a dry eye in sight as Gemma hugged Gary and then Pippa and Pippa congratulated the pair.

“We could be the bridesmaids!” laughed Piggy, indicating Pippa and herself flanking Gemma on the press conference stools.

Gemma had caught Pippa’s bouquet of flowers when she threw it as they were leaving the podium during the prize-giving, which was perhaps prophetic as whoever catches the bride’s flowers at a wedding is meant to be next to marry.

Just before Gary proposed, Piggy had been saying that she knew how Gemma felt in taking her first five-star title, having won Badminton Horse Trials herself in 2019.

“This was Gemma’s day and she totally deserved it,” said Piggy. “I’d have liked to have beaten her, don’t get me wrong – I was giving it a go!”

Piggy’s own marriage was also linked to her first five-star win as she and Tom March tied the knot in June 2019, at a surprise wedding which was billed to guests as a Badminton celebration party.

Gemma won Bicton five-star riding the home-bred Chilli Knight, with Pippa Funnell second on Billy Walk On and Piggy March third on Vanir Kamira.

Runner-up Pippa Funnell reflects on Bicton: ‘I wouldn’t want to be in the sport without five-stars’

Pippa Roome — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 14:50:21 +0000

Pippa Funnell spoke about her continued enthusiasm for eventing and the importance of five-star competitions to the sport after finishing second in the final Chedington Bicton Horse Trials results today.

“I’m just thrilled that coming to a five-star, I’ve had all that same old hunger,” said Pippa. “I’m old-fashioned – it’s not in my nature to win those one-day events in the short format, it’s always in my nature to prepare horses for this.

“I just wish I could get a bit hungrier, racing round the one-days, but to me it’s about the big ones. You use the one-days for the training and get the ride where you want it.

“I absolutely believe this – if we lose these sorts of events from our sport, our sport in my mind is finished, because that would bring in more of these big, flashy, foreign movers.

“Without these prestigious five-stars, the likes of Chilli Knight [who won with Gemma Tattersall], Piggy March’s horse that’s been a star at this level [2019 Badminton winner Vanir Kamira], the likes of Majas Hope [fifth with Pippa] would not have a place in the sport. To me, it’s those true cross-country horses that come out on top.

“And if we lose that from the sport, I don’t want to be in the sport because that to me is what the sport is about.”

Pippa also spoke about what young event riders need to do to excel at five-star, saying: “The youngsters have got to learn to get horses fit enough if you’re bringing it to hilly terrain, to understand that you need a blood sort of horse and to judge your horse. You don’t ride your watch, you ride the terrain and the way your horses are travelling on it.”

Talking about the performance of her runner-up ride, Barbara and Nicholas Walkinshaw’s Billy Walk On, this weekend, Pippa said: “It’s just taken a long time – obviously the two years with Covid, but he’s been a big lanky, slightly ungainly horse and for me he could not have performed better in all three phases. I couldn’t fault the way he was jumping today.”

Pippa also praised Gemma Tattersall, who topped the Bicton Horse Trials results.

“Full credit to Gemma – she was at mine the other week, we were having treatment from Ash [Wallace, physio] and she said, ‘I’m going to Bicton because I’m going to win it.’ So brilliant on her.”

Gemma Tattersall takes her first five-star win at Bicton: ‘It’s been a massive road to this point’

Pippa Roome — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 13:48:46 +0000

Gemma Tattersall topped the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials results this afternoon, showjumping clear to claim her first five-star title.

The British rider was the only person to finish on her dressage score, piloting the home-bred Chilli Knight, who belongs to Chris Stone to victory.

“It’s been a massive road to this point, I’m 36 years old and I’ve won a five-star,” said Gemma. “There was never a point when I thought Chilli Knight could win a five-star. If you’d asked me out of all the horses I’ve ridden if he could win my first five-star, I’d have said absolutely not, but he’s got all the heart in the world. I just want to say a massive thank you to my whole team, especially my amazing owners Chris and Lisa Stone.”

Pippa Funnell lay third overnight and put the pressure on the top two when she jumped clear on Billy Walk On, owned by Barbara and Nicholas Walkinshaw.

“When Pippa jumped clear, I thought, ‘There isn’t a hope I’m going to jump clear’ – he did feel a bit tired today,” said Gemma.

“I was nervous, obviously anyone can have a fence. I do a lot of showjumping so I cantered in and thought ‘I’m at Hickstead, at my home ground, where I jump all the time, in ring two with no one watching me. It doesn’t matter, I’m just going to jump a round like I jump all the time on lots of different horses’.”

Chilli Knight did rattle a couple of fences and Gemma worked hard during her round, but she managed to get a clear in the bag. This guaranteed her second place and meant Piggy March couldn’t afford a fence down to win.

Piggy and Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira started out well, but the oxer at fence six fell – handing Gemma victory – as well as the spread fence over the water tray at number eight. Piggy’s eight faults moved her down to third, leaving Pippa Funnell second and Gemma first.

Bicton Horse Trials results: Brits take top seven places

Ros Canter held fourth on Pencos Crown Jewel, despite having fence six down and the upright at fence 11. Pippa Funnell moved up from eighth overnight to fifth with her second ride, Majas Hope, who just had fence six down.

Richard Jones kept sixth when Alfies Clover just lowered fence 11, while Oliver Townend dropped two places from fifth after cross-country with eight faults on Tregilder at the first and the upright at fence 10.

Padraig McCarthy had the first and last parts of the treble at fence nine down on HHS Noble Call for Ireland to finish eighth.

The oldest horse in the competition, Ringwood Sky Boy, had fences three and 11 down to finish ninth for New Zealand, with rider Tim Price saying: “He was full of exuberance, that’s what found us out. But he’s finished healthy and sound, not bad for an 18-year-old horse.”

Felicity Collins achieved her first five-star completion by taking 10th with RSH Contend Or, the pair jumping a beautiful clear round today to move up from 12th after cross-country.

The fences that will decide the winner: check out the Bicton five-star showjumping course

Pippa Roome — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 09:27:42 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials showjumping course for the five-star competition has been designed by Paul Connor.

Riders will tackle 12 numbered fences, including a double at fence five and a treble at fence nine.

Bicton Horse Trials showjumping course

Fence 1

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Riders double back left-handed after fence one, jumping fence two at an angle across the arena.

Fence 2

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After fence two, competitors turn right to fence three.

Fence 3

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Fence 4

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It is likely to be seven strides from fence four to the double at fence 5ab.

Fence 5ab

There is one stride between elements a and b in the double.

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Riders turn left through 180-degrees after fence 5ab.

Fence 6

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Fence 7

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Most horses will take five strides from the upright at fence seven to the oxer over a water tray at fence eight.

Fence 8

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A wide sweeping turn left-handed takes riders from fence eight to the treble at fence 9abc.

Fence 9abc

There is one stride from 9a to 9b and another one stride on to 9c.

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Riders make a right-handed curve from the treble to the upright at fence 10.

Fence 10

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After fence 10, riders turn right and double back round to another upright at fence 11.

Fence 11

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Riders then curve left-handed to the final spread fence.

Fence 12

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One horse withdrawn before Bicton five-star final trot-up; 18 will showjump

Pippa Roome — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 08:53:30 +0000

One horse was withdrawn before the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials final trot-up this morning, as we move into the final day of action at Britain’s only five-star of 2021.

The Jenning’s Syndicate’s Bradeley Law, ridden by Michael Owen, has been withdrawn and was not presented to the ground jury. He was lying 16th after cross-country, having incurred 11 penalties for breaking the frangible pin at the Ariat Combination (16abc) and 16.4 time-faults.

“Bradeley Law didn’t disappoint yesterday. He gave me an amazing ride as usual and finished very strong,” said Michael.

“Unfortunately he’s not quite 100% so won’t be showjumping. Although we felt we could get him right to trot up, it wouldn’t be fair to jump him. I have a duty to look after this horse after all he’s done for me. We live to fight another day and we will have him ready next season. Massive thanks to everyone on the team.”

The other 18 horses who completed the cross-country were all brought forward in front of the ground jury – New Zealand’s Andrew Bennie, Britain’s Jane Tolley and Finland’s Seppo Laine – and all passed the Bicton Horse Trials final trot-up. No horses were sent to the holding box or asked to trot again.

The top three are currently grouped within one showjumping pole, with Piggy March leading on Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira on a score of 25.5, Gemma Tattersall second on Christopher Stone’s Chilli Knight on 27.9 and Pippa Funnell third with Barbara and Nicholas Walkinshaw’s Billy Walk On on 28.7.

There is then a margin of six penalties back to Ros Canter in fourth on Kate James and Annie Makin’s Pencos Crown Jewel, with 34.7 penalties.

Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel at the Bicton five-star final trot-up. (Image credit: Nico Morgan)

Oliver Townend is a further six marks in arrears in fifth, sitting on 40.7 with the Hazeldines and the Mitchell Fox Group’s Tregilder.

Piggy started the event as the favourite, with the EquiRatings Prediction Centre giving her a 21% chance of winning. This has now increased to a 58% chance of victory, with Gemma holding a 28% chance and Pippa a 14% chance.

The final showjumping phase starts at 1.30pm.

5 things you need to know about today’s Bicton cross-country action: fault-free rounds, a mare ‘like a hare’ and frangible penalty controversy

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 16:41:15 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country results are in and we have a new leader. Here are the five things you need to know about today’s exciting action…

1. Piggy March put in one of the only two clears inside the time on Mark Phillips’ course today, riding the experienced Vanir Kamira, and has moved up from second after dressage to hold the top spot.

Find out how it feels to ride Vanir Kamira across country

2. Gemma Tattersall rode the first penalty-free round on the home-bred Chilli Knight, who now holds second place.

Why you might be surprised if you saw Chilli Knight at home and then at a competition

3. Pippa Funnell had 4.8 time-faults with Billy Walk On, so slipped from first after dressage to third in the current standings.

Learn what Pippa is happy about after today – and what she’s sad about

4. Ros Canter has moved up to fourth with Pencos Crown Jewel, who was “like a hare in between fences”.

Find out why Ros wasted some time on the course

5. Two riders who received 11 penalties for breaking frangible devices are still in the top 10 of the Bicton Horse Trials cross-country results.

This five-star event concludes tomorrow – check out the Bicton Horse Trials Sunday timetable and get ready to follow the final action.

What time is the Bicton final trot-up and showjumping? Check out the event’s Sunday timetable

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 16:16:21 +0000

What is Chedington Bicton Horse Trials’ Sunday timetable? We bring you all the info you need to enjoy the final day of Britain’s only five-star horse trials of 2021…

What time is the Bicton Horse Trials final trot-up?

The final horse inspection is at 9am, in the same place as the first trot-up, the Bicton Park Gardens.

What time is the showjumping?

The showjumping phase starts at 1.30pm in the Topspec Main Arena.

When will we know who’s won?

The competitors will showjump in reverse order of merit with the leader after cross-country, Piggy March on Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira, jumping last. The showjumping will take approximately two minutes per round.

There are 19 horses still in the competition after cross-country. If they all pass the final trot-up, Piggy will showjump at about 2.10pm, so we’ll know immediately after that round who has won this five-star competition.

