Latest from Horse & Hound in Mark-phillips

What will the British Europeans eventing squad jump this week at Blenheim? Check out every fence on the cross-country course

Pippa Roome — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:11:26 +0000

The Agria Blenheim European Championships cross-country course for this week’s competition (17-21 September) has been designed by Mark Phillips. The track has 31 numbered fences and is 5710m long, with an optimum time of 10min 1sec.

Walking the course on Wednesday (17 September), the ground looked in good condition, with a fair covering of green grass on the majority of the track. Scroll on to check out photos of every jump on the course…

Blenheim European Championships cross-country course

The red numbers are for the Blenheim European Championships cross-country course; the blue ones are for the GFS Saddles eight- and nine-year-old class.

Fence 1: Agria Flowers

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Fence 2: RDA Log

There are two options here – a left-hand fence on flat ground and a right-hand one on a mound. The left-hand one looks like the quicker option.

Left-hand fence on flat ground

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Right-hand fence on mound

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Fence 3: MIM Oxer

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Fence 4: HorseHage Roll

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Fence 5: Peden Flyer

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Side view

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Fence 6abc: The Suregrow Dew Pond

Fence 6ab direct route

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Looking over the direct route fence 6ab to the water and fence 6c

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Fence 6c direct route

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The long route involves more distance and three jumping efforts instead of two.

Fence 6a long route

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Fence 6b long route

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Fence 6c long route

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Fence 7: Horse & Rider Picnic Table

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Fence 8: Joules Pavilion

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Fence 9: Joules Palace View

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Fence 10abc: Agria Angles

Fence 10a direct route

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Fence 10bc direct route

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Riders taking the long route jump the same first element, but would take it straight on, rather than at an angle. They then turn away from the direction of travel to jump alternative parts b and c.

Alternative fence 10b

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Alternative fence 10c

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Fence 11abc: Subaru Sensation

Fence 11a

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Fence 11b direct route

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Fence 11c direct route

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The more time-consuming alternative involves two easier corners.

Fence 11b alternative

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Fence 11c alternative

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Fences 12 and 13: Palace Treasure Chest and Jewellery Box

Fence 12

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Fence 13

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Fence 14: evoke Lodge

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Fence 15ab: The Raging Bull Roller Coaster

Fence 15a direct route

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Fence 15b, which comes after a run down a mound and back up

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There is an alternative at 15a, off to the side, but no alternative for 15b.

Fence 15a alternative

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Fence 16: The Ha Ha Oxer

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Fence 17abc and fence 18: BE Support Trust Healing Garden and Subaru Splash

Fence 17ab direct route

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Fence 17ab direct route (closer view)

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Fence 17c and 18ab direct route

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The long route here involves five elements and riders will have to circle between fences 17c and 18a.

Fence 17a alternative route

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Fence 17b alternative route

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Fence 17c alternative route

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Fence 18a alternative route

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Fence 18b alternative route

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Fence 19: Agria Water Crossing

Fence 19 direct route

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The alternative here is to the right, so less close to the exit from the long water crossing, and involves jumping a similar type of fence but at less of an angle.

Fence 19 alternative

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Fence 20abc: GFS Saddles Water

Fence 20ab direct route

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Fence 20c direct route

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The long route here takes more time and adds another jumping effort, but riders using it avoid jumping into the water and jumping a fence in the water.

Fence 20a long route

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Fence 20b long route

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Fence 20c long route

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Fence 21: BE Triple Bar

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Fence 22ab: FEI Mounds

Fence 22a direct route

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Fence 22b direct route

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The long route here involves extra distance, but the fences are sited on flatter ground.

Fence 22a long route

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Fence 22b long route

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Fence 23ab: LeMieux Wedge

Fence 23ab direct route

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The alternative route here involves two jumping efforts rather than one.

Fence 23a alternative

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Fence 23b alternative

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Fence 24: The Estribos Table

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Fence 25abc: CrossCountry App Wooded Hollow

Fence 25ab direct route

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Fence 25c – everyone jumps this ditch, even if they take the alternative for the preceding elements

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Fence 25a alternative

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Fence 25b alternative

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Fence 26: Voltaire’s Leap

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The second long water crossing, back across the lake, follows this fence.

Fence 27: Bedmax Nest

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Fence 28abc: The Brookfield Bullfinch

Fence 28a direct route

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Fence 28bc direct route

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The long route here is not as circuitous as some, but it does add an extra jumping effort.

Fence 28a long route

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Fence 28b long route

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Fence 28c long route

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Fence 29: Fischer Stick Pile

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Fence 30abc: Zip Travel Tray

Fence 30a – competitors on the direct and alternative routes jump this

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Fence 30bc direct route

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Fence 30b alternative

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Fence 30c alternative

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Fence 31: Agria Finale

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To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the Blenheim Europeans, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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‘I was honoured to be asked’ says top British course-designer called up for Blenheim Europeans

Lucy Elder — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:12:46 +0000

Captain Mark Phillips has been named as the cross-country course-designer for Britain’s home eventing European Championships this autumn.

The Agria FEI Eventing European Championships will run at Blenheim from 18 to 21 September. Long-standing Blenheim course-designer David Evans – who built designer Derek di Grazia’s Tokyo Olympic cross-country course – will be one of the assistant designers.

H&H columnist Mark, a four-time Badminton winner and Olympic, world and European team gold medallist, designed Burghley for some 30 years, before Derek took on the tenure ahead of the cancelled 2021 event. He has designed courses across the world during his long career, including the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon and the Festival of British Eventing for many years at Gatcombe.

“In recent times I’ve been cutting down on my course-design duties and have concentrated more on a course adviser role at many of the major events both in this country and the US to help with the development of the next generation of designers,” said Mark.

“I was honoured to be asked and am looking forward to designing this year’s Agria FEI Eventing European Championship cross-country course at Blenheim.

“I’m also very happy to continue my adviser role and help the FEI with their specific request to help younger designers. As such, they are flying Jay Hambly over from America and I’ve already had help from David Evans and Helen West with the initial plans.”

The last time Blenheim hosted the Europeans, in 2005, Zara Tindall – Mark’s daughter – won individual and team gold medals with Toytown.

The box office for spectator tickets opens today (6 January).

This is the third year that Stable Events has organised the horse trials and event director Kartina Midgley said that hosting the Europeans is “the cherry on top” of this milestone year.

“We’ve been dedicated to reviving this incredible event and 2025 is going to be a landmark year!” she said.

“It’s the 20th anniversary of Blenheim’s last hosting of the FEI Eventing European Championships – so many people have told me they were there in 2005. We’re going to make sure 2025 is an experience they’ll never forget either.”

Blenheim 2025: further updates

The regular CCI4*-L class will take a year off this year, while Blenheim hosts the Europeans. The CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses will go ahead as normal.

H&H had previously reported that it was hoped Britain would be able to field eight individuals, rather than the usual two, as host nations previously did.

An FEI spokesperson told H&H in December that under FEI rules, at all championships and Games, the host country is limited to the same number of riders and horses as the maximum for foreign countries.

This means that if seven or more teams are entered – as is usually the case at Europeans – the maximum will be two individuals per country, in addition to the team.

If five or six teams are entered, it would be three individuals per country. If there are four or fewer teams, it would be four individuals per country.

“Any change to the rules would require an overall modification to be approved by the FEI General Assembly,” added the spokesperson.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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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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.

‘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.

Mark Phillips: ‘Given the short notice preparation time, perhaps I’ve been unfair’ H&H Plus

Mark Phillips — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 13:00:54 +0000

Mark Phillips reflects on Bicton, Luhmühlen and illogical safety rulings

I’M not sure anybody envies the monumental task facing Helen West when she takes over as chief executive of British Eventing (BE).

However, if the Bicton international was an example of the calibre of her work, then the sport in this country can look forward to a bright future.

She led a strong team to run such a successful event – including showjumping designer Jamie Perryman, who did a fantastic job – and to find a title sponsor in Dr Geoffrey Guy’s Chedington Estate was impressive.

I’ve criticised the standard of cross-country courses at some of the upper level “replacement” events this spring. However, given the short notice preparation time, perhaps I’ve been unfair.

At Bicton, though, Helen and her team produced top-notch four-star long and short courses at seven weeks’ notice, having started with nothing more than an intermediate course. It had as much, if not more, terrain than Bramham and the presentation was Burghleyesque.

I helped with some of the technical questions and some will say we pushed the four-star standard too far with the Offset Brushes after the water and the angle of the brush corner coming out of the rail-ditch-corner complex.

However, all the combinations rode well. Some riders were caught out by going too fast in places and not riding forward in others. On a hot day, many horses tired with the heat and terrain.

The event did highlight the difference in fitness needed for the two formats – it’s folly to think you can switch a short format fit horse to long at a moment’s notice.

Looking at the number of withdrawals and retirements, we saw the effect of not having had a real four-star for two years. Some will say we should therefore have made the course softer, but many owners and riders thanked me for bringing back the cross-country test to the four-star level of yesteryear.

Bicton was also a big pre-Tokyo outing for our Olympic long-list. The selectors came away with mixed feelings: smiling because of the depth of choice – we could field two teams both capable of winning gold – but also with a furrowed brow, wondering how to whittle the squad down to a team of three and one reserve. There is so little difference between them. Anyone want to be a selector?

THE BEST LAID PLANS…

YOU have to feel sorry for Luhmühlen. Having taken the brave step to run behind closed doors, their plans were completely torpedoed by the new entry rules for British-based riders.

By the time the government changed their stance, it was too late for most to get all their paperwork done, though Emilie Chandler and Samantha Lissington did make it.

Hats off to the Luhmühlen team though – the venue looked resplendent and the Mike Etherington-Smith-designed and David Evans-built courses very much looked the part. The cross-country day did, though, emphasize the modern dilemma with some of the best horses and riders in the world competing but with others playing above their skill level.

Congratulations to Mollie Summerland for overcoming the Covid hurdles and for leading the five-star from pillar to post, with an improved dressage and showjumping from Pau last year. She will be very aware, though, that sterner tests lie ahead at Badminton and Burghley.

When Michael Jung and Maxime Livio put themselves out of contention by activating MIMclips it emphasised a new dimension in an ever-changing sport. Now riders need to leave the rails up on cross-country day as well as everything else!

A LOST SPECTACLE

I STRUGGLE with many current FEI risk management rulings, such as Oliver Townend having to run at Bicton to get Cooley Master Class’s confirmation minimum eligibility result (MER) for Tokyo, despite the pair having won a couple of five-stars.

Similarly, Tom McEwen was slated to ride my daughter Zara’s Classic Affair at Luhmühlen, while she returns to full fitness after having a baby, but didn’t have a recent enough MER despite having ridden the horse at Bramham 2018 and an advanced win at Aston-le-Walls this May.

When I think of all the five-stars that I, Mark Todd and others won on catch rides, it’s sad that spectacle can’t be part of the modern sport.

This report can also be read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale date 24 June 2021

Toytown: Zara Tindall’s superstar who would ‘buck, bolt, nap and rear’ but went on to win at the highest level H&H Plus

Catherine Austen — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 08:00:19 +0000

What this horse of a lifetime lacked in looks as a “toad” of a youngster, says Catherine Austen, he made up for in talent and presence, partnering Zara Tindall to World and European Championship glory

HAS there ever been a more compelling, pressurised two minutes in British horse sport than Zara Tindall’s showjumping round at Aachen in 2006? Here was a 25-year-old member of the royal family with the World Championship title within touching distance.

Her horse, Toytown, was exceptional, but it was no secret that this phase could be his Achilles heel. They were in the most intense atmosphere imaginable, the stadium packed with 40,000 German spectators who had just watched Bettina Hoy secure them team gold. And Zara couldn’t hear the bell.