Update: one horse was withdrawn before the final trot-up so 18 horses will showjump.

Where can I see the Bicton Horse Trials showjumping starting order?

Find all the starting orders and results for the competition this weekend here. The starting order will not be released until after the final trot-up in the morning, in case some horses are withdrawn or eliminated at the trot-up so will not showjump.

What else is happening at Bicton Horse Trials tomorrow?

Also on the Bicton Horse Trials Sunday timetable, there is a dressage demo in the NAF Arena at 10am and a high jump demo, also in the NAF arena, at 11.30am.

Dressage leader Pippa Funnell third after Bicton five-star cross-country: ‘It was the best ride I’ve ever had on him’

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 15:46:13 +0000

Pippa Funnell has moved down to third after the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country, having added 4.8 time-faults to her leading dressage score with Billy Walk On.

“I knew he’s not the fastest horse in the world, so I knew I had to get in such a good rhythm and keep plodding away,” said Pippa.

“The bonus of living in the Surrey Hills is the horses have done so much hillwork and I knew from riding Majas Hope that he was plenty fit enough as they’ve done the same work. When you know the horses are fit, you can keep asking questions. It was the best ride I’ve ever had on him.”

Pippa said she was thrilled for the horse’s owners, Nicholas and Barbara Walkinshaw.

“They’ve been such supporters of the whole sport for so many years and it’s been so sad for them because all they’ve wanted is a horse at Badminton or Burghley or at five-star level, so I’m so thrilled that finally I’ve done a five-star and delivered on one of their horses,” said Pippa.

“The saddest thing for me is he was absolutely ready for a championship this year, but there has been such a strong bunch this year for championship teams. But it was wonderful to have the option to bring him here.”

Pippa sits behind the two riders who achieved clears inside the time today – Piggy March on Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira, who lead overnight, and Gemma Tattersall on Christopher Stone’s Chilli Knight, who holds second.

Ros Canter sits fourth after 7.6 time-faults on five-star first-timer Pencos Crown Jewel, with Oliver Townend fifth on Tregilder.

Oliver finished inside the time on Tregilder, the final horse of the day, but had 11 penalties for breaking the frangible pins at the rail into the Ariat Challenge (fence 16abc). Oliver is among a growing number of riders who believe the automatic 11 penalties for breaking a frangible device should be reviewed.

“I’m not allowed to say what I really think [about the pin penalties], but it’s not the sport I fell in love with and if it continues like this, I’ll quickly fall out of love with it,” said Oliver.

“It’s not right – we’ve trained these horses to drop the back legs on a vertical going into a coffin to jump the ditch correctly and jump out safely and I think the FEI need to open their eyes and realise what the top riders want, because there isn’t a five-star rider in the world that agrees with the penalties for the pins.

“The pins are a safety thing and I do believe if the ground jury decide it saved a fall, then award 11 penalties, but just to be handing these 11 penalties out to good horses that have done a very safe, correct job – it’s not cross-country any more.”

Richard Jones is in sixth with Alfies Clover, who had 8.8 time-penalties today on the Bicton Horse Trials cross-country.

Piggy March takes over Bicton five-star lead: ‘She puts her snout down on the floor and off she goes’

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 14:36:52 +0000

Piggy March has taken over the lead in the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country standings.

Piggy and Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira, the 2019 Badminton Horse Trials winner, put in the second clear inside the time to sit 2.4 faults ahead of long-time leaders Gemma Tattersall and Chilli Knight.

“She’s just heart and guts, she puts her snout down on floor and off she goes,” said Piggy, who was second after dressage on a mark of 25.5 and adds nothing to that score.

“It takes a lot of years of trust, but that’s just how she goes. It feel like I’m always sat right at the back of her, she sees flags and is like, ‘I’ve got that’. If I try to say balance or do something that feels nicer for me, she’s like, ‘Absolutely not’.”

Piggy said the terrain was the toughest on any five-star course she has ridden, but that the layout of the track is “fabulous” in terms of having kind fences on the last loop to let the horses get home.

She added of her round: “When you want to pick up, she can go – you’re lucky when you’ve got an old horse that’s been five-star fit so many times, she expects the distance, and she’s fast.”

Ros Canter has moved into third place with Pencos Crown Jewel, who is at her first five-star and had 7.6 time-faults to add to her seventh-placed dressage score of 27.1. She made a circle after the steep bank down into the arena before the Topspec Brush Corners at fence 9ab as she had some issues with her steering.

Ros said: “The time is very gettable – I went a long route and I really set her up even for some of the tables, whereas on a more experienced horse or one with a little bit more fine-tuning on the steering, which she doesn’t have, the time is definitely there to get.

“But I really couldn’t fault her, she was like a hare in between the fences and she galloped up that last hill like it was the first. There’s no doubting her stamina or ability.

“The hills are nothing to her – I’ve had her since she was a three-year-old so she’s grown up on the Lincolnshire wolds. It’s just the steering with her, she just runs a bit off adrenalin and doesn’t quite listen, so I wasted time setting up for some of the turning lines.”

Five-star first-timer Will Rawlin, third after dressage, felt that VIP Vinnie wasn’t quite right early on course, so he pulled up, dismounted and led him off course.

Izzy Taylor’s challenge has also come to an end as she had a run-out at the triple brush arrowhead after the drop at the Clinton Devon Estates Cliffhanger (fence 14c) and then retired Fonbherna Lancer, fourth after dressage, further round.

The dressage leader, Pippa Funnell on Billy Walk On, is on the Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course at 3.34pm.

Gemma Tattersall leads after first half of cross-country at Bicton as Tim Price and Pippa Funnell add penalties

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 13:26:34 +0000

Gemma Tattersall is leading the field after the first half of competitors have tackled the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country.

Gemma put in the first – and so far, only – clear inside the time riding the home-bred Chilli Knight, who belongs to Christopher Stone, adding nothing to her ninth-placed dressage score of 27.8.

“It’s just the biggest relief and elation – the horse was just unbelievable,” said Gemma. “For me he’s become one of best cross-country horses in world now; he’s proved himself over and over again. He’s unbelievably fast and so honest.

“He’s only a little horse and seeing him at home, you’d never know he has a big stride because he just ponies along, but on the cross-country he turns into a lion.”

Pippa Funnell was eighth after dressage on her first ride, Majas Hope, but – having survived a dicey moment at The Burghley Brushes (19abcde) – she lost time due to an incident near the end of the course.

“I came out of the woods and before I knew it he was over the string and with the spectators, so that cost me 15 or 20 seconds so I’m gutted,” said Pippa, who had problems getting back over the string onto the course and finished with 15.6 time-faults to add to her eighth-placed dressage score.

Tim Price was the rider before Gemma on course, lying fifth overnight on Ringwood Sky Boy, but he broke a frangible pin at the rail into the Ariat Combination (fence 16abc) so added 11 jumping penalties.

Tim said: “It’s a tough jump and with the way you get punished now [with penalties for breaking a frangible] – it’s tough to try to execute it, especially on a horse like him. He’s been things like that for so many years and he just does get a bit lower and these days you just can’t afford to do that.”

The horse also lost his left front shoe just before fence 16, which meant Tim had to take a bit of extra time to avoid a serious slip and he came home with six time-faults.

In the current standings, Tim sits just behind Padraig McCarthy, who was the third to start and the first rider to finish the course, having taken all the direct routes on the five-star first-timer HHS Noble Call. He finished with 7.2 time-faults.

“He is outstanding. We bought him as a six-year-old from Marion Hughes. He was always going to be a bit challenging in the dressage, but he always had the stamp of a five-star horse and I’m glad he’s proved it here today,” said Padraig.

Padraig withdrew his second horse, Leonidas II, earlier this morning.

The Bicton Horse Trials cross-country continues until around 4pm this afternoon.

‘Riders will have to use their heads’: how the Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course is riding for the first competitors

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 13:01:26 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course is causing plenty of problems in the early stages of cross-country day.

Pathfinder David Doel was going well until Galileo Nieuwmoed suddenly looked tired between the first two elements of the final NFU Water (fence 22abcd). David took the long route over part c, but the horse then fell on the turn to the last brush. He was soon up on his feet and was washed off in the water before heading back to the stables.

The second horse out, MHS King Joules (10th after dressage), also failed to make it home when he had an awkward jump through the third of The Burghley Brushes (fence 19abde) and tipped Oliver Townend off on the landing side.

Padraig McCarthy, the third to start, was the first rider to finish the course, having taken all the direct routes on the five-star first-timer HHS Noble Call. He finished with 7.2 time-faults

“I had a fair idea from riding plenty of young horses round here that the terrain plays a big part in how it feels as you’re very rarely on flat ground. You’re always having to balance and adjust the horses and make sure they’re with you,” said Padraig.

“Luckily my horse can do everything – he can gallop and he can wait and it made my round feel really crazy good.

“After the last water he got tired and for that next loop I just let him go his own speed. Once he jumped the blue houses [Fisher German Mounds at fence 23ab] he ran comfortably down the hill and when I got there I had a forward distance on the hedge [St James Place Double Brush at fence 24]. He was full of running all the way home again so that was really nice.

“But I think riders will have to use their heads – you have to let horses breathe if they are getting tired as you won’t get home if you have your foot on the accelerator all the way.”

Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course: the trickiest fences

Pippa Funnell finished with 15.6 time-faults on her first ride, Majas Hope, having lost time when she mistakenly jumped the string near the end of the course. Otherwise, she had a very good round apart from an awkward jump at the final arrowhead at the The Burghley Brushes (fence 19abcde).

She said: “The horses are all trained to go on their line, but they’ve had such a long gallop by then and opened up, so that while it walked quite an open distance, horses were just making up so much stride. He just made up ground and then I went to my hand to the last arrowhead to make sure we jumped it.”

Pippa also had to circle before the double of Topspec Double Corners at fence 9ab when she didn’t have the control she wanted after the steep bank down into the main arena. Both circling before the corners and taking the long route at fence 9b – either or both of which can be done without penalty – are proving popular. The sixth rider out, Louisa Lockwood, had a run-out at 9b on Diamond Ructions.

New Zealand’s James Avery, who followed Pippa as the fifth rider out, came home with a jumping clear after taking some longer options on Mr Sneezy.

“He was brilliant – there were a couple of unexpected moments where I had to go to the long route as I didn’t get the shot in I wanted, so we had to make plan B,” said James. “It was a bit twisty having to take a couple of options, but he kept his energy and got me to the finish.”

One horse withdrawn from Bicton five-star before today’s cross-country

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 09:31:58 +0000

One horse has joined the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials withdrawals list ahead of today’s five-star cross-country action.

Irish rider Padraig McCarthy has pulled Leonidas II out of the competition because he hopes to compete at the European Eventing Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, later this month.

“He’s shortlisted for the Europeans with a very strong chance of going,” Padraig told H&H. “The selection is on Monday so we thought we’d save him for that.”

Leonidas – the 17-year-old former Mark Todd ride owned by Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and his rider – was 11th after dressage on 28.5.

“He definitely brightened up when he went in and saw some of the cross-country jumps in the arena – that’s really his thing – but I think it helped him a little bit, he showed off more,” said Padraig after his test.

“His last change with maybe a little bit late, but on the whole I think I was really pleased with him.”

Padraig will still ride the grey HHS Noble Call, a 10-year-old five-star first-timer owned by Pearl Chaffe and his rider. He holds 23rd place on 34.9 going into the cross-country and will start at 12.46pm today.

Padraig said after his test on HHS Noble Call: “He has been very difficult in that phase – he’s a horse that has a lot of nervous energy.

“But he’s very, very good cross-country and he’s a good jumper so we really made a plan with just having the two horses here to get him out of the stable as much as possible and keep everything really focused on this phase. I think he put his best foot forward. He’s still very green at this level, but I was very pleased with how he held it all together.”

Today’s cross-country action at Bicton starts at 12.30pm, when David Doel will be first on course with Ferro Point.

Dressage leaders Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On are the penultimate pair on course, starting at 3.34pm.

Assuming no more horses join the Bicton Horse Trials withdrawals list, there will be 31 cross-country starters today.

Tales from Bicton: the Swedish vet striving to improve her dressage – ‘We are on the way, but there’s a lot to do’

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 09:01:39 +0000

Swedish rider Malin Josefsson has been “struggling” with her dressage for two years, but she was pleased with her test at Chedington Bicton Horse Trials yesterday, aside from the final two flying changes.

“I was quite happy with him except from that,” said Malin, after scoring 35.4 for 26th after this phase with Golden Midnight, a seven-mark improvement on her mark at Badminton Horse Trials 2019. “He’s a really long horse and it’s difficult for him to keep himself collected for a long time.

“We actually wanted to go to the Olympics, but we never got it right in the dressage. I think we are on the way now, but there’s still a lot to do.”

Last year, Malin focused on the dressage and only had one international eventing start, putting her five-star ambitions on hold while she focused on the Olympics. But having not been selected for the Tokyo Games or for the European Eventing Championships, Malin decided she wanted to come to Bicton.

“The bigger a course is, the better it is for him because then he works more with the fences, otherwise he just loves to run,” she said. “Here, I’m a bit afraid of the downhill things because he can get too strong. But normally, he’s always brilliant and very clever. He thinks fast, so even if a fence is coming up fast, he normally reacts the right way.”

Malin Josefsson said there weren’t too many Covid-19 complications in entering Britain.

“It’s a little bit more trouble to get out, but I hope I will get home again!” she said.

Malin and Golden Midnight jumped a double clear at Badminton in 2019, finishing 22nd. The rider has been trained by Piia Pantsu, the Finnish eventer who was second at Badminton in 2003, for 15 years. Malin is based around two hours from Malmö – the city which hosted the 2013 Europeans – and works part-time as a vet.

“I would say it’s half-time vet, half-time horses or full-time horses and half-time vet, however you look at it,” she said.

Malin works with both small animals and horses in her role as a vet and is from an “animal family” rather than a horsey one – her grandparents breed dogs and her family previously had sheep, but now breed horses.

Tales from Bicton: meet the radiation therapist tackling her first five-star – ‘I’m here on holiday’

Pippa Roome — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 08:25:13 +0000

Sarah Dowley will set out on her first five-star cross-country course at Chedington Bicton Horse Trials today – and unusually for someone competing at this level, Sarah is an amateur event rider, with a job outside horses.

The 27-year-old Irish rider shares a yard with her sister, professional dressage rider Rachel Dowley, and works as a radiation therapist at the UPMC Cancer Centre in Co Waterford.

“My colleagues know I’m off work this week, but I’m not quite sure they know what I’m doing,” said Sarah after her dressage test yesterday. “But my phone’s been going mad all day with messages, which is nice. There’s a lot of people behind me.”

Sarah’s ride, the 17-year-old Rubix Kube, was bought as a youngster as a hack and low level horse for the rider’s father, Ivan, but ended up being Sarah’s first horse.

“I kind of liked him and stole him, went from there and just kept going,” said Sarah. “He wouldn’t win many rosettes, but he has a lot of completions, so we’ll try for that here.”

Sarah says Rubix Kube “does it his own way” across country,

“He’s clever, he’s brave, he’s fairly honest and he will try and do it for you, so I think you have to compromise a little bit with him doing it the way he wants to do it. I just need not to get in the way too much and let him do his job,” said Sarah, who says the son of VDL Ricochet is “about 18hh”.

Talking about tackling her first five-star, Sarah said: “I think it’s just something to enjoy. I’m here on my holidays and it’s a lovely place. And I have a lovely horse so I’m just going to try and enjoy it, and hope we’re all safe and sound on Monday morning at home again.”

Sarah Dowley says the Bicton track will pose a particular challenge as she hasn’t competed out of Ireland for the past two years.

“We haven’t been able to travel and see different courses. He has been doing his four-stars at home, but they are all courses he’s jumped a lot before, so I think it’s going to be a big step – probably even more than if I’d been able to come over and do something here in the spring. I think I just have to be respectful of every fence out there.”

Sarah scored 34 for her dressage, which leaves her equal 21st.

“He’s not a horse that really likes working at home, or putting a huge amount of effort when there’s no one to watch and clap for him, so I’ve actually never been able to ride through the test on him or really practise it that much. I think it was okay – it could have been worse, could have been better,” she said.

The pair start their cross-country at 3.04pm this afternoon.

6 things you need to know about today’s Bicton five-star dressage: an emotional rider, a five-star first-timer and skilled preparation

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 17:31:27 +0000

Today was the first day of five-star eventing action in Britain for two years and the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage results came in thick and fast. With the sun shining, the atmosphere at the event was relaxed and positive.

Here are six things you need to know about today’s action…

1. Pippa Funnell leads the way after an excellent test on Billy Walk On, but she had to balance his preparation carefully to achieve her mark of 23.9.

Read how Pippa judged the horse’s work in the build-up

2. Piggy March was delighted with her test on Vanir Kamira, the 2019 Badminton Horse Trials winner who excels on the big occasion and is “dreadful” at one-day events. She sits second in the Bicton Horse Trials dressage results.

Find out who Piggy credited for her good mark today

3. Gemma Tattersall was emotional after her test on Chilli Knight, which left her just inside the top 10 in ninth.

Why does this horse means so much to Gemma?

4. Five-star first-timer Will Rawlin impressed today, slotting into third place with VIP Vinnie in a top 10 which is otherwise crammed with riders with extensive championship and five-star experience.

Discover what Will’s aim is for tomorrow’s cross-country

5. Tim Price holds fifth with Ringwood Sky Boy, the oldest horse in the competition. He joins Vanir Kamira as the two horses in the field who have previously won at five-star.

Find out how Ringwood Sky Boy has changed over time

6. Riders say the cross-country course is a proper five-star test, with the terrain and fences likely to play their part in influencing the result.

Check out what William Fox-Pitt, Oliver Townend and Pippa Funnell said about the course

Finally – as a bonus extra – read this story to discover why Ros Canter calls Pencos Crown Jewel (currently seventh) by the nickname “Miss Health and Safety”.

So, we now know all the Bicton Horse Trials dressage results… why not get ready for tomorrow’s cross-country action by checking out the Bicton Horse Trials cross-country times and planning your viewing?

Bicton Horse Trials cross-country times released: find out what time your favourite starts

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 17:28:47 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country times have been released for tomorrow’s five-star action.

Pippa Funnell, who leads the field after dressage, will leave the start box at 3.34pm on Barbara and Nicholas Walkinshaw’s Billy Walk On.

Piggy March, second after the first phase on Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira, starts at 2.40pm.

Will Rawlin, a five-star first-timer who impressed today to sit third overnight, will kick off his cross-country campaign at 2.52pm on VIP Vinnie, who is owned by his parents Andrew and Miranda.

The cross-country action tomorrow starts at 12.30pm. David Doel is the pathfinder riding Gillian Jonas’s Galileo Nieuwmoed and also rides Christine Lees’ Ferro Point near the end of the day at 3.22pm.

Pippa Funnell has two horses in the top 10 and will start on Marek Sebestak’s Majas Hope – currently eighth – at 12.52pm. Majas Hope has returned to his original place in the drawn order, having had a delayed start time in the dressage due to needing the attention of the farrier.

Oliver Townend is the final rider listed on the Bicton Horse Trials cross-country times, starting at 3.40pm on the Hazeldines and the Mitchell Fox Group’s Tregilder (14th after dressage). He also has Tom Joule’s MHS King Joules (currently 10th) at 12.40pm, the second horse to go in the competition.

New Zealand’s Tim Price is the only non-British rider in the top 10 after dressage. He starts his cross-country round at 1.28pm on Ringwood Sky Boy, who belongs to Varenna Allen, Robert Taylor and his rider. The pair scored 26.7 for fifth in the dressage phase.

Full cross-country times [PDF download]

Pippa Funnell leads Bicton five-star dressage: ‘I held my nerve so he did his best work in the arena’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:37:43 +0000

Pippa Funnell holds the lead at the end of the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage after scoring 23.9 with Billy Walk On.

Nicholas and Barbara Walkinshaw’s 12-year-old is a tall, rangey, elegant horse and he put in a super test, combining power and an open frame. He gained the only 10 of the competition, given by ground jury president Andrew Bennie for his entry.

“I was really delighted with him, because he is a good boy and he’s been pretty consistent in his tests and often I have just one little blip somewhere. Normally it’s in a flying change or something,” said Pippa.

“He’s a big, long horse and quite a lot to keep together, but he’s getting stronger and he was really good today.”

Pippa said she has had to judge carefully how much work to give Billy Walk On this week.

“He was bright in the trot-up and because he’s quite big, you could do too much work with him and make him a bit tired,” she said. “I thought yesterday that I’d been under-doing the work in the past week – because he’s had so much fitness work, I just backed off him a bit at the beginning of this week.

“Then yesterday he was fresh and tricky and I did quite a bit with him yesterday and again this morning. Then I just held my nerve and kept him walking, because as soon as he came out this afternoon, he felt on it and with me and I thought, ‘I’m not going to ask too much, it’s got to be in there, not outside’ – and luckily it was.”

Piggy March and Vanir Kamira sit second overnight after the Bicton Horse Trials dressage, with five-star first-timer Will Rawlin holding third on VIP Vinnie.

‘I’ve never seen that before’: riders react to the Bicton five-star cross-country track

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:11:10 +0000

“A proper five-star” is Oliver Townend’s first reaction to the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course for this week’s competition, designed by Mark Phillips.

“I’ve walked the course once and I can’t take my hat off enough to the team for the incredibly fantastic job in putting it together – I was slightly blown away by the presentation,” said the newly minted Olympic gold medallist.

“I think the ground is A1 – I know that they’re planning to do more work in places, but for me it’s very safe ground and if I had to run around last night, then I’d have been happy to run any horse on it. It’s good to firm in places, but it’s very good ground with good grass cover.

The terrain has been a talking point in the build-up to this event and Oliver agreed it will be a factor on Mark Phillips’ track.