Zara says: “The judges were using this tiny, tinkly bell. Everyone was going way too far down the arena and missing their start. I thought, ‘I’m not going to do that.’ I made sure I stayed up at the end of the arena where I couldn’t get caught out – but I couldn’t hear the bell anyway, because Bettina had just jumped clear and the crowd was going mad. I was cantering around thinking, ‘Why hasn’t the bell gone…?’ And then I looked at the clock, which had started, and thought ‘No!’

“I was literally flat out – which was probably, in hindsight, a good thing, because I couldn’t get backwards at all; I just had to get on with it.

“In that moment of half-panic, half-pressure, Toytown jumped really well; he just had the middle part of the treble. There were still two to jump, but I just knew he was going to jump them.”

Britain had its first world champion since Ginny Leng 20 years earlier – and eventing had the kind of media attention it hadn’t enjoyed since Zara’s mother, Princess Anne, was competing in the 1970s. Sport is as much about temperament as talent, and Zara and her rangy chestnut partner had both in spades.

Zara and Toytown competing at Cornbury Park when the horse was a novice (Image credit: creditUnknown)

TOYTOWN’S competitive career started with Meryl Winter, who bought him as a “wishy-washy, skinny, ugly” four-year-old. He was a “complete toad”, who would “buck, bolt, nap and rear”, Meryl told H&H in 2017. But he took to eventing, as a six-year-old, immediately: “It was just a case of sitting there, thinking where you were going and he’d lock on to the fence.”

He was now worth quite a bit of money and Meryl decided it made financial sense to sell him. Mark Phillips, who had taught Meryl at a clinic, took his 19-year-old daughter Zara to see the horse.

“He looked like an empty coat hanger the first time I saw him, but when I got on him, his movement and his demeanour and his aura were so amazing that you’d look past how weak he appeared muscle-wise,” remembers Zara. “He just had a big frame to fill, but he still floated along, like nothing I’d ever sat on before in my life or probably will again. He had everything. He had the brain for it and he loved his work.”

A “family syndicate” was put together to buy Toytown.

“You don’t see something that moves like that, jumps like that and has that much quality every day,” says Mark. “He was a dressage horse, a racehorse and a jumper – and was rideable. The whole package.”

Toytown “had the wow factor” from the word go, says Zara.

“He was such a performer. He lived for showing off and people looking at him. But he was still so weak, and the showjumping took time. He was so good across country because he could cover the ground and he was quick over a fence, which is the best trait to have – but you need them to bascule a bit more [in the showjumping]. So that was a big process that we went through, getting him stronger to be able to take that time over a fence.”

With Zara Tindall and Toytown’s first five-star helping the buzz around Burghley in 2003 their runner-up slot was heralded as the most impressive top-level debut in memory (Image credit: creditUnknown)

The pair led the CCI3*-L at Windsor in the autumn of their second season together after dressage and cross-country.

“Then we knocked all the showjumps down!” says Zara. “It was disappointing, but it was always a stepping stone – the best he was going to be was at the top level. I was 21 when I won [the under-25 CCI4*-L at] Bramham in 2002, and that was probably the first time he’d jumped double clear.

“When he stepped up to the bigger tracks, then you absolutely knew. He’d just eat courses up for fun.”

Their first championship was the young rider Europeans at Wiendorf, Germany, in September 2002, where they won individual silver. And after finishing fifth in the CCI4*-L at Luhmühlen in June 2003 – with four showjumps down – they tackled their first CCI5* at Burghley three months later.

Zara and Toytown at Badminton in 2009 (Image credit: creditUnknown)

There was already a huge buzz about Burghley that year; Pippa Funnell was attempting to become the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam, having conquered Kentucky and Badminton that spring. Zara’s top-level debut brought added attention, but surely this relatively inexperienced horse and jockey couldn’t win it?

It was the first time many people had seen them and, as “Noddy” – as Toytown was nicknamed – powered across the arena in extended trot, gazes were sharpened and shoulders straightened. Bettina Hoy (Woodsides Ashby) was well out in front at the end of the dressage, with a score of 36, and Pippa, with Primmore’s Pride, was second on 39.4. However, only 2.4 penalties behind in third were Zara and Toytown.

“I loved Burghley and I loved having him there; that was where he was meant to be, that was his big stage,” says Zara.

Zara and Toytown at Burghley (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Burghley’s cross-country course – designed by Zara’s father – is probably the toughest in the world, and 2003 was the final year of the “long format” with roads and tracks and steeplechase phases. The young pair – 10-year-old Toytown and 22-year-old Zara – soared round, looking more like they were galloping round Cheltenham than a vast, technical eventing track.

She says with humour: “I remember getting abuse from my father when I finished because I was too far inside the time [by 23 seconds], but I remember coming down the hill and having no control. He was doing his own thing, like, ‘I’ve got this, I’ve got this!’”

Bettina had a stop – and Pippa collected 2.4 time-penalties. This meant that although they were on the same score going into the showjumping, Zara was in the lead. Whichever of the two British women won, it was going to be a hell of a story.

Pippa jumped clear; Toytown knocked out the final element of the treble; Pippa won the grand slam and Zara was runner-up at her first five-star.

“He jumped a good round and I couldn’t have asked for more, really – but Pippa still owes me!” laughs Zara. “In those days, I was probably mega disappointed, whereas nowadays – with more experience – I’d have been delighted. But when you’re young and you’re coming up the ranks with this amazing horse, you’re not mature enough to look at the positives of it.”

Zara and Toytown at Blenheim (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Everyone else could see only the positives. It was the most impressive top-level debut in memory, and exciting new blood for the British team with the Athens Olympics on the horizon.

However, Toytown spent 2004 on the sidelines, having done a leg. He was aimed at the new CCI5* at Luhmühlen in 2005, rather than Badminton, to give him more time.

“Then I had really to manage where I ran him; he was fragile and he had too much movement and always tried 150,000%, which is not a great combination when you’re trying to keep them sound,” says Zara. “If it was bad ground, I’d save him for another day. He was my only horse and he was precious.”

Zara and Toytown at Aachen (Image credit: creditUnknown)

They finished second – to Bettina Hoy on Ringwood Cockatoo – at Luhmühlen, completing on their dressage score, and were selected for the European Championships at Blenheim that autumn.

Again, Bettina led the dressage, with Pippa second on Ensign, and Zara tied in third with Germany’s Frank Ostholt. No one who was there will ever forget the weather on cross-country day at Blenheim in 2005 – torrential, ceaseless rain.

Zara says: “For the first two minutes, he was galloping and shaking his head to get the water out of his ears. It was absolutely awful, but he just got on with it and smashed it. It was the wettest I’ve ever been, I think, in my whole life.”

They finished that day in gold-medal position and had a showjump in hand. Not that they needed it.

“I think I felt quite confident in his jumping there, weirdly. I don’t know why!” says Zara. “We managed to do a double clear at our first senior call-up – and I remember getting my medal, with William Fox-Pitt [individual silver] on one side and Ingrid Klimke [individual bronze] on the other. Mum had been European champion, so it was special.”

Zara and Toytown become European champions at Blenheim (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Everything the following year, 2006, led to the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen; the first time eventing had taken place at the historic venue.

“The crowd at Aachen is the most knowledgeable you’ll ever ride in front of,” says Zara. “At every point on the cross-country, he pulled it out of the bag. He just wanted to do it.”

Britain had a world champion. Was it possible that Zara and Toytown could do the treble – European, world and Olympic gold medallists?

“I felt that I’d love to go to an Olympics, because he was the best horse in the world, but sadly we didn’t do that,” says Zara.

“I wish I hadn’t gone to the 2007 Europeans [in Pratoni] with him, because I could have saved him and looked after him for the Olympic year in 2008.”

“I could have saved himand looked after him”: if ever there was a tinge of regret, it was at the 2007 Europeans in Pratoniwhere very firm ground put paid to Zara’s Olympic dream with Toytown (Image credit: creditUnknown)

They led after cross-country in Pratoni, but firm, very dry ground had left the great horse sore, and they had a stop in the showjumping. Toytown ran a few more times over the next two seasons, but it was becoming harder to keep him sound and supple. His final event was at home at Gatcombe in 2009. He lived in retirement with Zara until he was 24.

“He was so high-maintenance that he’d only go in the field for a short time and then he’d be at the gate, digging a hole and going, ‘Let me in, I need to be pampered!’” says Zara.” By the end, his feet were becoming a real issue. We did everything we could, but then I looked at him and thought, ‘It’s getting worse; this isn’t a good life for him.’ That last week, having made the decision, was the worst of my life.

“To have one horse like him is what dreams are made of. I was very lucky to have him early in my life; he taught me so much, and I think he would have succeeded in any era of the sport. I really cherished every run we had – he was the perfect cross-country horse, even when he was pulling my arms out!”

Oliver Townend on Toytown

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

OLIVER was on the British squad with Zara and Toytown at all three of their senior championships.

He says: “Like all exceptional horses, it’s hard to pinpoint just what made him so good; for me they were a partnership who grew up together. I remember him very early on in his career; he was completely genuine and wanted to do his job right. It’s the same with humans: the ones who turn up for work every day, are tough and who really want to do it are the ones you want. Zara knew him inside out and they were great friends; that helped them achieve what they did.”

Toytown’s character

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

ZARA says: “My friend [Irish event rider] Sherelle Duke died on the Sunday before the World Equestrian Games. I spent most of my time in Aachen in Toytown’s stable with him, and he got me through it. He loved attention so I’d sit in there and he’d put his head on me. If you weren’t quite close enough, he’d yank you back into him. He knew when stuff wasn’t right and he loved being in people’s company.

“He was always on the clock; he knew exactly when he should be fed, and if you hadn’t fed in time he’d kick the door as if to say, ‘Excuse me – I should be fed first, I’m the most important person here!’ He was definitely the king of the yard, the boss. He was a major self-rater. Confidence was not lacking in his personality.”

Mark Phillips on Toytown

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

WHAT is Mark Phillips’ lasting memory of Toytown? Not that first Burghley, nor Blenheim, nor Aachen.

He says, with an audible wobble in his voice: “The night before he was put down, Zara and I took a couple of bottles of rosé and glasses and just sat with the old horse in his field. I suppose we wanted to say thank you to a horse of a lifetime.

“He was like Columbus, who was the best horse I ever sat on. When you get on the same page as each other, there is nothing you can’t do. You have all the aces in the pack.”

This efeature is also available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 10 June 2021

Mark Phillips: ‘Why couldn’t we crowdfund Burghley?’ H&H Plus

Mark Phillips — Tue, 18 May 2021 14:00:43 +0000

Mark Phillips gives the inside story of what happened with this cancellation

THE twists, turns and unforeseen consequences of Covid-19 keep coming.

The Land Rover Kentucky five-star behind closed doors was a surreal experience. Restrictions in the UK prevented Badminton running a similar model and we’ve recently cancelled the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe because of the uncertainties.

Without terrestrial television, it was difficult to see how we could give our great sponsors value for money behind closed doors – they sign up for the occasion and the experience, not just to be philanthropic and support a horse trial.

DISMAY AT BURGHLEY

NOW the latest coronavirus casualty is Burghley, which had even more twists and turns. Event director Liz Inman has been working 24/7 for weeks on various models to try to make the event financially viable.

As at Gatcombe, she found that having a limited number of spectators incurred too much cost in terms of tentage, parking, security and so on to make any anticipated income worthwhile.

So she eventually came to the conclusion that the only solution was for the event to be crowdfunded by the sport, running behind closed doors. This would avoid exposing the Burghley Estate to any more liability than the cost of cancellation in May. That cancellation cost is a serious six-figure number because of rates, rents, licences and fixed annual overheads, a lot of which had already been cut by furloughing non-essential staff.

So when the powers that be at Burghley agreed before the 1–3 May Bank Holiday weekend that she could explore and start planning for funding, she was off and running. She had commitments of support from sponsors, tradestands and the Event Horse Owners Association – who said they would use some of their reserves – as well as many individuals.