“There’s lots of sharp inclines, which probably wouldn’t be as see-able on the TV. It’s going to be a proper stamina test, and the wily old course-designer has used the camber in lots of special places to make fences look relatively straightforward, but the camber will throw you about a little bit.”

Pippa Funnell commented that while Burghley Horse Trials – the event this one-off fixture has replaced – has a lot of terrain, riders are accustomed to that track.

She explained: “A lot of us oldies have been to Burghley so many times we know how to ride the track – even though the jumps change, you know how to ride the terrain at Burghley. You know where if you’re a bit behind, you can make up time. You know at Burghley where you can push the horses and where you have to back off them.

“At Burghley, if they’re fit enough, they run home and you’ve got a good run home from the Cottesmore Leap, whereas here my experience at the spring event was that it’s not only the terrain. I think an awful lot too is from horses’ mental point of view, you come back to home quite a lot [during the course] and then swing them away from home again. When they get a bit tired during that last three or four minutes, they’re like, ‘Oh we’re nearly home’ and then you turn them away again.”

William Fox-Pitt said he doesn’t like the downhill first minute as his ride Oratorio is keen, so he’d prefer to start uphill.

“Apart from the downhill first minute, the lie of the land is better this way round compared to at the four-star in June – there’s a bit less camber,” said William.

Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course: influential fences

Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy picked out a couple of fences that may be influential, starting with the Topspec Brush Corners at fence 9ab in the main arena (below).

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“That question coming down into the main arena requires the horse to be really controlled and really balanced and really focused with you. And then there are plenty of places where they have to stretch and go on, on the forward distance,” said Padraig.

The rider also said he had never seen a double bounce before, which appears on this course at the Ariat Challenge (fence 16abc).

“It’s a very interesting question, especially with the V-hedge afterwards. We’ve also never seen that,” said Padraig, adding that the Christmas trees before the V-hedge will help channel horses. “I think they’ve made it fairly kind with the trees, so it looks like as you approach it’s fairly obvious for the horse to jump. But the question will be how they jump the bounce, whether they have the power to do it.”

William agreed that the trees will help with the V-hedge (below).

He said: “I hope, as they come in, the V-hedge will actually look like a parallel fence to the ditch. Optically horses don’t judge things in that last minute, they can’t quite see it. I think the trees will hold you in and the bounce is there.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Referencing frangibles breaking at the Olympics, William said: “I’m a little bit worried maybe about the frangible pin on the rail going in [at the Ariat Challenge]. I think you can never trust the pins, so you’ve got to come in quietly enough. And yet you want to be riding forward to come out, so it’s quite a combination.”

Gemma Tattersall also mentioned the corners in the main arena, as well as the Vardag Oxer to Corner at fence 20ab (below).

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“That’s a proper five-star question – a big old oxer on a really tricky line to that corner. It certainly invites a run-out,” she said.

Gemma and William were among those to talk about the NFU Water at fence 22abcd (below).

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“Maybe it’ll ride softer than that complex did in the spring because we haven’t got the two angled hedges coming out, but the skinny in the water will come up quite quick – you can’t land tired because there’s no time to recover,” said William.

All the riders are expressing huge gratitude to the Bicton team for laying on this five-star competition at short notice and for the effort put into the Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course.

“The fences are beautifully presented and the ground feels amazing,” said Gemma.

Izzy Taylor moves into third at Bicton on horse making five-star debut: ‘He’s so beautiful’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:23:10 +0000

Izzy Taylor has taken third place in the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage with The Lancer Stud’s elegant grey Fonbherna Lancer.

The pair scored 25.7 to sit just 0.1 of a penalty behind Will Rawlin (VIP Vinnie) in second, with Will another 0.1 behind leader Piggy March. Izzy said there is “loads more” to come from the 11-year-old.

“We made mistakes, quietly, all over the place. He’s such a beautiful horse in his brain and his movement and everything. I just get annoyed with myself because he’s so beautiful and a little mistake feels like a massive one on him, whereas on a more average horse you wouldn’t even notice it,” said Izzy.

Fonbherna Lancer was with Izzy for the second half of 2018 and the 2019 season, but then spent 2020 and the early part of 2021 with Piggy March. He returned to Izzy just before the four-star fixture at Aston-le-Walls in May, but then missed a few runs because the rider broke her collarbone.

Izzy added after her Bicton Horse Trials dressage test: “I hope with some more cementing of our partnership, he’ll learn to enjoy the atmosphere in the future and be a real show off. We haven’t really done very much, so we’ll have to have a bit of trust tomorrow.

“They’ve done an amazing job with the track and all of us are just very, very grateful for it. The track’s proper for me. I didn’t ride here in the spring, so I’ve obviously walked it differently to others that did jump around it. But I think there’s a lot to do out there and the undulations proved tough last time. So it’s not all about today, that’s for sure.”

Five-star first-timer moves into second at Bicton: ‘To have two mistakes and still be in this position is unbelievable’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 14:42:54 +0000

Five-star first-timer Will Rawlin has moved into second in the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage, just 0.1 of a penalty behind leader Piggy March.

Will and his parents’ Andrew and Miranda’s VIP Vinnie scored eight, nine and 8.5 from the three judges for their first centreline, but the horse then broke in the medium trot that followed. Will produced excellent, expressive work for the rest of the test, though, and it looked like he would take the lead until he had some issues in the canter to trot transition on the final centreline.

“I’m over the moon with that – there were a few very obvious mistakes that I’m kicking myself about because it was me just probably asking a bit too much, particularly at the beginning. But it was early on in the test and you’ve just got to crack on and focus on the rest ahead,” said Will.

“To have two mistakes and still be in this position is unbelievable. I know the horse is more than capable of pulling out unbelievable tests, which he did, and I’m extremely proud of him.”

Will said his main trainer is John Bowen.

“He actually found this horse as a four-year-old and has trained me and my family, because we’re not horsey at all – he’s taught us everything,” said Will. “And Tracie Robinson is very good for getting me prepped in the ring and I had a lesson with her on the way up here on Wednesday. So I’ve got a very good team behind me and that’s what it’s all about.

“I was nervous but I’m enjoying it more because I’ve got horses that are good at it, and I feel I’ve improved a lot over the years, with my trainers’ help, to be more test accurate. There are little things that I wasn’t thinking about a couple of years ago, whereas now I’m thinking of certain points to aim for and things to do with the horse before the next movement and it’s starting pay off.”

Putting the Bicton Horse Trials dressage behind him and looking ahead to cross-country tomorrow, Will says he will take confidence from the fact VIP Vinnie went well at Bramham Horse Trials in 2019.

He said: “In the back of my mind, that is a nice thing to have – that I know he’s done some similar terrain before and coped with it well. The main thing was he came out the following day, on Sunday, absolutely bouncing, so hopefully I can do the same here. I’ve just got to make it happen. It’s not going to look pretty, but that’s cross-country for you.

“Tomorrow is another day, and there are a lot of questions plus the hills, the terrain. It’s a lot to ask for a first five-star for me. My main aim is to get a completion. So I’ll be as competitive as I can, but equally I want to get around and have my first five-star under my belt.”

Badminton winner takes Bicton five-star lead, plus mare known as ‘Miss Health And Safety’ shines

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 14:38:20 +0000

Piggy March has taken the lead in the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage for this week’s five-star competition.

Riding Trevor Dickens’ 2019 Badminton Horse Trials winner Vanir Kamira, Piggy nailed a mark of 25.5 – she now sits just 0.1 of a penalty ahead of the final rider of the third session, Will Rawlin on VIP Vinnie.

“With her, the clear round is the most important thing – having her mind in the right place,” said Piggy, crediting her groom Amy Phillips, who does a lot of lungeing with Vanir Kamira to help her relax.

“We just try to sort of bore her. She is what she is – I joke saying I’m going to make her into Valegro or something, but she’s not built for it, she doesn’t find it easy. She’s a definite mare – there’s that fine line of it being okay and not. She can feel marey and if she’s happy and she smiles, her movements are up to two marks anyway.

“It’s just nice to be doing something – she’s 16 years old, she was 14 when she last ran at Burghley and she’s dreadful at one days. You can’t just pick her up and go and do a dressage test. It takes the last month of trying to get her back into shape, mentally and physically, to be able to get on 10 minutes before, put pressure on, pick her up and her believe and still trust and go and do her best.”

Piggy says “Tilly” knows Badminton and Burghley, but recognised the Bicton Horse Trials dressage is a big occasion, too.

“I think even just going on the grass – I hadn’t done that all week, because she has delicate feet. So I think she sort of thought, ‘Oh, this is something new and this is an occasion’. You wouldn’t pick her out as a horse like [Oliver Townend’s Olympic gold medallist] Ballaghmor Class and she’s a pain in the butt all the time, but her heart is what a good mare is all about.”

The rider before Piggy, Ros Canter, scored 27.1, which now puts her fifth, behind the lunchtime leader Tim Price (Ringwood Sky Boy) in third and William Fox-Pitt (Oratorio II) in fourth.

Ros’s ride this week is Kate James and Annie Makin’s five-star debutante Pencos Crown Jewel.

“I’m absolutely over the moon with her – this is not really her phase,” said Ros, who also spoke about the mare on this week’s Horse & Hound Podcast. “I’ve had to change the way I train her to not train her really. I haven’t practised the test, so I was quite nervous I was going to go the wrong way because I like to practise.

“She just likes hacking on a long rein, to put it simply, and the excitedness you saw here is actually nervousness. She’s actually a lazy horse, but she’s very out of her comfort zone with people. She likes to keep herself to herself in the stable. People around make her suspicious.

“I’ve just found that hacking on a long rein and keeping her really happy and relaxed is her way. She’s so honest that she’ll do everything you ask her if she’s in the right frame of mind.

“We call her ‘Miss Health and Safety’ at home – she’s just a suspicious person and she wants to make sure everything’s okay before she’s going to do something.”

Pippa Funnell takes third in Bicton dressage after delayed start: ‘I’m grateful they changed my time’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 12:58:43 +0000

Pippa Funnell moved into third in the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage just before the lunch break, scoring 27.4 on her own and Marek Sebestak’s Majas Hope.

Pippa had been due to start as the fourth rider this morning, but the horse needed one shoe replaced, and with the farrier stuck in traffic, the event moved her time back so she rode as the final competitor before lunch.

“I didn’t really want to have one foot without studs – it’d be like me dancing with one heel,” said Pippa. “They really kindly changed my time.”

Majas Hope, who was a European team silver medallist in 2019, has struggled with the dressage, but has recently shown improvement in this phase.

“He was bright,” said Pippa. “I fluffed one change. He struggles with that, but then I think I struggle even more with it – as Chris [Bartle] said, I went forward in my body.

“Possibly it would have been good having it a bit quieter at 10am this morning but having said that, I’m really grateful that they changed the times and in some ways being bright gave him a bit more lift probably.

“I’m still pretty chuffed for him to get that sort of mark because he’s never been that easy. That was definitely his best mark at this level to date.”

Tim Price leads the Bicton Horse Trials dressage at the lunch break on Ringwood Sky Boy, who scored 26.7, with William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio II second on 27. Gemma Tattersall sits fourth after an emotional five-star debut for home-bred Chilli Knight.