I was hired as course-designer at a reduced cost to save money flying Derek di Grazia in from the US. Adrian Ditcham and I were scheduled to go to Burghley to try to cut the cross-country budget further – for example, by using sheep to cut the grass in early summer instead of mowing, using a British Eventing Agri-vator if needed instead of irrigation, borrowing machines from JCB to move fences and so on.

It was, therefore, with complete dismay that we discovered after the Bank Holiday that the Burghley Estate powers had decided to do a U-turn and cancel.

The overriding charity under which the horse trials operates is the Burghley House Preservation Trust. I don’t understand the complexities and liabilities around charitable governance, therefore it is difficult for me to understand why, when the estate had the opportunity of reducing their cancellation liability, they would not have taken advantage of it. As we start to come out of Covid restrictions, there may have been opportunities to create more profit to reduce the liabilities even further.

It is even more puzzling when you think that Lord Exeter set the event up 60 years ago for the benefit of the sport, not the estate.

This is bad news too for British Eventing (BE) as they will not get any more funding from Burghley until the estate has recouped the cancellation losses from 2021. Therefore, it would not be unreasonable to predict no significant funding from Burghley until after the 2023 event, which will create a major hole in BE’s ongoing budgeting forecasts.

A SEVEN-DAY EVENT

THERE are a lot of jealous people quick to criticise Nigel Taylor’s Aston-le-Walls, where combining the Chatsworth fixture with his usual May one resulted in a seven-day horse trials. Nobody, though, can question the demand or the quality of what he laid on, with two sections of CCI4*-S, each with over 100 starters.

I was the course-designer for the four-star and perhaps gave the course a different feel, with five or six serious questions. But Nigel had produced near-perfect footing that gave riders the opportunity to give horses confidence-boosting rounds at this stage of the season.

I was impressed with the improvement in the dressage standard, with roughly 25% under 30. There was some excellent cross-country riding, with Piggy March, Sarah Bullimore, Harry Meade, Ros Canter, Izzy Taylor and Tom McEwen all British standouts.

As Tokyo beckons, Aston-le-Walls was a boost for the UK sport after the shadow cast by Burghley’s cancellation.

You can also read this exclusive column in the 20 May issue of Horse & Hound magazine.

Mark Phillips: ‘An unacceptable number of horse falls’ H&H Plus

Mark Phillips — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 14:00:02 +0000

Mark Phillips explains why quality in qualifiers matters more than quantity

I’M over 70 years old and lucky to have had both my Covid vaccinations – and to be able to travel on an elite athlete back-up ticket. However, I’m beyond tired of all the restrictions and bureaucracy surrounding sport and travel.

Two weeks ago, I spent two hours in a hot immigration line at Heathrow, where the charming ladies handling the frustrated travellers were giving out water to the weary and battery chargers for drained mobile phones, such was the embarrassment of our border force.

My travels have highlighted the paper-thin FEI risk management policy. Strzegom had probably 80% of its fences up to height, but the technical difficulty was barely of intermediate standard, with combinations on five to eight strides. In Kentucky, at the same qualifying level, the combinations were all on two and three strides, plus there was terrain.

The FEI solution is to get people to do more and more “qualifying” runs, but they would be better advised to focus on the quality of these outings rather than the labels organisers put on them, particularly when they are Olympic qualifiers.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

I HAVE the greatest respect and admiration for Andrew Nicholson. I read his recent column in Horse & Hound with interest and understand his sentiments on perceived conflicts of interest within British Eventing (BE).

To set the record straight on Weston Park, organiser Janet Plant offered to put on a four-star long and short on the Badminton weekend to replace lost events at Bramham or Chatsworth, at the behest of British high performance coach Chris Bartle.

Once BE decreed that any Chatsworth or Bramham replacement fixture had to be on those events’ original dates, she was not able to run because of other functions at Weston, though her offer to run on Badminton weekend stood.

However, this met with hostility from other organisers, who were worried about how their entries might be affected, and the BE board turned her down. It’s sad when such a valuable site is not used because of conflicts within the sport.

There is soon to be a new chief executive at BE and they would be well advised to look at the paper that Mike Etherington-Smith, Stuart Buntine, Helen West and I spent hundreds of hours working on last year as the BE advisory group.

A key recommendation was to scrap the existing affiliation agreement with organisers and the fixtures protocol and start again, with the members’ interests at heart.

A REAL FIVE-STAR

STRZEGOM may have been an apology for a four-star, but this year’s Derek di Grazia-designed Land Rover Kentucky five-star cross-country was every inch up to standard. In fact, I would say it was “Burghley big”, and that is not a phrase I’ve used before.

It had more brush fences and more frangible fences than ever seen at this level. Yet we still had an unacceptable number of horse falls, a fate I suffered with my 2019 Burghley course.

Such is the lot of genuine five-star course-designers and why not too many people are showing their head above the parapet for the job! Certainly it gives credence to the Burghley committee nominating Derek as my successor there, and is why the quality of qualifying competitions is more important than the quantity.

The Brits in Kentucky had a mixed weekend. William Fox-Pitt rode like the superstar he is, only to fall slithering over an innocuous-looking log three from home. Oliver Townend did an outstanding job on Cooley Master Class, only to fail the final horse inspection with an innocent cut on his elbow from a stud.

On the brighter side, Harry Meade showed true five-star credentials on Superstition’s debut at the level and Ballaghmor Class continued his extraordinary run of five-star form for Oliver.

● Which riders impressed you at Kentucky? What did you think of the course? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com

This column can also be read in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 29 April

Mark Phillips: Do we really need prize money? H&H Plus

Mark Phillips — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 11:00:01 +0000

H&H’s eventing columnist questions whether regular events need to offer cash rewards

September is here and eventing is still going, in part at least. Those venues that are running seem to be amazingly successful, with record entries and competitors being respectful of each other and Covid-19.

Sadly, though, there have been too many casualties, including the recent news that Ballindenisk cannot take international entries. So many people from this side of the Irish Sea wanted to go. There were plans for everybody to be tested, travel on the same ferry, to stay in Ireland in one compound and even have food brought into that area, but still organisers could not satisfy local regulations.

Everybody who is competing is getting used to “paperless eventing” and it saves organisers money. Some are enjoying no commentary, but more prefer to hear what is going on. Owners are inevitably frustrated when only one of them per horse is allowed on site, but most are accepting this as just one more coronavirus frustration.

No prize money

It’s remarkable that Aston-le-Walls can run six days of affiliated competition and the same weekend 30 miles away, Oxstalls can run three days of unaffiliated, with every day full to bursting at both locations.

There was reduced prize money at Aston – prize money is optional under BE’s Covid rules – and none at Oxstalls, which begs the question how important is prize money?

For a long time, roughly 10% of riders have won 90% of the prize money, therefore maybe 90% of competitors aren’t so fussed whether it’s there or not. Of course there should be rewards for winning at the flagship events. I’m not sure, though, that prize money is so important at the week in, week out fixtures.

As a member of the British Eventing (BE) advisory group, it became very clear to me that the current cost of the sport for owners, riders and organisers is becoming an increasing burden. Hence, for some years now we have seen decreasing numbers at the top of the sport and a burgeoning unaffiliated market.

Could giving organisers the option of offering something between pre-Covid prize levels and zero help make organisers’ lives easier and provide owners and riders with cheaper entries?

Could this app help us?

There is an app out of Brisbane, Australia, called Nominate that is already providing paperless eventing in Australia, New Zealand and Canada and will be launched under the Compete Easy banner in the US next year.

Entries, stabling – including who you want stabled next to you, bedding and hook-ups – are all done on the app. Live-scoring from all phases goes straight from a phone or tablet to the app, where there are up-to-the second results for owners, riders and spectators.

If such a simple app is already out there, I wonder why we are still trying to reinvent the wheel in this country as many organisers are still desperately frustrated with the inadequacies of the current BE system – entries and sectioning seem to have become easier, but the add-ons such as stabling and hook-ups are not so successful.

Also, BE staff are spending hours supporting the current system by helping members through it. You would think we would want a system that would allow BE to reduce staffing levels and costs, rather than the other way around.

Burghley sadness

I wrote these words in the US last weekend – yes, I did get an exemption on the travel ban to the US for British citizens, but it was a nostalgic time for me with no Burghley.

My first Burghley as a rider was 1967, my first as course-designer in 1989, so Burghley has been a major part of my life for over 50 years. Losing it was just one more sad Covid-19 frustration for me.

Ref Horse & Hound; 10 September 2020

Mark Phillips: Please, take these rules seriously H&H Plus

Mark Phillips — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 15:00:51 +0000

People must abide by the regulations as sport restarts, says H&H’s eventing columnist

I’ve finally made it back to Britain, having been stuck in the USA for three months with flight after flight being cancelled. I have to say I’ve never felt safer travelling, with both Atlanta and Heathrow airports akin to ghost towns and social distancing extreme with a virtually empty aeroplane over the Atlantic.

This has been the longest ever time to have been away from home, so my two-week self isolation does not seem too much of a hardship!

In June, we had horse trials returning in America under strict Covid-19 rules. It seems to have been a successful process, if not normal in any way with masks, social distancing, no spectators and so on. It was thoroughly policed and I beg everyone in this country to follow the British Eventing (BE) guidelines and take the regulations extremely seriously.

Coronavirus is still with us and everyone has to behave in a thoroughly responsible manner if we are not to be shut down once again.

A desire to get going

I was interested to see that venues currently due to run BE80(T), BE90 and BE100 are overrun with entries. At the time of going to press on Monday, Tweseldown had just shy of 1400 entries, with over 70% of them at the grassroots levels – people are obviously desperate to get out and start doing things again.

The take-up for runs at novice and upwards seems to be a little slower. This is probably a reflection of the fact that upper level riders have nothing much to aim their horses for this year and so are content to keep them on tick-over in order to have them better and sounder for next year, when hopefully there will be a new normal to which we are more accustomed.

The exception will be those riders with younger horses on the way up the ladder. People will not want horses to lose their 2020 mileage and run the risk of putting their programme a year behind, especially now that we have had serious rain and the footing in July looks as though it will be better than for many a year.

Making budgets stack up

BE currently has three or four events scheduled every weekend in July and August, but the jury is still out on how many events will run and how many will cancel in the coming weeks.

A lot of venues run on very tight budgets, and with the number of entries being restricted by the size of the lorry park and warm-up areas, together with social distancing timings between horses in all three phases, it is likely that many venues will not be able to put through enough entries in a day to make them viable.

Obviously the venues with more inherent infrastructure, such as equestrian centres, will have fewer overheads to budget than those operating on a green field site. Organisers such as Stuart Buntine and Alex Lochore, who run on a multitude of sites, will be able to amortize their overheads across multiple venues.

Covid-19 has brought a lot of changes to many. There are going to be events, tradestands and businesses that sadly won’t be with us next year, through no fault of their own.

As we see eventing return in Britain over the next month, I emphasise again: don’t be cavalier in your attitude, be respectful, be responsible. Then, hopefully, we will see more and more sport return in the coming weeks and months.

Ref Horse & Hound; 2 July 2020

9 tips to help you ride like Zara Tindall

Catherine Austen — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 11:24:08 +0000

In an in-depth interview in H&H this week, Zara Tindall discussed her desire to ride on another championship team for Great Britain and the personalities and aims of her team of horses.

Her two top horses currently are Class Affair, an 11-year-old belonging to Trevor Hemmings’ Gleadhill House Stud, who was ninth at Bramham last year, and Judith Luff’s 14-year-old Watkins. Both horses were aimed at Badminton this spring before the global coronavirus pandemic forced sport to grind to a halt.

Last year, British feed company Dodson & Horrell, who have supported Zara since the start of her eventing career, gave spectators a unique opportunity to watch Zara – former world and European champion and Olympic team silver medallist – and Lauren Hough, a member of the US showjumping team at an Olympic Games and a World Equestrian Games and a Pan-Am Games medallist, work with Zara’s father, H&H columnist, Badminton winner, CCI5* course-designer and celebrated trainer Capt Mark Phillips.