Emotional Bicton start for Gemma Tattersall on home-bred: ‘He’s not the brightest, but he always tries his best’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 12:23:21 +0000

Gemma Tattersall was emotional after her Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage test on the home-bred Chilli Knight. The pair’s tidy, accurate performance earned them 27.9, which puts them fourth at the lunch break.

Chilli Knight belongs to Chris Stone – at whose yard Gemma is based – and is by his now deceased stallion Chilli Morning, out of the Rock King mare Kings Gem, who Gemma rode up to five-star level and piloted to second in the under-25 class at Bramham Horse Trials.

After her test, a tearful Gemma said: “He just was like, ‘Mummy, I’m doing my best.’ He always does his best, but he was great. He listened to me.

“I think if I was being like mega critical, the second flying change he was a little bit extravagant and it wasn’t quite as perfect as the first one. But his trot is terrible and I thought he did his best trotting he’s ever done. So I was just very proud of him.”

Gemma went on to describe the 11-year-old chestnut’s character.

She said: “He’s a funny little horse. I wouldn’t say he’s the brightest horse in the world, but what makes him is that he always tries his absolute best in training and in competition. I describe him as typical gelding, and a ‘yes man’. If I ask him to do something, he’ll give it a go. Very rarely is he difficult or in any way naughty.

“He’s a poppet and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him put his ears back in his life. I don’t think he really knows how to be horrible or nasty or anything like that.”

Chilli Knight has had a cracking season, including seventh in the CCI4-L here in June and a recent third in the CCI4-S at Hartpury.

Gemma has high hopes for this week, but warns “at the end of the day, he’s a horse”, referencing her fall from Arctic Soul at Burghley two years ago, despite the horse’s vast experience.

“But yes, Chilli Knight is in really good form – he’s confident, he absolutely flew around Hartpury and had a great time. He’s easy to go fast on, because he’s not strong, and we know each other so well,” said Gemma.

“He’s so amazing at measuring his jumps. He’s not a flamboyant jumper or anything, but he’s really fun – he makes me laugh, because if he comes to a fence that’s a bit wider, he just goes, ‘Oh mum, I think I need to stretch my knees out further’. And that’s all he does, whereas some horses kind of go, ‘Boof, it’s a big jump’, he just goes, ‘Oh I’ll stretch my legs further out’, which is just really funny.”

The Bicton Horse Trials dressage continues this afternoon.

Oldest horse takes lead in Bicton five-star dressage: ‘I’m super proud; his anxiety sits close to the surface’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 11:10:58 +0000

Tim Price has taken the lead in the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage for this week’s five-star competition.

Riding his own, Varenna Allen and Robert Taylor’s 18-year-old Ringwood Sky Boy, the oldest horse in the competition, Tim scored 26.7.

Ringwood Sky Boy’s only real mistake was failing to stand still in the first halt, but after that his marks were all strong, including two nines from Seppo Laine for the mid-test halt and rein-back.

“I thought he was great. I’m just super, super proud of him, because he’s not a dressage horse and over the years he’s learnt to work with it and to try and enjoy it a little bit, and he almost stood still three times so that was great,” said Tim, who is riding the horse in his 18th five-star here.

“It’s not a given with him because his anxiety sits quite close to the surface, but he’s a senior man now and I think he’s learned how to deal with who he is, and so he really does try.

“It used to just be exertion and effort and trying for me and just one way, which was to throw himself to the other side of a jump – whether it was a big five-star fence or whether it was a showjump that he wasn’t supposed to touch. He’s been able to refine that desire to please and to be the whole package for this job, so I’m super proud of him as horse. He’s a credit to himself.”

William Fox-Pitt has moved into second in the Bicton Horse Trials dressage after scoring 27 for his smooth test with the syndicate-owned Oratorio II, who is by Oslo, on whom William won Pau five-star.

“Maybe it was a little bit dull to get a low 20s, but I thought he really did his best. I was thrilled with him, and I was really thrilled I went the right way, because I’ve never done that test before. The brain doesn’t always work these days, so you never quite know when it’s going to let you down,” said William.

The rider said this test was better than the one Oratorio did at Kentucky in the spring.

Willliam commented: “Chris [Bartle] gave me some comments on that and seeing all the videos was really useful. I’ve worked on having a little bit more expression.

“He didn’t get loads of good marks, but he certainly gave me a really good feeling and felt very rideable and I can always say I should have ridden a bit more. Some horses have been quite tense in there and he was actually very cool. I was very pleased with him because it’s quite isolated in the arena. There’s no atmosphere, but they’re certainly on a stage.”

How to watch Bicton CCI5* Horse Trials: your essential guide

Gemma Redrup — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 10:24:36 +0000

Britain’s sole five-star is set to take place in Devon this autumn at the Chedington Bicton Park Horse Trials (2-5 September). To ensure you don’t miss a moment of the action, here’s our complete guide on how to watch Bicton Horse Trials.

How to watch Bicton Horse Trials

For those who can’t make it in person, all the action will be available to watch live via a dedicated Elite Eventing channel on Horse & Country’s streaming service, H&C+.

The trot-up (Thursday 1 September) and dressage (Friday 2 September) will be free to view.

The cross-country (Saturday 3 September) and the final trot-up and showjumping phases (Sunday 4 September) can be watched with a ‘Weekend Pass’, which are now available for £25, or for £20 for H&C+ members.

All Weekend Pass holders will be able to watch all of the content on-demand for 90 days following the event.

Horse & Country TV say: “Produced by the team behind the Event Rider Masters series, Elite Eventing offers a global first that creates a direct link between you the viewer, and the sport through the creation of the ‘Elite Eventing Premium’ prize fund.

In the simplest of terms – for every sale of the Chedington Bicton Park 5* Live Stream Weekend Pass, over the initial 5,000 purchases, Elite Eventing donates £7.50 directly into the additional prize fund for the Top 10 Bicton 5*. Funds will also be available for the further development of the sport.”

You can purchase your Bicton Horse Trials Weekend Pass here.

How to follow Bicton with H&H

Magazine

Issue dated 26 August: course walk with Mary King and interview with five-star first-timer Will Rawlin.
Issue dated 2 September: full form guide with information on every pair competing.
Issue dated 9 September: 17-page report including in-depth analysis of every page and exclusive opinion from course-designer Mark Phillips.

Website

Find our extensive online coverage at horseandhound.co.uk/bicton, including…

Video of Mary King walking the key combinations.
Full course pictures for the cross-country (online Thursday, 2 September) and showjumping (online Sunday, 5 September).
Numerous reports throughout and after every phase.
Daily previews including ride times for key contenders.

Podcast

Find all our podcasts at horseandhound.co.uk/podcast or search “Horse and Hound podcast” in your podcast app – and then hit subscribe or follow to ensure each new podcast automatically downloads so you don’t miss any episodes.
Listen to an interview with competitor Ros Canter on the 2 September episode.
Review of the action on 9 September episode.

New Zealand rider pulls off strong test to sit second at Bicton five-star first dressage break

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 10:10:43 +0000

New Zealand’s James Avery pulled off one of Mr Sneezy’s best dressage tests to move into second at the first break of the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage for the five-star competition.

The pair scored 28.7, a significant improvement on their 38 on the horse’s five-star debut at Pau 2019. Since then, they have achieved some better marks at four-star, including a 26.9 at Burgham last year.

“I’m really pleased with him – he’s starting to become a lot more consistent in the space,” said James. “He can be a bit sharp, but that second to last change was my error, my timing and so it’s actually quite nice to come out of a test and go, well, I put my hand up for that one and the horse was really good. He’s improving, getting better with age.”

The 13-year-old Mr Sneezy belongs to his rider, Tiny Clapham and Ian and Heidi Woodhead, the father and stepmother of James’ fiancée Holly Woodhead.

Oliver Townend still holds the lead at this early stage in the Bicton Horse Trials dressage after scoring 28.1 with MHS King Joules as the second rider into the arena. James’s test is the only other to have scored in the 20s at this stage.

Pathfinder David Doel holds fourth on 32.2 with Gillian Jonas’s Galileo Nieuwmoed.

Oliver Townend takes early Bicton lead on ‘talented but tricky’ horse, plus Zara Tindall performs guinea pig test

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 09:22:58 +0000

Oliver Townend has taken an early lead in the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage.

The Olympic gold medallist was second into the arena on Tom Joule’s 16-year-old experienced MHS King Joules in the five-star event and scored 28.1.

The pair’s otherwise consistent marks only dropped significantly when they had a mistake in the medium canter across the diagonal and Oliver had a big grin on his face as he finished his test. Highlights included a nine from Andrew Bennie at C for the mid-test halt.

“I’m happy with him – there’s no pressure on him, he’s an old horse now and we all know that he’s very talented but we also all know he’s very tricky in all three phases, but we respect him and love him for who he is and work with him every day with the quirks,” said Oliver.

Speaking about the spook in the canter diagonal, Oliver added: “That’s him and he’s getting more like that as he gets older, unfortunately, which is probably not the right way to go. But last time out at the level he was sixth in Pau [2020] so while he’s sound, healthy and definitely wanting to do it – perhaps too much sometimes – we’ll keep going with him.”

Pathfinder David Doel holds second on 32.2 with Gillian Jonas’s Galileo Nieuwmoed, who had a late first flying change but otherwise produced steady work. David made an error of course on the final centre line, halting straight from canter rather than showing the required trot first, and had to repeat this movement.

Pippa Funnell was due to be the fourth rider into the arena this morning, on Majas Hope, but will now perform just before the lunch break as the horse needs the attention of the farrier.

Zara Tindall performed the guinea pig test this morning on Class Affair. The pair put in some smart trot work, though the chestnut looked a little tense in the canter.

Bicton Horse Trials five-star guinea pigs Zara Tindall and Class Affair. (Image credit: Nico Morgan)

The Bicton Horse Trials dressage all takes place today ahead of tomorrow’s cross-country phase, over a course designed by Mark Phillips, and Sunday’s showjumping.

Zara Tindall to perform guinea pig dressage test at Bicton five-star

Pippa Roome — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 18:00:42 +0000

Zara Tindall will perform the guinea pig dressage test at Chedington Bicton Horse Trials tomorrow (Friday, 3 September). The former world and European champion will ride Gleadhill House Stud Ltd’s 12-year-old chestnut Class Affair, starting the test at 9am.

The guinea pig rider at a three-day event runs through the dressage test before the start of the competition, to allow the event systems to all be tested and the ground jury to get their eye in before the first proper competitor. The guinea pig does not test the cross-country or showjumping courses; only those taking part in the event ride these.

Zara Tindall: Bicton Horse Trials guinea pig ahead of Aachen

The dressage guinea pig at a five-star event is often a young rider who has not yet ridden at the level, but who is invited to be the guinea pig to gain experience. Sometimes, if a five-star is shortly before a team competition, a member of the British team will be given the chance to be the guinea pig to give their horse experience of doing a test in a big arena and atmosphere.

Zara has not had many eventing starts this year as she had her third child at the end of March. She has been named to ride Class Affair on the British team at Aachen later this month, so this will serve as good practice ahead of that outing.

The Bicton Horse Trials dressage times have been released now and the first competitor will go into the arena at 9.30am, around 20 minutes after Zara finishes her test. David Doel is the first to go, on Galileo Nieuwmoed.

Floaty dresses, heeled boots and flowery trousers: best of the outfits at the Bicton trot-up

Pippa Roome — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 16:56:08 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials first trot-up this afternoon took place against a scenic wooded backdrop, with gleaming horses and smartly dressed riders – check out some of the competitors below…

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Felicity Collins sports a short jacket and heeled boots to present her mother Vicky and Avrina Milton’s RSH Contend Or.

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DHI Purple Rain, owned by Ro Audley, Amy Drummond, Beryl Chaplin and Belinda Drummond, shows some airs above the ground as Francis Whittington leads him up.

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Gemma Tattersall, in a jacket with matching collar and boots, presents Christopher Stone’s Chilli Knight at the Bicton Horse Trials first trot-up.

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Georgie Spence was the final rider to come forward this afternoon, but cut a dash with her flowery trousers. She rides her own and Suzanne Doggett’s Halltown Harley.

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Harry Mutch won the Hiho Silver-sponsored best-dressed male prize for his outfit. He is pictured with Carole Mutch’s HD Bronze.

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Izzy Taylor brings forward The Lancer Stud’s Fonbherna Lancer.

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Olympic team gold medallist Oliver Townend trots up MHS King Joules, who belongs to Tom Joule.

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Pippa Funnell with Barbara and Nicholas Walkinshaw’s Billy Walk On. Pippa won the Hiho Silver prize for the best-dressed female.

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Will Rawlin will ride his parents Andy and Miranda’s VIP Vinnie.

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James Avery’s ride Mr Sneezy, owned by Tiny Clapham and Heidi and Ian Woodhead – his groom Frankie Murrell won the prize for the best turned-out horse, given by Smart Grooming.

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Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel, owned by Annie Makin and Kate James.

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Sam Griffiths sports bright blue trousers and stripey socks as he trots up Gurtera Cher, owned by Rodney Bennett and The Kim and Imogen Syndicate.

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Ireland’s Sarah Dowley presents her own Rubix Kube in a summery dress and jacket.

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Simon Grieve with Dr Polly Taylor’s Mr Fahrenheit III, who is a son of the five-star mare Little Tiger.

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Tim Price presents Ringwood Sky Boy, who starts his 18th five-star this weekend. He belongs to Varenna Allen, Robert Taylor and his rider.

Pictures by Nico Morgan

Bicton Horse Trials dressage times: find out what time your favourite five-star rider starts

Pippa Roome — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 15:44:50 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials dressage times have been released for this week’s one-off five-star competition, which is being laid on to replace the cancelled Burghley Horse Trials.

The first phase kicks off at 9.30am tomorrow (Friday 3 September), when David Doel will enter the arena on Galileo Nieuwmoed.

Oliver Townend is second in on MHS King Joules at 9.40am, with Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy (HHS Noble Call) following him at 9.50am. Pippa Funnell is fourth to go at 10am on Majas Hope.

These first four riders all have a second horse at the end of the day, with David at 3.50pm on Ferro Point, Padraig at 4pm riding Leonidas II and Pippa at 4.10pm on Billy Walk On. Oliver will be the last to go, starting at 4.20pm on Tregilder.

The favourite, Piggy March, will take to the arena at 2.20pm with Vanir Kamira, with whom she won Badminton Horse Trials in 2019.

The other horse who has won a five-star in the field is Ringwood Sky Boy, ridden by New Zealand’s Tim Price, and he starts at 11.20am on the Bicton Horse Trials dressage times list.

With 32 horses expected to come forward after today’s Bicton Horse Trials first trot-up, the dressage has been split into four blocks of eight horses, with 20-minute coffee and tea breaks and an hour’s lunch break to punctuate the day.

Francis Whittington will be the first rider in after the morning break, on DHI Purple Rain at 11.10am, while Richard Jones starts the afternoon action, riding Alfies Clover at 1.30pm. Australia’s Sam Griffiths will get the final group of competitors underway when he does his test on Gurtera Cher at 3.10pm.

Dressage times [PDF download]

Horses show high spirits at Bicton trot-up, plus two withdrawn at the last minute

Pippa Roome — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 15:22:50 +0000

All the horses presented at the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials first trot-up today for Britain’s one-off five-star competition were passed on initial inspection.

Two horses were withdrawn at the last minute – Sophie Jenman’s ride Lordana VH Leysehof Z (“Marlie”) and Becky Heappey’s DHI Babette K – leaving a field of 32 to start the competition.

Sophie reported: “Whilst we’ve had the perfect preparation and she’s fit, heathy and sound, her routine vet check this week showed a tiny heat patch and, although not serious, I’ve decided not to risk her. I’m absolutely gutted, but her best interests always come first and she’ll be back out and about soon.

“Thanks to Kay Jenman, my mother, Marlie’s owner and also super groom extraordinare, for her ongoing support as this was obviously disappointing for her too. Good luck to everyone at Bicton this weekend – will be glued to the live stream and rooting for you all!”

The horses at the first trot-up were brought forward in front of the ground jury, consisting of New Zealand’s Andrew Bennie, Britain’s Jane Tolley and Finland’s Seppo Laine.

The inspection was in a different place to the area used for the trot-up at the four-star competition in June. This time, horses congregated in a grass arena and then came through a gate into a wooded area, where the trot-up strip had been beautifully decorated with flowers and Chedington boards.

A number of horses became a little nervous as they came into the trees, with Francis Whittington’s ride DHI Purple Rain showing a very elevated trot and Vanir Kamira – the 2019 Badminton Horse Trials winner – spooking violently off the strip as Piggy March presented her.

Hiho Silver sponsored a prize of £250 to the best-dressed male and female riders at the Bicton Horse Trials first trot-up, with the cash won by Harry Mutch and Pippa Funnell.

Smart Grooming gave a prize to the groom of the best turned-out horse, judged by the company and Mary King. This was won by Frankie Murrell, groom to James Avery’s ride Mr Sneezy.

Britain’s first five-star for two years: Bicton cross-country course photos in full

Pippa Roome — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 14:17:38 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course for the one-off five-star competition this week has been designed by Mark Phillips.

This is the first competition at five-star in Britain since Burghley Horse Trials in September 2019.

Check out our pictures of all 26 fences below…

Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course

Fence 1: Chedington Flowerbed

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Fence 2: The Clippersharp Log Table

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Fence 3: Empire Picnic Table

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Fence 4: The BEST Blackberry Cottages

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Fence 5ab: EHOA Dewpond

Fence 5a

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Looking over fence 5a to 5b

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Fence 5b

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Fence 6abc: Chedington Oxers and Triple Bar

Fence 6a

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Fence 6b

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Fence 6c direct route

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Fence 6c alternative route – riders who take this fence will be forced to the left-hand side of the tree after it, which will take a little longer than going to the right after the direct route fence 6c

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Fence 7: Voltaire Brush

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Fence 8: Berenberg Cabin

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And the steep slope after it…

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Fence 9ab: Topspec Brush Corners

Fence 9a

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Fence 9b direct route

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The alternative fence 9b involves swinging out to the right after the first corner and then taking a slightly easier second corner

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Fence 10: Chedington Arena Table

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Fence 11: Bicton College Monkey Puzzle

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Fence 12: The Greenslade Taylor Hunt Picnic Table

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Fence 13: Jewson’s Table

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Fence 14abc: Clinton Devon Estates Cliffhanger

Fence 14a direct route

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Fence 14b direct route

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Fence 14c direct route

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Fence 14b alternative

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Fence 14c alternative (this is off to the left of the direct route)

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Fence 15ab: Burghley Table to Arena Rails

Fence 15a

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Fence 15b

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Fence 16abc: Ariat Challenge

Fence 16a direct route, with fence 16b (ditch) behind

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Fence 16c direct route

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Fence 16a alternative

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Fence 16b alternative (same ditch as direct route, but further to the left)

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Fence 16c alternative (same brush as direct route, but taking one wing straight on)

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Fence 17: W. H. Bond Sawbench

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Fence 18ab: Western Counties Tall N Narrow

Direct route

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Fence 18a alternative

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Fence 18b alternative (after a 180-degree left-hand turn from the alternative element a)

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Fence 19abcde: The Burghley Brushes

Fence 19a

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Fence 19b direct route

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Fence 19cd direct route

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Fence 19e direct route

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Alternative route (elements b, c and d are to the left of the direct route, element e is to the right of the direct route)

Fence 19b alternative

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Fence 19c alternative

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Fence 19d alternative

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Fence 19e alternative

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Fence 20ab: Vardag Oxer to Corner

Fence 20a

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Fence 20b direct route

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Fence 20b alternative, which involves looping out to the left after element a and back round right-handed to the alternative element b

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Fence 21ab: HTSG Wilma & Crumble Stumps

Fence 21a

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Fence 21b

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Fence 22abcd: NFU Water

Fence 22a

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Fence 22b

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Fence 22c direct route

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Fence 22d

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Fence 22c alternative

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Fence 23ab: Fisher German Mounds

Fence 23a direct route

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Fence 23b direct route

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Fence 23a alternative

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Fence 23b alternative

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Fence 24: St James Place Double Brush

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Fence 25: Clarke Willmott Brush

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Fence 26: NAF Finale

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Four withdrawn from Bicton CCI5* leaving a field of 34 competitors

Becky Murray — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 20:03:48 +0000

Alex Bragg and King Of The Mill are among the four combinations to have withdrawn from the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials entries (3-5 September).

In a statement today (1 September) Alex said he had “sadly” had to withdraw the 11-year-old gelding from Britain’s only CCI5* behind held this season. The pair were most recently fourth in the CCI4*-S at the NAF Five Star Hartpury Horse Trials (12-15 August), and clear across country in the CCI4*-S at Hambro Sport Horses Burgham International.

“It is very disappointing but he bruised his heel and isn’t 100%,” read the statement.

“It’s important to put his best interests first, and he will be back very soon to showcase his amazing talent. Thank you to his owners, Mike and Naomi Roe, for being so understanding and supportive.”

Nicola Wilson and the 10-year-old JL Dublin have withdrawn owing to their European Eventing Championships selection, announced last Friday (27 Friday). Deirdre Johnston and James and Jo Lambert’s 10-year-old gelding won the Bicton CCI4*-L with Nicola in June. Nicola will compete on the all-female British squad at the Europeans in Avenches (22-26 September) alongside Ros Canter with Allstar B, Sarah Bullimore and Corouet, Kitty King with Vendredi Biats, Izzy Taylor with Monkeying Around, and Piggy March with Brookfield Inocent.

The other combinations to withdraw from Bicton are George Hilton-Jones with his mother Isabelle’s 12-year-old gelding Efraim, and Christopher Whittle with Andrew Dixon’s 13-year-old gelding Skip Mill.