Zara rode both Class Affair and Watkins during the masterclass at the Unicorn Centre, Stow-on-the-Wold, which raised money for the Ella Popely Memorial Fund.

“Hopefully Class Affair is my next top horse,” said Zara. “He’s very wary of what is happening around him and struggles with people and movement, so a night like this is good practice for him.

“Watkins doesn’t really do dressage – he does it on sufferance so he can get to the jumping bits. He’s a really cool horse to ride and loves his job, but we are always catching up after the dressage.”

Lauren rode Candy, a then-10-year-old mare that she owns with Patrick de Roeck, and the seven-year-old mare Delilah, owned and bred by Lea Popely.

“Candy is talented and scopey but maybe a little on the ‘cold’ side for me — I will probably sell her as a top young rider horse,” explained Lauren. “I jumped Delilah in the young horse classes at Hamburg recently; she’s got a very extravagant jump and is part of my future, I hope!”

From left to right: Captain Mark Phillips, Richard Anderson, Lauren Hough, Spencer Sturmey, Zara Tindall, Sam Horrell (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Here are some things H&H learnt:

1. The warm-up is a very important part of a competition. Don’t take short-cuts; spend time making sure that your horse is supple to both sides and relaxed.

“But when it comes to jumping, particularly at a three-day-event, you need to get the warm-up done in 10 fences,” says Mark Phillips. “More is a waste of energy. Eventers spend too much time using the practice fences; at big showjumping competitions riders don’t get the fence until they are four horses away from being in the ring. In the showjumping world, riders have a jump, walk and relax their horses, pick up the canter again and have a jump. They don’t canter endlessly round.”

2. The stiller a rider’s lower leg is, the more stable a base they therefore have. This means they can make subtle adjustments with their upper body to help influence the horse.

3. It is important that riders keep their arms soft and relaxed.

4. The control between the fences is the important thing. The fences don’t have to be high to practice and exercise control.

“When you have fences on related distances, you need to solve the puzzle in the best way to suit your particular horse. You do that through the shape of the jump over the first element of the question; where you land after that fence makes a massive difference to how you get through the combination,” says Mark.

5. Horses are prey animals and have 340-degree vision. Their short vision is at the bottom of their eye and they need their heads up to be able to read fences. Cross-country fences aren’t beautifully decorated to make them look pretty for spectators — it is to help the horses read the fence better.

“Understanding how a horse sees is more and more a part of how to make eventing safer,” explains Mark.

6. The more mistakes we make, the more you learn.

“Concentrate on your own performance and don’t get distracted by anyone else,” says Zara.

7. Zara has slowly rebuilt her fitness after having her two children.

“I knew the stronger I was, the safer I would be, so I took it slowly after giving birth and worked hard on my strength,” she says.

Continued below…

(Image credit: UK Press via Getty Images)

Zara Tindall: ‘riding for your country – it’s what dreams are made of’ H&H Plus

The former European and world champion tells Catherine Austen about her passion of riding for the British team, why pressure

(Image credit: UK Press via Getty Images)

19 tips from top eventers on how to nail your jumping warm-up and aid success in the ring

Here’s some top tips from Tom McEwen and Richard Jones on how to best warm your horse or pony up,

(Image credit: UK Press via Getty Images)

8. AP McCoy would make a great journalist. His daughter Eve was acting as “arena party” with a friend, and he came into the arena at the end of the demonstration and asked Zara and Lauren: “Which would I need more talent for, eventing or showjumping?” Then he asked Zara: “Who did you look up to more, your mother [former European eventing champion The Princess Royal] or your father?” Needless to say, he didn’t get a straight answer to either question…

9. Mark Phillips believes that Zara, Lauren and AP all have the same things in common: “Love of the horse, balance and coordination. They have that affinity with the horses that is so important. All three could have got to the top in any discipline they chose.”

Watch the masterclass here below…

Don’t miss this week’s H&H where we bring readers an exclusive insight into Her Majesty’s relationship with her horses. This week’s (11 June) edition of H&H is a royal special, featuring both The Queen and her granddaughter Zara Tindall, released to coincide with Her Majesty’s official birthday, and available to buy online and in shops.

Legends of the sport: Eventing great Mark Phillips H&H Plus

Lucy Higginson — Thu, 21 May 2020 08:00:03 +0000

Mark Phillips has nailed a host of roles within the eventing world, and his prowess as a rider puts him among the greats. Lucy Higginson discovers the history behind his remarkable career

Every Horse & Hound reader knows Captain Mark Phillips; he may even have been writing his H&H column longer than you’ve been around to read it. To the layman, he’s a horseman who married the Princess Royal, but to riders he’ll always be one of the greats: a four-time Badminton winner and Olympic gold medallist; a prolific team trainer (for the Spanish and Americans); then a world-class course-designer in the current phase of his career.

In his best-selling book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell explores the idea that genius doesn’t just pop up randomly. It emerges when someone with huge potential meets with opportunity to learn, absorb, practise and practise again until they achieve that “genius” status.

When you discover that Mark joined his local Pony Club branch (encouraged by his horsey mother Anne) to ride alongside a young Jane Bullen (later Holderness-Roddam), Jennie Bullen (later Loriston-Clarke) and future top-level eventer turned commentator Mike Tucker, you realise this was no ordinary epoch in the Beaufort branch of the Pony Club. And Mark was destined to become no ordinary rider.

The branch instructors were equally mind-boggling. Mark remembers trotting 20-metre circles under the watchful eye of Molly Sivewright, founder of Talland School of Equitation; being trained by Colonel Alec Scott, who’d won team bronze in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, then Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Weldon (team gold medallist from the 1956 Stockholm Olympics and later course-designer at Badminton), “actually sitting on his British team horse, whom he’d ridden at Rome [Olympics] – talk about inspiration!”

But Mark’s biggest early influence by far was another from that Stockholm team, Bertie Hill.

“Frank Weldon sent me to Bertie on a sort of gap year [before joining the Army],” says Mark. “He was a natural horseman, like Mark Todd – and became my mentor.”

Bertie told Angela Rippon for her 1982 biography of Mark that he “had all the ability in the world… it was just a matter of adding a bit of polish”.

His pupil speaks more plainly about it now: “I thought I knew how to ride – but on my first day at Bertie’s, he said, ‘Follow me!’ and took me flat out down Devon cleaves and heaven only knows what… I thought, ‘Holy s**t!’ That changed me from a Pony Club kid into something else.”

Bertie helped an 18-year-old Mark to produce the horse that would become his first serious eventer, Rock On, from a fearless but frightening novice into a Burghley horse in the space of a season, as you could back then. Fourth there followed by fourth at Badminton resulted in Mark becoming travelling reserve, aged 19, for the gold medal-winning British team in Mexico 1968.

Distinctly average horses

In many ways, this set the tone for so much in Mark’s career – producing fantastic results from self-made or sometimes distinctly average horses – yet too often ending up on the peripheries when it came to Olympics. Bizarrely, for such a prolific rider, he never won an individual championship medal.

“I was never in the position to go out and spend big figures on horses,” says Mark. “I bought four-, five- or six-year-olds and occasionally lucked out.”

Former Badminton director and riding contemporary Hugh Thomas agrees that Mark’s success “on a great many different horses and catch rides is one of the things that makes him stand out. His greatest achievement I think was winning two Badmintons and an Olympic gold on Great Ovation who was not the most generous of horses.”

Lucinda Green agrees: “I could tell even then what a bad horse Great Ovation was, but he just lifted him over every fence… he just made it happen.”

Mark always was open about Great Ovation’s limitations. He was terrible in the autumn: “Out of the hunting field, he was a winner. Out of a long summer on hard ground, he was a donkey.”

Mark’s 1973 Burghley triumph with Maid Marion – another horse sent his way by Bertie Hill – is another example of skill over scope. Or as Mark puts it today: “I had to carry her round.”

Yet when Mark finally got his hands on a truly brilliant ride – Columbus, owned by The Queen with whom he won his third Badminton in 1974 – their partnership was beset with injury.

He also speaks animatedly about his mid-1970s foray into the world of showjumping, thanks to owner and dealer Trevor Banks. Trevor even let Mark compete his former Olympic horse Hideaway on several victorious Nations Cup teams, including Calgary.

“You think Badminton or Burghley gives you an adrenaline rush – you try going against the clock over 1.60m,” he recalls.

This was another element in what Mark considers his “probably unique” equestrian education. The showjumping “made me a way better rider. I just wish I’d done it earlier in my career – I’d have won a lot more.”

He learnt from others along the way too, including Dick Stilwell, Ferdi Eilberg, Bert de Némethy, and “a fantastic amount” about dressage from his second wife, Sandy.

Mark’s career also spans eventing’s development from being a truly amateur sport – with training crammed around the Army and later farming – to a far more professional one, with riders finally landing big sponsorship contracts by the 1980s.

Though a hugely effective rider across country, what else made Mark stand out? “He was particularly brilliant at speed,” remembers Hugh Thomas. “We didn’t ride to minute markers back then, but he rode the tightest lines, practically booting the fence posts out with his leg.”

“Most people then weren’t good on the flat but Mark had feel,” adds Lucinda Green, “and he definitely looked the part in his uniform.”

Despite Mark’s array of medals when it came to Olympics, things never quite went his way. Even winning team gold in Munich, he was the discard score on Great Ovation and was gutted only to be travelling reserve for the 1976 Games in Montreal.

In 1980, the British boycotted the Moscow Olympics and his ride, Lincoln, went lame at the alternative event at Fontainebleau. Mark made the British team a final time in 1988 for Seoul, but Cartier tied up on the roads and tracks. It seems horribly unlucky. “I was,” agrees Mark. “I probably wanted it too much.”

Despite his reputation as a coach and course-designer, it’s his time as a rider that Mark looks back on most fondly: “If you’re a competitor, you’re always a competitor,” he reasons. “I had such a good time riding. I’ve been extremely lucky and my hobby became my profession.”

And the very best days of that extraordinary career? “That’s quite simple… I grew up in the Beaufort Pony Club dreaming of one day winning at Badminton, so that first win – oh my God!” replies Mark. “And seeing that flag go up at an Olympics, that’s unbelievable. And the British team hasn’t seen it since, nearly 50 years later!”

Mark on…

Zara: “Funnily enough, I’m quite relaxed when Zara goes cross-country because she has good instincts. Dressage, I’m nervous, but showjumping I’ll sweat buckets because she doesn’t have that same natural instinct for it.”

Luck: “I’m a great believer that you make your own luck. Most times ‘bad luck’ is because you made a bad move. People used to say to me: ‘What do you do for the Americans?’ and I’d say ‘Mostly, I keep them honest… No, you weren’t unlucky there, you rode a crappy turn.’”

Riding position: “[Former showjumping trainer] George Morris says he’s a position freak; well, I am too. Whatever you have in life you have to work on, and I used to analyse my photographs and check the angles were as they should be.”

Four horses Mark will never forget…

Chicago: Bertie Hill’s classy grey partnered Mark to his first and only World Championship team title in 1970. Hopes of doing more with him were thwarted when the horse was eventually sold to Germany. “He had a big head, but a lot of quality and a better temperament than Columbus, a more push-button ride,” says Mark.

Rock On: “Rock On was amazing. He made me, to be honest,” says Mark. “Up until then I’d just ridden family hunters and my first real thoroughbred ended up being a superstar.” Under Bertie Hill’s guidance, this raw, zany and brilliant jumper went from novice to fourth at Burghley in one season. “We were 38th out of 40 after dressage,” points out Mark. “I didn’t know what I was doing. Because of him, I got to go to Mexico [as reserve] while I was at Sandhurst, then rode him at my first Europeans. “That’s why I got the ride on [Bertie Hill’s horse] Chicago, and the rest is history.” Does Mark wish he’d had him later in his career? “I wouldn’t have been brave enough to ride him later on!”