The four withdrawals mean a field of 34 is expected come forward for the one-off five-star in Devon. Those entries include 2019 Badminton Horse Trials winner Piggy March and Vanir Kamira, Tim Price and his 2018 Burghley winner Ringwood Sky Boy, and Pippa Funnell with Billy Walk On and Majas Hope. Reigning world champion Ros Canter is entered with Pencos Crown Jewel, and Oliver Townend will bring forward MHS King Joules and Tregilder. David Doel has been named as pathfinder on Galileo Nieuwmoed.

Pick up this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, in shops on Friday 3 September owing to a delivery issue between the printers and wholesalers, for the full Bicton form guide

9 reasons you don’t want to miss the CCI5* Bicton Horse Trials

Gemma Redrup — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:32:39 +0000

The five-star Chedington Bicton Horse Trials gets underway on Friday and runs until Sunday (3-5 September), and it promises to be a feast for eventing fans worldwide. Here, we give you nine reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on a moment of action and fun…

1. Top-class riders

Three of the current four top-ranked event riders in the world are set to do battle at Bicton Horse Trials, among other household names. Current world number one, Oliver Townend, world number two, Tim Price, and world number four, Piggy March, are lining up against each other. They will be pitting their talent against the likes of William Fox-Pitt, Gemma Tattersall, Pippa Funnell and current world champion Ros Canter, to name just a few.

2. World-class horses

Two former five-star winning horses are entered at Bicton, too; Piggy March’s 2019 Badminton winner Vanir Kamira (pictured) and Tim Price’s 2018 Burghley winner, Ringwood Sky Boy. Be sure to look out for potential future five-star winners, such as Chilli Knight and Pencos Crown Jewel, ridden by Gemma Tattersall and Ros Canter respectively.

3. A cross-country course to feast your eyes on

The track, designed by Mark Phillips, consists of 26 numbered fences and 45 jumping efforts over a distance of approximately 6350m. Mark said the course “is very much a five-star and will produce a worthy champion.”

4. The only British five-star event in the 2021 calendar

As we are all well aware, the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc with competition, including that at the highest level. This means that, following the cancellation of this year’s Badminton and Burghley, Bicton, which stepped up to the plate in July, is the only British five-star event in the 2021 eventing season.

5. Demos with dressage supremos

On Friday 3 September, between 1pm and 1.45pm, and on Sunday 5 September, between 10am and 10.45am, top British dressage rider and trainer Anna Ross will be conducting a dressage demo alongside her first rider, Beth Bainbridge, in the main arena.

6. A whopping high jump

You will also be able to enjoy watching a high jump competition in the main arena between 11.30am and 12.15pm on Sunday 5 September.

7. Plenty to eat (and drink)

There will be a range of food options for you to choose from at Bicton Horse Trials, plus there will be a big screen situated in front of the bar for you to enjoy all of the cross-country action, while enjoying a drink (or two). The food court will be open from 8am each day.

8. Time to browse and buy

If you need to satisfy your inner shopaholic, be sure to check out the variety of tradestands that will be in situ. While the event is not planning a host a shopping village to rival the likes of Badminton or Burghley, there will be range of shopping opportunities open from 8.30am each day.

9. Can’t be there in person?

Fear not, for all of the five-star action from Bicton Horse Trials is going to be livestreamed – find out how to watch Bicton Horse Trials live.

For once only: organiser of Britain’s only 2021 top-level event looks forward to good competition

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:31:53 +0000

The organisers of the only British CCI5* event of 2021 are promising good competition and an event to remember, for all involved.

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials, which runs this week (3-5 September) is to be a one-off, a replacement five-star planned organised and executed in a few months as a substitute for the cancelled Badminton and Burghley horse trials.

“It’s going to be really special for whoever wins as it will be held this one time only,” new Bicton manager Andrew Fell, who has recently taken over the job from his wife Helen West, told H&H.

“If you’d told me a year ago that Helen would have left Bicton and be running British Eventing, and I’d be running Bicton, having run a four-star event and about to run a five-star, I’d have said you were having a laugh! But this year has made us think.

“The big thing here is the most amazing facilities; the grade I listed parkland, the surfaces, the most amazing grass arena, and the biggest thing is the most phenomenal team, and that’s what means we’re able to do this.”

Andrew said the field of 38 may be significantly smaller than the normal Badminton or Burghley start list, but this was what was expected.

“It was never going to be huge entries because of having the Olympics and European Championships in the same year,” he said. “That’s about what it was always going to be, and it’s a really good field and will be a really good competition.

“It would have been easy to say that with the two championships, there was no point running it but otherwise, it would have been two years without a five-star, which wouldn’t have been good for the horses.

“There are horses for whom this is their moment, and the window for running in a five-star is quite small. It’s so important we put this on, for riders, owners, horses and the public.

“This is going to be one to remember. Most five-star venues have years of running at four-star and 11 months to prepare; we had seven weeks to prepare for the four-star and 11 to put this on.

“But my big focus is on having a really good competition, and my second is to make sure it’s a great experience for everyone who comes.”

Andrew said Mark Phillips’ cross-country course is a “cracking” one, with “probably a few more let-up fences than Badminton or Burghley”, adding: “It’s a good five-star track.”

There will be some 5,000 spectators welcome on cross-country day, so people will not feel “swamped”.

“It’s going to be a more personal experience, not people 10 deep at all the jumps,” Andrew said. “You’ll be able to see all the action and get close to it.

“Ticket sales are going really well; we’re very pleased with them. Everyone needs to come because we’re going to have a great time.”

Andrew said the team is looking forward to the event.

“I’m really excited, and very proud,” he said. “I feel very honoured that we’ve been given this opportunity, and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone.”

He thanked those who have helped and supported Bicton, including both Badminton and Burghley, and added that there will be a “very good collection” of about 30 trade stands.

“And we’re having a big screen to go in front of the bar,” he said. “The best thing you can do is sit and have a beer and watch the cross-country.”

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

British riders first and last to go as Bicton Horse Trials five-star draw revealed

Pippa Roome — Sat, 28 Aug 2021 16:27:56 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials draw for next week’s five-star competition (3-5 September) has been released.

David Doel will be the pathfinder on Galileo Nieuwmoed and will also wear number 36 on Ferro Point.

There are two horses who have already won five-stars in the field – Ringwood Sky Boy, who starts as number 10 with New Zealand’s Tim Price, and Vanir Kamira, whose rider Piggy March will sport number 26.

Four riders will start on two horses, with David joined in this elite group by Oliver Townend (number two on MHS King Joules and last to go at 39 on Tregilder), Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy (number three on HHS Noble Call and 37 on Leonidas II) and Pippa Funnell (number four on Majas Hope and 38 on Billy Walk On).

Thirty-eight horses are currently listed on the Bicton Horse Trials draw, following the withdrawal of Jonelle Price’s ride Grappa Nera.

Six nations will be represented at the competition, with the majority of the field from the home side.

There will be one starter apiece for Canada (Michael Winter on El Mundo at number 15) and Sweden (Malin Josefsson on Golden Midnight starts at number 19). New Zealand has two representatives, with James Avery and Mr Sneezy (number five) joining Tim Price, and Australia also has two in Sammi Birch on Finduss PFB (number eight) and Sam Griffiths (number 29 on Gurtera Cher).

Four horses will line up for Ireland, with Joseph Murphy (Gorsehill Pearl at number 27) and Sarah Dowley (number 31 on Rubix Cube) joining Padraig McCarthy at the event.

Bicton is running a one-off five-star this year to replace Burghley Horse Trials. This is the first event at the level in Britain since the autumn of 2019 as Badminton Horse Trials and Burghley in 2020 and 2021 have all been cancelled due to Covid-19.

Bicton CCI5* Horse Trials tickets – how to get your hands on them

Gemma Redrup — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 18:32:16 +0000

Some of eventing’s biggest names – both human and equine – are entered to compete in the one-off Chedington Bicton Horse Trials this autumn (2-5 September). This event will be the UK’s sole five-star event in 2021, and we know you won’t want to miss out. So here is our complete guide to Bicton Horse Trials tickets, including how you can get your hands on them to ensure you get a front row seat for all of the action…

Bicton Horse Trials tickets

Friday 3 September (dressage day)

Adults (aged 13 and over): £20

Child (aged 6-12): £10

Saturday 4 September (cross-country day)

Adults (aged 13 and over): £35

Child (aged 6-12): £20

Sunday 5 September (showjumping day)

Adults (aged 13 and over): £30

Child (aged 6-12): £15

Programmes are also available to purchase online for £8 – you will then be issued with an E-voucher, which you will be able to exchange for a programme once you arrive at the venue.

You can buy your tickets here

Where is Bicton?

Bicton College, East Budleigh, Salterton EX9 7BH

What else do I need to know?

Gates are open between 8am and 5.30pm
Dogs are permitted, but must be on a lead at all times
Children aged five and under do not require a ticket and can gain free entry
Seating will be limited, so Bicton has recommended that visitors bring a chair or picnic blanket
There is a 1km walk from the public car park to the venue
Blue badge parking is available, but you must provide proof of a blue badge upon arrival

Watch Mary King walk the key combinations on the Bicton Horse Trials track: ‘Real five-star fences’

Mary King — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 06:02:41 +0000

Mary King walked the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course for next week’s five-star event – watch her talk through three of the most difficult combinations on course and read her thoughts on these fences below…

Fence 6abc: Chedington Oxers and Triple Bar

Mary says: “After a decent pull uphill and left-hand turn, Mark Phillips has given horses some flatter ground on which to catch their breath before what he rightly says is the first question on the course which is more than four-star. We have a white oxer with a two-metre top-spread and four strides to a second one, with three strides to a skinny triple bar, which has a black-flag alternative. Here competitors need power, impulsion and control.”

Fence 16abc: Ariat Challenge

Mary says: “This is interesting and could be influential – an “old-fashioned” type of question where horses are asked to jump a pinned rail, bounce over a decent ditch and again bounce out, this time out over the 1.45m arrowhead brush. A real “coffin canter” with proper collection and enough impetus will be needed. There is an alternative route with more space between elements – a different rail as element a, then the left-hand end of the ditch as element b, then a right-handed turn to the left-hand arm of element c.”

Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course: final water

Fence 22abcd: NFU WaterMary says: “Competitors now turn back on themselves and head back to this final water complex on the five-star Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course, which will take quite a bit of course-walking by riders to determine their exact route. Mark and I had a lengthy discussion about how many strides we thought there were between the first brush element and the enormous brush drop into the water – he thinks five, I think four!

“Angling the first should bring you nicely straight to the drop, and you should then get three strides comfortably to the skinny brush in the water, and then the last brush should come up well too. It’s a clever fence and will be really interesting to watch – it will make riders think hard, because getting through to the end of the question successfully is dependent on what they do at the first part.”

‘Very much five-star’: cross-country course for Burghley replacement event at Bicton revealed

Pippa Roome — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 18:32:31 +0000

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course for the five-star event in September was unveiled yesterday (23 August).

The track, designed by Mark Phillips, consists of 26 numbered fences and 45 jumping efforts over a distance of approximately 6350m.