Hideaway: Formerly the Olympic ride of Mike Saywell, this top jumper owned by Trevor Banks gave Mark some of his best thrills in the saddle, including four Nations Cup victories, fourth place in the King George V Gold Cup and second in the Hickstead Derby Trial.

“The most frightening thing I ever did was turning him into the 7ft puissance wall at Olympia,” says Mark.

Cartier: Mark’s last international horse came from a working hunter background: “It was easy to fast track him up through the grades.” Having finished seventh at Lexington in 1986 and 12th at Luhmühlen in 1987, the pair were selected for Seoul, but Mark’s Olympic bogey continued: after torrential rain during their dressage, the horse tied up on the roads and tracks.

The Badminton trio

Columbus: “The best horse I ever rode,” says Mark of the 17.1hh grey owned by The Queen. He came to Mark, before his engagement to Princess Anne, when it became clear in 1972 that he was too strong for her. Though it took a while for Mark to get to grips with the headstrong horse – they had two falls at their first Badminton in 1973 – the following year they won with a double clear. “He did everything – won Badminton, big jumping classes, even took me round the Grand National course [for a BBC challenge against former jockey Richard Pitman],” says Mark. “Obviously he needed a thousand half-halts before the dressage because he was thoroughbred and wanted to gallop and jump. But with him I had all the options.”

Mark’s sometime team-mate Hugh Thomas agrees: “Columbus would have stood out at any time, not just in his time – he could gallop forever and jump everything.”

Great Ovation: It would be impossible not to highlight the horse who won two Badmintons back to back for Mark and partnered him on the gold medal-winning Olympic team in Munich. Yet this smart gelding, co-owned by Mark’s ever supportive Aunt Flavia, was “a very average horse”, says Mark. “OK, he did a good dressage test and was quite careful showjumping, but he was chicken s**t cross-country. You always had to put him in deep to a fence. And any time you thought he was better than he was, he would either stop or fall over.”

“I took him hunting once and even then he wasn’t that great,” adds Mary Low (née Gordon-Watson). “He never really picked up the bridle.”

Lincoln: A horse remembered less for his talent than the challenge he presented his rider with before winning Mark’s fourth and final Badminton in 1981. “Lincoln was another magical story because I spent 18 months trying to get him to go like a normal horse,” says Mark. “Lincoln wanted to storm into fences and slow down at the last moment while I wanted him to come into them in a rhythm.

I took him to Taunton Vale one day and had 17 stops on the cross-country trying to do it my way,” he remembers. “So I gave up and rode him his way and let me tell you, coming at 60 metres a minute into a coffin frightens the life out of you.”

Mark’s medals

1970, team gold, World Championships, Punchestown

Mark rode Bertie Hill’s smart grey Chicago alongside team-mates Richard Meade, Mary Gordon-Watson and Stuart Stevens. Despite Mark’s cricket score late on the course, he finished 11th. Britain was the only team to get three home, to win gold.

1971, team gold, European Championships, Burghley

Princess Anne won the individual title, riding as an individual on Doublet, but Mark was on the winning British team (and fifth individually) with Great Ovation.

1972, team gold, Munich Olympics

Mark captured an Olympic gold medal with team-mates Richard Meade, Bridget Parker and Mary Gordon-Watson. Great Ovation had two falls across country but still completed.

1974, team silver, World Championships, Burghley

Mark won silver on The Queen’s Columbus. Yet this event was as much about what he lost as what he won: a blistering clear put Columbus nine points ahead. But a slipped tendon off the hock forced them then to withdraw, putting paid to Mark’s best chance of an individual title.

1988, team silver, Seoul Olympics

A final Olympic team appearance for Mark with Ian Stark, Ginny Holgate and Karen Straker. Though Mark had to withdraw on the roads and tracks, the team took silver.

Ref Horse & Hound; 21 May 2020

Mark Todd walks Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course

Horse & Hound — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 07:43:54 +0000

New Zealand’s double Olympic champion Mark Todd has recently announced his retirement from eventing.

He visited the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials to assess the cross-country course, designed by Mark Phillips, exclusively for Horse & Hound…

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Fence 10abcd and 11ab: Land Rover Trout Hatchery

Mark Todd says: “This, the main water complex, consists of three pools of water to negotiate. There are a variety of options testing accuracy, bravery, line, focus and responsiveness.

“The first part is a rail oxer perched on a slope, then a run down to more rails in the water. I think there’s a risk of 11 penalties for breaking a frangible pin here; it’s the type of fence where horses might shut down behind, so it would be worth considering the longer but safer option of a house instead of the oxer.

“There’s a nice log into the second water and, as ever, it’s about riders’ choice of line to the seemingly innocuous step up before the final sets of rails. Riders have to be decisive, positive and accurate — they mustn’t end up on a half-stride. The direct route should ride well but there will be plenty of variation, I think.”

Article continues below…

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Burghley confirms new course-designer from 2021

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Please wait for the video below to load…

Fence 14abcd: Rolex Combination

Mark says: “Slightly different to last year — the  apparently direct route is a left-handed  corner cleverly situated near the ropes on  four strides to a narrow rail angled over a ditch, with a further four to a second corner.  I prefer the option of a right-handed corner  to a ditch on a bounce stride to rails, then a left-handed corner.

“I think it should be very nearly as quick and it’s a safer, slightly more straightforward option, although the fact that the ‘Vicarage Vee’ over the ditch jumped well last year will encourage riders to tackle it.”

Don’t miss Mark Todd’s thoughts on every fence on the Burghley course in today’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (dated 29 August), plus course map and dressage test. Next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (5 September) contains the second part of our preview, with a full form guide detailing every horse and rider competing, plus score sheets for you to fill in.

Burghley confirms new course-designer from 2021

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 06:03:25 +0000

Captain Mark Phillips is to design his last Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course next year.

After some 30 years at the helm, the Olympic medallist, Burghley winner and Horse & Hound columnist is to hand over to Tokyo Olympic course-designer Derek di Grazia from 2021.

Mark said: “While I am still enjoying every moment of work with Burghley’s fabulous team, I’m not getting any younger and want to retire while I still feel at the cutting edge and on top of my game.”

Mark said in his early years of designing at the event, the then director Bill Henson told him to “make Burghley, Burghley”, something a spokesman for the CCI5* said he has done ever since.

“I am grateful to the event directors Bill and latterly Elizabeth Inman for all their support, which has helped me, to help them, make Burghley the event it is today,” Mark added.

The spokesman said Mark had “built an enduring partnership” with the event.

“His expertise and creativity continue to deliver epic competitions year after year; thrilling the crowds and challenging the world’s best riders to their limits,” she added, while Ms Inman said the 2020 event would be “particularly poignant” as Mark’s swansong.

“Mark knows how we wonder every year at his ability to keep ‘pulling it out of the bag’,” she said.

“Undoubtedly our cross-country track – acknowledged as probably the most technically challenging test of all the five-star events, both from a competitor’s and designer’s perspective – has benefited hugely from the superlative all-round experience and skill that Mark Phillips has brought to the event.

“So yes, difficult shoes to fill, but softened by the good news that we are appointing Derek di Grazia into the role of course-designer in 2021.”

Derek, who competes up to four-star level himself, has been course-designer at the CCI5* Kentucky Three Day Event since 2011.

Continues below…

(Image credit: Future)

Ride of my life: Mary Gordon Watson

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“It is a great honour to be appointed course-designer for this very special competition and I’m truly excited to have a chance to design the cross-country phase within Burghley Park’s very unique landscape,” he said. “It is a fantastic project to have in my sights following on from the 2020 Olympic Games.”

Ms Inman added: “We look forward with enthusiasm and confidence to this next chapter in the history of the event and to Derek continuing to ‘make Burghley, Burghley’.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Mark Phillips: ‘We must all do our bit’ H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 30 May 2019 08:00:27 +0000

Outgoing Badminton director Hugh Thomas and I were at the Montreal Olympics together in 1976; I was reserve rider and he rode Playamar.

Since then, he has worked at British Equestrian Promotions and chaired every committee in the sport. His contribution to eventing has been unequalled and outstanding over the past 40 years.

As director of Badminton, he took over the legacy of Frank Weldon, vied with Bill Henson to try to keep Badminton ahead of Burghley, and was a pioneer of moving the sport and one of the world’s largest spectator events into the modern era.

I had a long chat with Hugh on the Sunday of Badminton and there was no whi of the news that hit the next day. That is so typical of the man who has always been crystal clear about how and when to do things.

His boots are big ones to fill, but he will make a wise choice for his successor — and if they have enough sense, they will take the odd bit of advice, too!

Tickets for Tokyo

In replacing the vital Belton fixture, British Eventing (BE) propose to send a team of three people to each potential venue and discuss all issues, including the springtime footing and long-term viability.

How much better it would have been to use that method for the 2020 review of FEI competitions and championships, instead of the paper-based approach. This is a positive step forward in BE regaining organisers’ faith.

On the other hand, the FEI eventing committee continue to dumbfound me. For years, they’ve told us it’s key to staying in the Olympics to have more nations at the Games.

Last weekend, Thailand, China and Hong Kong competed at Saumur at CCI3*-L (previously CCI2*) for two Tokyo spots. Thailand and China won the places, but will only be able to take them up if enough of their riders can gain their two minimum eligibility results at the new four-star level (or one at five-star).

Further east, Poland beat Russia and Belarus to one qualifying spot in Baborówko. As that was at four-star, would it not have made more sense to grant all three of those nations a Tokyo ticket? They’ve proved they have riders at the level, while we must hope Thailand and China can get there.

It’s everyone’s job

James and Lizzie Saunders Watson put on a top-drawer event at Rockingham with excellent footing, despite the dry spell. I was lucky enough to become their FEI cross-country course-designer three years ago, but had a bad weekend this time, with three horse falls on each of my days and one rider taken off in the air ambulance.

I pride myself on keeping horse falls to a minimum as in the modern era they are less and less acceptable. However, as a course-designer I do need a bit of help! There were no incidents at the technical fences, only the straightforward ones. I ask all riders today, “If you can jump the technical stuff, why are you wrestling your horse to the ground over the straightforward fences?”

With social media, we are under increasing scrutiny over what we do with our beloved horses. We all have to take a careful look in the mirror and make sure we are doing our bit to make the sport as safe as possible.

Ref: Horse & Hound magazine; 30 May 2019

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Mark Phillips to design new eventing grand prix series

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 04 May 2019 07:14:49 +0000

A new three-leg eventing grand prix series is to run at Bolesworth and Liverpool this year – with Mark Phillips confirmed as the course-designer.

Two qualifying legs will be held at the Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show (12 to 16 June) and the Bolesworth Young Horse Championships (14 to 18 August), with the top five riders in each class qualifying for the final at the Theraplate UK Liverpool International Horse Show (28 to 31 December).

“Having visited the Liverpool International Horse Show last year on New Year’s Eve, where the production exceeded all my expectations, I am delighted to be involved with this exciting new eventing grand prix series which will give event riders a fantastic opportunity to compete in a world class environment,” Mark said.

The invitational feature class on the evening of 13 June at Bolesworth, which has a £4,000 prize fund, will be a “fast and furious” competition, providing “great entertainment”, a spokesman for the show said.

It will involve 20 leading eventers taking on a course of showjumps and cross-country fences, against the clock in the international arena. The showjumping will be a maximum height of 1.25m, with time added for each one knocked down, with an optional 1.35m joker fence. The cross-country jumps will be at British Eventing intermediate level (1.20m).

“Last year’s Cazenove Capital Eventing Grand Prix proved a fantastic competition and this year we want to build on its success and make it part of a three-event series,” said Bolesworth International promoter Nina Barbour.

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“The second qualifier sits really well as part of the programme at the Bolesworth Young Horse Championship Show and the final will hopefully prove a real crowd-pleaser indoors at the Theraplate Liverpool International Horse Show at the M&S Bank Arena.