“Having just run the four-star in June, I was struggling to make this five-star Burghley replacement look very different. So although riders set off in a familiar direction, the course is reversed,” says Mark.

The first real challenge on course is the EHOA Dewpond, fence 5ab, where Mark says “the holiday is over”.

“Positive riding is required as the brushes are quite daunting on the angle with the water in between,” he adds.

This is followed by the Chedington Oxers and Triple Bar at 6abc.

“There is time for horses to catch their breath at the top of the hill before the first two-metre top spread, four strides to the next oxer and then three strides to the skinny triple bar,” says Mark.

“If riders didn’t understand that they were now at a five-star, they will as they come down the hill to the Voltaire Brush [fence seven] before a quick turn to the Berenberg Cabin [fence eight] at the top of the Derby Bank. It’s then all about control on the steep descent down to the TopSpec Corners [fence 9ab]. Anyone a little out of control might think of doing a circle before attempting a left corner, four or five strides to a right corner, both very missable!”

Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course: control and accuracy

Some let-up fences follow, before control and accuracy are needed at the Clinton Devon Estates Cliffhanger at fence 14abc. On the direct route, horses must first jump the frangible rail clear, then go down a big drop and take three or four strides to the massive triple brush at the bottom.

Frangible rails are also part of the test at the Ariat Challenge (fence 16abc), where horses bounce from the rails over the ditch, then bounce again to a 1.45m arrowhead brush.

Mark goes on: “Riders can then gather their thoughts as they gallop to the W. H. Bond Sawbench [fence 17] but will need to be wearing their five-star pants as they approach the daunting Western Counties Tall n Narrow [fence 18]. There is no time to relax though. As horses get to the top of the hill they are met by The Burghley Brushes [fence 19abcd] – four consecutive triple brushes, something none of them will have ever seen before. There are, though, alternatives for those thinking discretion is the better part of valour.

“There is no let up as riders come down to Vardag Oxer to Corner [fence 20ab]. Again, the two-metre oxer looks enormous and there are then a forward four or more conservative five strides to an awkward looking corner.

“A long gallop follows down to the HTSG Wilma & Crumble Stumps [fence 21ab]. Riders just need to take their time here over a not so easy piece of ground before galloping back to the NFU Water [fence 22abcd]. Riders will ponder long and hard here, but may well opt for the slightly slower bending lines as three of the four brushes are very missable.”

The final combination on this Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course is the Fisher German Mounds at 23ab, of which Mark says: “Another bending line but the brushes are tall and not very inviting.”

Mark concludes: “There is more terrain on this five-star course than any other in the world, therefore some of the let-up fences are more forgiving and there is less intensity than say Badminton or Burghley. The overall examination, though, is very much five-star and will produce a worthy champion.”

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Read Mary King’s thoughts on the course in the 26 August issue of Horse & Hound magazine and see videos of Mary walking the key combinations at horseandhound.co.uk next week. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Five-star winners and Olympic medallists head entries for Bicton five-star

Pippa Roome — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 12:01:15 +0000

Olympic team gold medallist Oliver Townend heads the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials entries for the one-off five-star this autumn (2-5 September).

A small field of just 37 horses had been entered for the Devon showcase by the ballot date of noon today (17 August), with Oliver one of four riders entered on more than one horse. He has MHS King Joules and Tregilder in the line-up.

The other riders challenging with two mounts are Pippa Funnell (Majas Hope and Billy Walk On), David Doel (Galileo Nieuwmoed and Ferro Point) and Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy (Leonidas II and HHS Noble Call).

Two horses who have won five-stars come forward – the 2019 Badminton Horse Trials winner Vanir Kamira, with Piggy March, and the 2018 Burghley Horse Trials winner Ringwood Sky Boy, under New Zealand’s Tim Price. Tim’s wife Jonelle Price will also ride at the event, with Grappa Nera.

Nicola Wilson is entered with JL Dublin, who won the CCI4*-L at Bicton Horse Trials in June, as is Gemma Tattersall with Chilli Knight, who were seventh in the CCI4*-L in June. But both pairs are also on the British long-list for the European Championships later in September, so their participation at Bicton will be dependent on selection decisions. One of Pippa’s rides, Billy Walk On, is also on the Europeans long list.

Fans will also be excited to see William Fox-Pitt, who has won a record 14 times at five-star, entered with Oratorio II, and reigning world champion Ros Canter, who brings forward Pencos Crown Jewel, who was ninth at Bicton in June. The other strong British contenders include Alex Bragg with King Of The Mill and Izzy Taylor on Fonbherna Lancer.

Felicity Collins (RSH Contend Or), Will Rawlin (VIP Vinnie), George Hilton-Jones (Efraim) and Harry Mutch (HD Bronze) are among the younger British riders on the Bicton Horse Trials entries list.

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“This clearly demonstrates there was no lack of willingness on the FEI’s part, but that the rules would not allow for it and the FEI had no other option,” he said.

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FEI responds to eventers’ ‘frustration’ after hopes dashed of replacement class

British Eventing (BE) chairman Mark Sartori said on Saturday (20 May) that owing to the “extreme weather challenges” and the “ramifications of so many lost events”, BE is working with the FEI, organisers, owners and riders “to address the many issues our members are facing”.

“We are listening to our membership but need clarity from the FEI on replacement classes as well as working with our organisers on key issues such as abandonment insurance,” said Mr Sartori.

“We will be updating our membership as soon as possible. It’s vital that we work with all our stakeholders during this period and keep our membership informed.”

An FEI spokesman told H&H today (Monday, 22 May) that it “fully appreciates the frustration of event riders in Britain following several cancellations of classes and events due to bad weather”.

A statement from Bicton on Thursday (18 May) said that approval granted by the FEI on 17 May for the addition of a CCI2*S had been “suddenly revoked”.

Eventing Riders Association chairman Bruce Haskell added that the decision to “un-approve” the additional class was made “outside of the Bicton organising committee, BE, British Equestrian [BEF] and the FEI eventing committee”.

“From a governance perspective It is clear that FEI eventing does not have control of its own programme and that under the current FEI administration, the destiny of eventing is determined by other non-related disciplines and the issues they have created in the past,” said Mr Haskell.

“As athletes we again appeal to the FEI administration to see sense especially as the request for additional classes will directly impact young athletes, young horses, recreational working athletes, in other words, your future FEI customers.”

“In terms of revoking approval, the FEI did initially respond to the request, saying it ‘should be possible’, however, within a few hours, the FEI went back to confirm that it would not be possible, with a full explanation as to the reasons the request could not be granted.

“This clearly demonstrates there was no lack of willingness on the FEI’s part, but that the rules would not allow for it and the FEI had no other option but to uphold the rules at play.

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Meet this week’s H&H cover star: an anxious character, a great cross-country horse –and he’s Badminton-bound

Badminton final scores

Ben is likely to do the advanced at Thoresby this spring, then Bicton open intermediate, then Badminton.

“He’s proved he can be a five-star horse, so now he’s at the stage where we want to preserve him. The big thing now is to make his career as long as possible while working to improve his dressage,” says Padraig.

Ben had a six or seven-week break after Bicton last autumn, then a month hacking.

Padraig says: “He’s not done much competing since Bicton – a few showjumping shows – but he’s done quite a bit of winter training on the flat with Tracie Robinson and showjumping with Grant Wilson.

“He seems to be finding the dressage easier and to be more relaxed at home this year, so we hope he can carry that forward to his events, though Badminton will be an atmosphere like he’s never experienced.

“He can do everything – he’s a good mover, with good flying changes – but it’s just that tension creeps in. He’s an anxious horse and it’s a matter of being patient and waiting for all the pieces to fall together.”

“We’ve found that’s the best way so far because when his adrenalin goes up, you can’t get him back down again without him chilling out. I’ve spoken to a few dressage riders about anxious horses and they’ve found this is the best way and it seems to work,” says the Irish Olympian.

“He can learn to showjump solidly and hopefully with time the dressage will keep better and better. The cross-country is his strongest phase and at five-star, that’s the one that’s important.”

And what’s HHS Noble Call like to look after?

“He’s a very nice horse to deal with at home and in every way. He’s super easy in the stable and a very friendly horse,” says Padraig.

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Piggy March on finishing third at Bicton with Vanir Kamira: ‘I’ll take that; she owes us nothing’

“I will take that all day – bless her little heart,” said Piggy. “That’s a decent track, it’s square, with lots of lines. She did all right.”

Vanir Kamira – known as “Tilly” – had three fences down at Somerford on her last outing before Bicton and four on the run before that, in the CCI4*-L at Bicton in June.

“She’s very sound, she’s very happy, she owes us nothing. She did the best round of her life at the right time [when she jumped clear to win Badminton 2019], and she never owes me anything else, but we did our best.”

Vanir Kamira, who belongs to Trevor Dickens, has a phenomenal five-star record – her third place in the Bicton Horse Trials results means she has now finished in the top six on five of her six runs at the level with Piggy.

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Bicton Horse Trials: William Fox-Pitt on Oratorio’s condition today

He added: “Tomorrow we’ll do some more tests – we’ll scope him to look down into his lungs and see if there’s anything there that caused it and take blood tests in case he’s got some sort of virus.

“We’ll know more after we examine him, but there’s nothing to suggest it wasn’t just a freaky thing and we might never know why it happened. He’s shown no signs of virus or cough or cold so we’re slightly perplexed.”

William says he will have a meeting with Oratorio’s “very understanding” syndicate of owners after the vet has examined the horse and decide whether to “divert to Pau or call it a day” for the year.

“Hopefully he’ll fight another day,” said William.

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A proposal after prize-giving: Gemma Tattersall gets engaged after winning Bicton

Compère Nicole Brown asked him to repeat himself, just to be sure.

“Gemma, will you be my wife?” he asked.

There wasn’t a dry eye in sight as Gemma hugged Gary and then Pippa and Pippa congratulated the pair.

“We could be the bridesmaids!” laughed Piggy, indicating Pippa and herself flanking Gemma on the press conference stools.

Gemma had caught Pippa’s bouquet of flowers when she threw it as they were leaving the podium during the prize-giving, which was perhaps prophetic as whoever catches the bride’s flowers at a wedding is meant to be next to marry.

“This was Gemma’s day and she totally deserved it,” said Piggy. “I’d have liked to have beaten her, don’t get me wrong – I was giving it a go!”

Gemma won Bicton five-star riding the home-bred Chilli Knight, with Pippa Funnell second on Billy Walk On and Piggy March third on Vanir Kamira.

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Runner-up Pippa Funnell reflects on Bicton: ‘I wouldn’t want to be in the sport without five-stars’

“I just wish I could get a bit hungrier, racing round the one-days, but to me it’s about the big ones. You use the one-days for the training and get the ride where you want it.

“I absolutely believe this – if we lose these sorts of events from our sport, our sport in my mind is finished, because that would bring in more of these big, flashy, foreign movers.

“And if we lose that from the sport, I don’t want to be in the sport because that to me is what the sport is about.”

“Full credit to Gemma – she was at mine the other week, we were having treatment from Ash [Wallace, physio] and she said, ‘I’m going to Bicton because I’m going to win it.’ So brilliant on her.”

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