“I evented for a number of years, it is a fantastic sport and the eventing grand prix brings a new dynamic to all three of our shows.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Four-star winners, amazing uniforms and super-grooms: H&H Awards in pictures

Pippa Roome — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 16:24:43 +0000

The great and good of the horse world turned out for the third H&H Awards last night (8 November) at Cheltenham racecourse. There was champagne, delicious food and dancing until late into the night.

Catch up with who was there — and of course what they were wearing — in our gallery…

Captain Mark Phillips Lifetime achievement (Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

Captain Mark Phillips, winner of the Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tim and Jonelle Price at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Tim and Jonelle Price, who won the Griffin NuuMed Moment of the Year award after a double of British four-star wins.

San Ldr Elise Kidd and Emily Copper (?) at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Sqn Ldr Elise Kidd and Capt Emily Cooper, who was short-listed for the Pikeur Amateur Rider of the Year award.

alan davies and Louise Bell (Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

Alan Davies, who works for Carl Hester and won the Horseware Groom of the Year award in 2016, with Louise Bell.

Keith Watkins and Clare Austin at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Clare Austin and Keith Watkins, who came out on top in the Balanced Horse Feeds Volunteer of the Year category.

Richard Waygood and Natasha Baker at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

British eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood and multi-medalled para rider Natasha Baker. Dickie was the guest speaker and also represented double world gold medallist Ros Canter, who was unable to attend but won the Neue Schule Professional Rider of the Year award.

Annabel Jenks and Tom Craig (Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

Annabel Jenks, whose horse Diamonds Are Forever was short-listed for the Feedmark Horse of the Year award, and Tom Craig.

(Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

Presenter Lizzie Greenwood-Hughes with Chris Stone, who is the majority shareholder in the The Soul Syndicate, who own Arctic Soul, winner of the Feedmark Horse of the Year award.

West Ox RC; Jennifer Roberts Dawn Howard, Mel Baker and Sarah Cotton at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Representatives of West Oxfordshire Riding Club, short-listed in the HorseDialog Club of the Year category: Jennifer Roberts, Dawn Howard, Mel Baker and Sarah Cotton.

Ian Adams-Lane and Charlotte Adams-Lane at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Ian Adams-Lane, co-founder of Balanced Horse Feeds, sponsors of the Volunteer of the Year Award with Charlotte Adams-Lane.

Linda Porter, Eloise Chugg-Martin, Branwen Griffin and Mel Newman at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Linda Porter, Eloise Chugg-Martin, Branwen Griffin and Mel Newman from NAF.

Nicola and Hannah at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Nicola McClure and Hannah Rought, members of the team who organised the H&H Awards.

Daisy and Josh Sadler at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Daisy and Josh Sadler — Daisy won the Absorbine Inspiration of the Year Award.

Jane Felton Tilly Hughes (Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

Jane Felton, who works for Irish eventer Jonty Evans and who took home the Horseware Groom of the Year award, with Tilly Hughes.

Article continues below…

‘Truly a great man’: Mark Phillips wins Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award

The former top rider, leading cross-country course-designer and renowned trainer was honoured with the final award at last night's ceremony

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Your worthy winners named at 2018 Horse & Hound Awards

H&H readers have voted for the people, horses and groups of the year

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David Stuart Monteith, Jude Isbister, Judy Young and Nigel Young at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

David Stuart Monteith of Shaws Equestrian, distributors for amateur rider award sponsor Pikeur in the UK and Ireland, with Jude Isbister, Judy Young and Nigel Young.

Aberdeen RC; Sally McCarthy and Jill Bedawi at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Sally McCarthy and Jill Bedawi of Aberdeen Riding Club, winners of the HorseDialog Club of the Year award

Jonathan Nimbley and Natalie Sim at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Jonathan Nimbley and Natalie Sim, who was short-listed for the eVetDrug Vet of the Year award.

Simon Fry and Charlotte Fry at the Horse and Hounds awards evening held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 8th November 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Charlotte Fry, winner of the Saracen Horse Feeds Young Rider of the Year award, with her father Simon.

Pictures by Peter Nixon and Jon Stroud Media

‘Truly a great man’: Mark Phillips wins Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award

Horse & Hound — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 08:53:26 +0000

The third Horse & Hound Awards came to a climax last night with the presentation of the Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award to Captain Mark Phillips.

“Our Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award winner this year is a former winner of Badminton and Burghley, and a two-time Olympic medallist. Today he is one of the greatest cross-country course-designers in the world and a renowned coach,” said H&H magazine editor Pippa Roome as she presented the award to Mark at the ceremony at Cheltenham racecourse.

Mark said he was “overwhelmed” to receive the Award, after the announcement of his name brought many people in the room to their feet in a spontaneous standing ovation.

Asked to give his favourite moment from his different careers, Mark said: “That’s a difficult question!

“All the way from the Pony Club to winning Badminton to the first time you have a flag under your saddle, to Olympic medals, taking gold with a team at the World Championships [as coach to the USA in 2002] — there have been so many.”

Captain Mark Phillips, winner of the 2018 Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award. Picture by Peter Nixon (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Mark is the third recipient of the award, which has also gone to Nick Skelton — winner of the award in 2016 after his individual gold at the Rio Olympics — and the 11th Duke of Beaufort, whose widow Miranda, Duchess of Beaufort, accepted the award on his behalf last year.

In a video played at the ceremony last night night, Burghley director Liz Inman, course-builder and designer David Evans and riders Andrew Nicholson, Andrew Hoy and Phillip Dutton paid tribute to Mark’s contribution to the horseworld and his friendship.

“He is truly a great man and we are fortunate to have him in our lives,” said Phillip, who was a frequent member of the US eventing squad during the 20-year period when Mark was the team coach.

Article continues below…

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Mark won Badminton four times (1971 and 1972 on Great Ovation, 1974 on Columbus and 1981 on Lincoln) and Burghley in 1973 on Maid Marion. He was a member of the British team which won gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics, riding Standing Ovation and of the silver medal-winning team at Seoul in 1988 with Cartier.

He was also a European team gold medallist at Burghley in 1971 on Great Ovation. At World Championships, Mark collected team gold in 1970 in Punchestown riding Chicago and team silver in 1974 at Burghley riding Columbus.

As a course-designer, Mark is particularly associated with Burghley, where he has designed the track 25 times. His other prestigious course-design jobs include the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe, an event where he also holds the role of chairman, and Barbury. He designed the track for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA, earlier this year.

Mark is also a renowned coach and having spent 25 years as a national team coach, he continues to train riders across the levels.

Mark is H&H’s longest-standing magazine columnist, contributing his outspoken and forthright views frequently during the eventing season.

Read more about the third H&H Awards in next week’s magazine, out Thursday 15 November.

See the World Equestrian Games cross-country course in photos

Pippa Roome — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 23:15:09 +0000

The cross-country course for the Mars-sponsored eventing competition at the World Equestrian Games was unveiled today (Wednesday, 12 September).

The track, which has 26 numbered obstacles, has been designed by Mark Phillips.

Fence 1: WEG Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Cleghorn Golf and Gun

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Here is the bridge riders will cross between fences two and three…

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Fence 3: Wellington Stables

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Fence 4: SAP Platform

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Fence 5: Buckeye Combination

Fence 5a — all riders jump this first element, regardless of which option they then choose to take.

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Fence 5b on the direct route.

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Fence 5cd on the direct route.

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Fence 5b on the longer route — this right-hand route will not be hugely time-consuming, but it does involve an extra jumping effort.

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Fence 5c on the longer route.

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Fence 5d on the longer route.

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Fence 6: Heathstone Sluice

There is a run through the water before this fence.

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Fence 7: Meydan Marina

The quickest route is to jump the left-hand end of the second element in the picture, next to the sail. This single element is fence 7ab. Riders who don’t fancy this can jump two elements, 7a and 7b, on the right-hand side.

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Fence 8: Chimney Rock

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Fence 9: Chimney Rock Bank of America

Fence 9a is jumped by all riders.

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The quickest route is then to jump this triple brush arrowhead, which is flagged as fence 9bc.

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The slower route involves taking on two triple brush arrowheads. Here is the alternative fence 9b.

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And the alternative fence 9c.

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Fence 10: Mars Sustainability Bay

This combination involves a multitude of numbers and possible routes.

The shortest and most difficult route starts with taking this log into water — this is fence 10ab.

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Riders and horses on the direct route then take the right-hand boat in the water, 10c.

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Those on the quickest route then leap up the middle step, 10d.

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The pairs taking the direct route conclude their trip through fence 10 over this skinny, which is 10efg.

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There are two slower routes, both of which start with tackling this log, 10a.

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Pairs on the slower routes then tackle the left-hand boat in the water (10b). Those on the left-hand route then jump the left-hand step (10c), before leaping this skinny (10de).

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Those on the left-hand slower route then turn right-handed and jump these two fences, which are 10f and 10g.

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Those on the right-hand alternative route take the right-hand step up out of the water (10c) and then this narrow stump (10d).

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They then turn sharp right to this rolltop, 10e.

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Combinations using this right-hand route conclude their trip through fence 10 by jumping these two houses, fences 10f and 10g.

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Fence 11: Honey Bee Trakehner

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Fence 12: Over Mountain Victory Trail Wall

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Here is the bridge riders cross as they turn left-handed at this point. This is the furthest point of the course. This puddle appeared on the bridge after heavy rain this afternoon.

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Fence 13: Apple Country

This fence has two a elements and two b elements, with the possibility of riders doing several different routes.

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Fence 13a — white option on the left.

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Fence 13b — red option on the right.

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Fence 13b — red option on the left.

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Fence 13b — white option on the right.

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Fence 14: CSX Junction

All riders jump this fence, 14a.

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The quickest route is then down the left-hand side. This corner is 14bc.

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Riders taking the fast option then exit the complex over another corner, 14d.

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The right-hand route involves an extra jumping effort. Here is the alternative fence 14b.

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The right-hand route takes in another corner at 14c.

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There is a third corner for those taking the right-hand line (14d).

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Fence 15: Twin Rivers Hay Farm

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Fence 16: Moonshine Still

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Fence 17: Lugano Leap

All riders enter fence 17 over the same part a.

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The direct route then involves turning left down a slope to this skinny, which is flagged as 17bc.

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The alternative involves looping round to two houses, fences 17b and 17c.

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Fence 18: Land Rover Turn

This complex offers a choice at the a element.

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But all riders then go on to take on these two squirrels, which are numbered as 18b and 18c.

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Article continues below…

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WEG competition cancelled due to extreme weather

High humidity after heavy rain forced cancellation of the competition today

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Two horses held at first eventing trot-up at World Equestrian Games

Two nations had an anxious moment at the first horse inspection for the eventing at WEG this afternoon

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Find out the British and Irish event riders’ dressage times at WEG

The eventing dressage times at the World Equestrian Games have been released — find out when the Brits and Irish

Fences 19 and 20: Longines Water

There is a choice of parallels at fence 19. This one, on the quickest route, is larger and has more of a drop behind.

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This is the smaller parallel on the slower line.

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The direct route at fence 20 involves two skinnies with water sprays coming out of their sides, one (20ab) before the arch and one (20c) after.

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The slower route through this fence involves jumping another parallel (20a).

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Riders taking the longer option then head up the bridge and jump part b on top of the arch.

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Those taking the roundabout route leave this complex over another parallel (20c).

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Fence 21: New Holland

The fastest route here is over a single spread fence (21ab).

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Riders who prefer not to ask their horses to make this effort at this stage of the course can jump two upright brushes on a curving line on the right-hand side.

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Fence 22: Carolina Turtles

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Fences 21 and 22 are on the the long uphill climb to the finish. This view looks back down the hill from beyond fence 22.

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Fence 23: Polaris brushes

On the original course, all riders would have jumped fences 23a and 23b. Fence 23a was later taken out of the course.

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Riders then have a choice of which fence they jump for 23c.

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Fence 24: Hendersonville Apple Festival

This combination originally had two elements, but the second one was taken out of the course.

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Picture by Jenni Autry (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25: Coca Cola Refresher

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Fence 26: Stock Car Tires

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The riders will take on this cross-country course on Saturday, 15 September.

Horse & Hound has two journalists and a photographer in Tryon for WEG. Keep up to date with all the news on horseandhound.co.uk and in the magazine issues dated 20 and 27 September.

Mark Phillips: A new way to look at safety H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 31 May 2018 08:00:19 +0000

OPINION

Kentucky designer Derek di Grazia and I have been talking a lot recently about how horses see. We believe increasing understanding of this has big

implications for eventing safety. Horses are prey animals — they have a good range of vision to the sides, but they miss about 10° directly in front and behind them. So as horses approach a fence, they increasingly pull their information from the sides. We can use fence decoration to help horses read the question.

For example, trees around the fence should be placed about one foot in front of the leading edge (the take-off side of the jump), rather than level with it. This will encourage the horse not to get too deep and take off too close to the fence.

The trees should ideally be slightly taller than the fence, to give the horse the impression the leading edge is little higher than it is.

The hardest fence for a horse to read is a spread with the flags on the back — as the horse gets closer, he reads the flags, but misses the leading edge, risking hitting it.

Nothing is a complete solution in eventing safety, but this is a different way of looking at it — if we can help horses understand the question, we might not need so many frangible fences. I have been using this knowledge on my courses at all levels this year and it really reduces the number of fallers.

Changing courses

This was my third year overseeing the CIC2* at Rockingham. Budget is always a factor at one-day events and it takes time to make changes.

The first year you’re basically putting on a plaster — getting rid of the bad fences and making the moderate ones as good as possible. In the second and third years, a designer can start to put in new fences to get close to the course you want. After that, there must be a policy of replacing a few fences each year as the old ones deteriorate. Without ongoing investment, an organiser will suddenly need to replace 10 to 15 fences at once, which is expensive.

Although the ground at Rockingham had a hard crust, it was soft underneath and broke up well when aerated. Horses travelled well on it, so with sunshine and a new title sponsor in Fairfax & Favor, the event came together nicely.

New rules

The FEI is currently rewriting the abuse of the horse rule after the fallout following Oliver Townend’s warning for over-use of the whip at Badminton. The new rule will make it clearer to riders and the ground jury what is and isn’t acceptable.

The FEI also recognises that showjumping is becoming very influential following the change of scoring this year to decrease the dressage influence.

As such, it is looking at bringing in a change to award one time-fault per four seconds commenced over the time allowed in the showjumping (as in the pure discipline), rather than the current rule of one time-fault per second. This will mean three or four seconds over the optimum shouldn’t cost a rider 15 places, again a positive move.

Finally, I am in favour of Mark Todd’s idea of trialling a split of the ground jury role to put separate experts in charge of each phase (comment, 24 May). Having the right people in the right roles can only improve the professionalism of former Olympic team gold decisions in our sport.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 31 May 2018

Mark Phillips: ‘Keep it simple, stupid’ H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 07:55:13 +0000

At Vairano, Italy, last week, the ground jury, technical delegate and I as cross-country designer spent two days arguing about how to apply the new rule regarding circling at combinations with three or more elements. The rule is badly written, the diagrams on the FEI website and the app are different and the clarification on the website confuses more.

The chair of the FEI eventing committee, David O’Connor, has inherited this problem, but he needs to sort it fast. It’s unfair on riders to have a rule interpreted one way one weekend and another the next.

I understand the FEI plans to let officials continue working beyond the age of 70 if they pass a competency test. This is great, but a recent experiment with eventing judges in Warendorf was a disaster.

I thought the test would be something simple — perhaps marking 10 dressage tests from a video, with a pass for landing within a certain percentage of the actual score. But apparently the Warendorf test was so complicated that many of our current top officials failed.

One important point is that officials must be current — you can’t retire and then two years later request an extension.

It seems the FEI needs to remember that great saying, “Keep it simple, stupid.”

Going science

The World Equestrian Games (WEG) test event in Tryon earlier this month went well.

The cross-country footing on the golf course was excellent. We are using a scientific measurement on the going, aiming for 26-28% volumetric water content.

We are still waiting to put the turf down on the last 2,000 metres of the course, but the plan is that the grass will have 120 growing days before WEG. With irrigation and using the volumetric water metric, we’ll be able to produce the same going here as on the golf course.

The eighth minute of the WEG course will have a big hill, so horses must be fit. The questions will be three-star, but the undulations mean I can make them appear bigger by placing fences just over the rise. But, while jockeys will still have to ride, the questions will be clear to the horse, unlike some at our last two championships in Strzegom and Rio.

The WEG course will have a 10min optimum time, with 42 jumping efforts, running at 135m per jumping effort. That is faster than we’ve ever run a three-star before — it’s normally 140-145m per effort. You can’t ride at combinations faster today than you could 30 years ago, so the fewer metres per effort, the faster you must go in between to make up time.

The test event highlighted areas that need improving. The field of play and the horse areas will be excellent; Tryon are now working on spectator flow and facilities. If you have to wait 45 minutes for a loo and a hot dog, no one will have a good time.

On to Badminton

Badminton has been a big part of my life since I first rode Rock On there 50 years ago. I’ll be more nervous this time than for many a year as I am the official “cross-country course adviser”. I have enjoyed working with designer Eric Winter, having frank and constructive discussions.

I hope the result will be enjoyable for horses, riders and spectators, but this is real Badminton at 12 minutes and 45 efforts — riders will need to take their brain when they leave the start box!

Ref Horse & Hound; 26 April, 2018

Mark Phillips: Luhmühlen was not a four-star competition H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 07:55:44 +0000

Opinion

It was peculiar to return to Luhmühlen as a guest and spectator for the 60th-birthday celebrations, having been the course-designer there for the previous 11 years.

While I enjoyed the great Luhmühlen hospitality, I was saddened by the technical level of Mike Etherington-Smith’s courses. While all the fences were up to height, there was a distinct lack of four-star angle or skinny. Arguably the angled brush on the island at the Meßmer water and the triple brush arrowhead at fence 24 were four-star questions, but the rest were three-star or even two-and-a-half-star.

After Ben Winter’s fatal accident in 2014, I softened the intensity of the four-star track by adding another stride and sometimes two in the combinations. Mark Todd commented in H&H that made it more of a three-and-a-half-star track and he was correct. My course prompted a letter from the FEI telling me that four-star was four-star and I was not allowed to produce less. It will be interesting to see if Mike gets the same letter after this year’s courses!

I know Bramham was wet, yet senior coaches described Ian Stark’s CCI3* track as three-and-a-half-star, championship three-star and even four-star. People were puzzled because the week before at Tattersalls, Ian produced the perfect move-up CCI3* track, with a good variety of questions.

The fact that so many Brits travel to Tattersalls and Boekelo underlines that we don’t have a move-up CCI3* in this country, particularly when Bramham and Blenheim are “three-star-plus”. Maybe David Evans will tread more warily on his CCI3* designing debut at Blenheim.

The problem for the FEI is the qualification consequences of these course levels. Anyone who had a good round at Bramham is well qualified for Burghley. You could not say the same for those who went well at Tattersalls. Similarly those that were successful at Luhmühlen CCI4* last week are not remotely ready for the three-star World Equestrian Games next September.

Many Luhmühlen riders did have a confidence-boosting, fun week. The German organisers were happy as the doctors and vets never moved. But riders need to remain realistic about the levels they achieved.

Changes afoot

I am pleased that, subject to contract, David Evans and his team will be Derek di Grazia’s course-builders for the 2020 Olympics. David’s user-friendly style of building was evident at Bramham and at Luhmühlen, where Carl Fletcher did some outstanding construction.

This augurs well for Tokyo, where the heat and the three-in-a-team format seems to dismiss any reasoned risk management.

Andrew Nicholson was in evidence in Luhmühlen in his new role of walking the cross-country courses with the Germans, and Andrew Hoy was coaching the Spanish. When they sent him extra large kit, they must have been thinking of my size when I helped them at the Barcelona Games!

Andrew’s ex-wife Bettina is now coaching the Dutch and I hear Graham Thom has been reinstated as team manager for New Zealand, having resigned soon after his appointment due to back problems, so many changes are afoot.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 22 June 2017

Are these Badminton’s hairiest fences ever?

Storm Johnson — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 16:01:55 +0000

With just a week to go until the start of this year's Badminton Horse Trials (3-7 May 2017), excitement is building at Horse & Hound HQ. We've dug into the archives to find some of the event's biggest rider frighteners through history. Nerves of steel would be an understatement...

1962

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In 1962, Anneli Drummond-Hay sailed around the sizeable cross-country course to take the title, having won the inaugural Burghley with Merely-A-Monarch the previous year. Two years earlier Anneli had finished third at Badminton with Perhaps — a horse that she had saved from the slaughterhouse, paying just £15 for him.

1967

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In 1967 a clear showjumping round moved Celia Ross-Taylor and Johnathan up from third place to victory, after this hairy-looking cross-country round.

1969

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Caroline Bradley and Alpaca sail over the 1969 elephant trap in style.

Badminton final scores

1974

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Captain Mark Phillips records a third victory at Badminton in 1974, this time riding The Queen’s striking grey gelding Columbus. The plan had been for Princess Anne to ride Columbus, but he had proved too strong for her.

1977

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Crowds of spectators watch Captain Mark Phillips as he flies over the tiger trap in 1977. Lucinda Green (née Prior-Palmer) took the title that year with the 16.2hh George.

1978

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Lucinda Green (née Prior-Palmer) and Village Gossip secure second place to Jane Holderness-Roddam in 1978.

1979

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Jane Starkey and Topper Too go clear cross-country in 1979. The pair had finished third in 1978 and Topper-Too completed Badminton a total of five times. His last Badminton was in 1982, when he was 15 years old. The title in 1979 was won by Lucinda Green (née Prior-Palmer) on Killaire — bringing her Badminton tally up to four.

Like this? You might also enjoy reading these:

The Cottesmore Leap — and 11 more of the world’s biggest rider frighteners

Tickets on sale for Badminton 2017

1979

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Previous Badminton winners Captain Mark Phillips and Columbus in 1979.

1984

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Lucinda Green and Village Gossip finished fifth in 1984 and she went on to win that year’s title with the part-Welsh pony Beagle Bay, which was her sixth Badminton win.

1985

Mark Todd riding Charisma IV over the footbridge Badminton 1985 (Image credit: Stuart Newsham for Horse and Hou)

Mark Todd and Charisma IV at the footbridge in 1985. Ginny Elliot (née Holgate) took the title that year with Priceless, and was also third on Nightcap.

Don’t miss our Badminton preview guide in tomorrow’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (27 April 2017)

Walk the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course with designer Mark Phillips

Carol Phillips — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 12:03:34 +0000

Find out what the course designer has to say about this year's four-star track

H&H columnist Captain Mark Phillips has been designing the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course since 2005 (having been actively involved in the course since 1989) and this year’s track promises to be as challenging as ever.

Last year the course changed direction and Mark has kept the same route for 2016, although he says many of the combination fences have seen significant changes ahead of this year’s event.

In this year’s official coursewalk video (above), Nick Luck discusses the course with Mark.

“I think changes are important, the one thing you don’t want as a course designer is for the riders to be complacent,” explains Mark. “We don’t want them to say ‘same as last year’ and walk on. They really need to respect these fences, they are big fences and they have to be jumped.”

In addition to this year’s official coursewalk video, Horse & Hound has walked the course with top rider William Fox-Pitt, who is just back from the Rio Olympics, and will be bringing you his thoughts on every fence in this Thursday’s magazine (on sale 25 August). A short video sharing William’s views on some of the most well-known combinations on the track will be available online during the afternoon on Wednesday 24 August to whet your appetite.

While we’re used to seeing the massive four-star fences being tackled by the world’s top event horses, Burghley recently invited a couple of equally athletic individuals to show how the famous course might be tackled on two feet. The result gives an entirely different perspective to the course and is definitely worth a watch.

Watch freerunners tackle Burghley cross-country course

In other news, Burghley’s lake is home to one of the country’s largest populations of the native white-clawed crayfish and 60 of the rare crustations had to be moved prior to the event to allow for work to be undertaken around the Lion Bridge. This included work on new fences and for the Land Rover driving experience to enter the lake for the first time.

Mark Phillips: Bad riding is the problem H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 07:55:01 +0000

Barbury Castle continues to hold a special place in the calendar with its amazing covering of grass and unparalleled viewing.

The Event Rider Masters (ERM) class again produced great entertainment. There is nothing better than watching top pairs having a cut across the country — great technique and fabulous riding abounded.

If anybody thought that Andrew is not back to his best or even better, they had to think again. The Kiwis will miss his undoubted talent in Rio.

Runner-up Paul Tapner continues to ride in his own very effective style and nobody took a more economical line. Gemma Tattersall, third, is on a crest of a wave as she heads off to Rio. Similarly Izzy Taylor and Kitty King looked on flying form in the two-star.

William Fox-Pitt was not at his most fluent on his two-star horses but still won on Secret Night and was sixth on Top Biats, which says a lot for his undoubted skills. He was much better on Cool Mountain in the ERM to be seventh, so is obviously increasing in confidence all the time.

How can riders learn?

The supporting CIC3* was much more of a war zone, with two horse falls and four unseated riders and six retirees out of the 59 cross-country starters. Although Barbury has terrain, I did not think it was that difficult! But there was some fairly moderate riding.

It’s easy for me as course-designer to blame the riding, but this is the problem facing those clamouring to make the sport safer, which was also highlighted in the novice.

The novice water at Barbury was a set of rails 3ft 5in high and then 30ft to an 8in pole on top of a step down into the water. After six hours of competition and seven horse falls at the step down, it was deemed prudent to move the white flag so riders could bypass the step and also to add a long route for the two- and three-star.

As course-designer, I’m happy to go with the flow. However, nobody thought the question was unfair or inappropriate, let alone potentially dangerous — around the world you’d see the same test at 1.05m level and the same distance at 1m level.

After we moved the flag 80-85% of riders still tackled the step. The problem is that the 15-20% who didn’t gained their qualification for that level having avoided the question, but they will meet the test again elsewhere.

The British Eventing officials said the problem is that riders don’t see this question often because organisers don’t like it when they may get falls in the water. So the problem remains: if we keep avoiding the question how do riders learn?

Horse falls are a problem for the sport — at Barbury the statistics look horrible and nobody likes seeing horses on the ground. However, bad riding will always make horse falls more likely and therefore better coaching is the only real way to make eventing safer.

We continue to spend huge money on frangible systems, but as with airbags in cars, they can only help rather than be the solution. Better coaching is an intangible, rather than a black and white solution that we can buy. If “risk management” was as easy as that, the solution would have been bought years ago.

For now Barbury continued to provide great entertainment and ERM is developing a better product for a worldwide audience. But the intangibles of risk management remain; let’s just hope they do not show their ugly face on the big stage in Rio.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 14 July 2016

Mark Phillips: ‘I hope Andrew Nicholson is serious about applying for Yogi Breisner’s job’ H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 07:55:56 +0000

I had no idea what I was about to go through emotionally when I arrived in Luhmühlen from America last week. I thought I had got over the disappointment of finishing the course-design job and was looking forward to new opportunities.

I have been designing in Luhmühlen for 12 years and when I started there was an ancient grandstand, no all-weather arena, no state-of-the-art office block. Much of the cross-country was down sand tracks and a lot of the fences were tied up with wire rather than rope. Frangible pins were some invention from far away England.

Now the arena and warm-up areas are on all-weather surfaces, all the cross-country is on grass and the fences are beautifully built by David Evans and clustered in four main areas for spectators and TV.

At the Saturday night dinner for officials and sponsors, director Julia Otto was effusive in her praise and thanks. When everyone stood and applauded I could not keep the tears back. I had not appreciated how many friends I had made in Germany or how much a part of my life Luhmühlen has become — it’s over 40 years since I first rode there.

Then I was ambushed on Sunday morning when the team along with coaches and riders toasted my health with champagne. The emotions came flooding back again.

I am proud of my legacy; Luhmühlen today is a very special place.

Is 70 too old?

I had the perfect farewell as course-designer. Out of 28 CCI4* starters, 26 finished, four inside the time and with no falls. From the statistics you would think I’d gone soft. Absolutely not true — this was a real four-star and many said it was as difficult as anything I had ever built in Luhmühlen.

In the CIC3* there were 32 out of 44 clear, two in the time and just three rider falls. We were lucky with perfect footing and sunshine, but all agreed that this too was the genuine article. When it’s going so well it’s irksome to think that I turn 70, the FEI retirement age for course-designers, at the end of 2018 — or maybe the ageing process is about to creep up on me big time!

The CCI4* had a popular winner in Andreas Dibowski, and runner-up Maxime Livio really impressed. We will see a lot of more of Julia Krajewski and Samourai Du Thot.

In the CIC3*, world champion Sandra Auffarth and Ingrid Klimke seemed to be playing a different game to the rest. Michael Jung was absent on showjumping duty, but is in Strzegom, Poland — the venue for next year’s Europeans — this week on two of his possible Olympic rides.

Gaining respect

I hope Andrew Nicholson is serious about applying for Yogi Breisner’s job (interview, 26 May) as he would have the riders’ respect. However, I thought he was riding more sympathetically and better than ever in Luhmühlen. Maybe after his Bramham win and two in the top 10 here he is not ready to hang up his boots.

It’s been on my conscience for a month that I never talked about Emily King after Badminton. It’s sad that Brookleigh is out for two years with an injury, which she feels may have contributed to their fall (news, 16 June) — to my eyes she made a silly green mistake, but up to then she had looked the real deal. At 19, that’s no mean feat.

For me, it’s now on to Barbury, Gatcombe and Burghley. At the end of one of the most emotional weeks of my life, I can only hope that I can stay half as lucky for the rest of the summer.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 23 June 2016

Mark Phillips: ‘Getting BE to agree to an extra day of competition is like pulling teeth’ H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 07:55:22 +0000

Four-star courses do not have a new designer very often — it’s not an easy job and the margin for error is very small. Part of the skill is in knowing the ground and how the different parts of the course ride.

Therefore for Mike Etherington-Smith to be taking over from me at Luhmühlen, and Eric Winter replacing Giuseppe della Chiesa at Badminton is a major move in the four years leading up to Tokyo 2020. It will take them a little time to settle in.

I’m sad to leave Luhmühlen after 10 years. I wish Mike luck as he strives for a good balance under the critical eye of the European mainstream media.

Many were surprised at Eric Winter’s appointment at Badminton, but he is relatively local and knows the track well, having been closely involved with the organisation.

He will benefit from Giuseppe’s greatest legacy, the loop up through the New Pond. Giuseppe brought some great ideas to Badminton, even if he found getting the overall balance less easy.

Selection puzzler

There are now only two big opportunities for riders to shine before Olympic selection, this week at Bramham and next at Luhmühlen.

The five Brits chosen for Rio will be announced on 5 July, before Barbury, and don’t be surprised if you see many of them in the CIC2* there for a confidence boost.

To me, this is the most open selection ever. The dilemma is that no one knows how strong a test Pierre Michelet has made the cross-country, therefore the relative influence of the phases. The selectors may gamble on one or two better dressage performers as recent history and the 2020 Agenda suggests that the track will be on the easier side. Having said that, Pierre has always been a law unto himself. Also, the ground will be fast and there is no real terrain. The final factor that we are not privy to is soundness and the veterinary input.

Are you any the wiser? I’m just glad I’m not a selector!

Early days for ERM

The Event Rider Masters (ERM) series at Chatsworth got off to a positive start. Yes, there were problems with the live scoring, but glitches are inevitable as the ERM pushes the boundaries of presentation.

At Gatcombe we’ve run the British Open cross-country in reverse order since 1985, so we know the hazards. At Chatsworth excessive speed led to near misses at the penultimate. With big money at stake, riders are tempted to fly in the latter stages, which runs an inherent risk.

At Bramham the ERM class does not have a full field of 40, partly because performance manager Yogi Breisner wanted Rio contenders to showjump last, so they run in the CIC3*, and partly because some won’t want to go so fast again so soon.

At Barbury we have moved the ERM start adjacent to the finish to help with the presentation. Hopefully someone has worked out how to avoid the razzmatazz that caused Kitty King issues at Chatsworth. There has to be a balance so competitors can actually get into the start box!

British Eventing (BE) says it is “doing its best” to seek additional days of competition. My experience from talking to organisers has been the opposite — getting BE to agree to an extra day is like pulling teeth.

Fixtures are still a major problem for BE. With luck this is at the top of chief executive David Holmes’ agenda.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 9 June 2016

Mark Phillips: ‘we were witnessing history that will probably never be repeated’ H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 12 May 2016 06:55:51 +0000

Badminton truly lived up to its great history and reputation as “the great event”. It started back in 1949 when John Shedden jumped the Irish Bank in one and went on to win on Golden Willow. Since then, many great horses have adorned the roll of honour.

Frank Weldon on Kilbarry, Sheila Willcox (Waddington) on High And Mighty, Anneli Drummond-Hay on Merely-A-Monarch, James Templer on M’Lord Connelly, Lucinda Prior-Palmer (Green) on Be Fair, Ginny Holgate (Elliot) on Priceless, Ian Stark on Sir Wattie, Pippa Funnell on Supreme Rock, William Fox-Pitt on Tamarillo and Chilli Morning are just some of the winners that spring to mind over the past 61 years. None though can compare to Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW.

I know the sport has changed, but Michael and Sam are the only pair to have won Olympic, world and European individual titles. Now they can add four-stars at Badminton, Burghley and Luhmühlen. No combination in the history of the sport has ever achieved anything close to this “full house”.

The crowd at Badminton is always special; a deafening roar of applause for every clear round. It was not surprising therefore that everyone rose to their feet to give Michael and Sam a standing ovation.

We knew we were witnessing history that we will probably never see repeated. The fact that Michael added the $350,000 (£240,000) for the Rolex Grand Slam to the £80,000 first prize only added extra poignancy to a remarkable afternoon.

Badminton final scores

Substandard riding

So much of Badminton is about the cross-country day and this was real Badminton on near-perfect footing. Only 32 of the original 75 starters jumped around clear with just 11 inside the time. With eight horse falls and four rider falls, there were probably more bodies on the ground than we would have wanted. Having said that, there was a lot of riding that did not stand up to four-star examination.

The Vicarage Vee was the same fence as when I jumped it 40-plus years ago. There has always been only one line there and this year was no exception. When I went back to look at the hoofprints the next day, many were a yard off the line — no wonder it was influential.

Personally I would like to have seen more flow at the HorseQuest Quarry, the Swindon Designer Outlet Mounds, the Shogun Hollow and Mirage Pond, as I believe flow is the ultimate solution to a good picture. However, there were some excellent fences, including the Irish Horse Gateway Huntsman’s Close, the combination at the Gatehouse New Pond and the run home from The Lake.

Tattersall in the big time

The fact that Andreas Ostholt pulled the rabbit out of the hat to somehow manufacture a clear round from So Is Et to be second was almost irrelevant with Michael so far ahead.

The strength of the German team ahead of Rio is onimous, with world champion Sandra Auffarth and Dirk Schrade waiting in the wings. They also have Ingrid Klimke and Horseware Hale Bob, second here last year, who pulled out of Badminton to focus on Rio as her best horse SAP Escada FRH is currently sidelined.

New Zealand will be confident also — they were fourth, fifth and sixth here with Mark Todd, Jock Paget and Clarke Johnstone, plus Jonelle Price and Classic Moet were in the top 10 too.

For the home team, Gemma Tattersall was outstanding; I really thought she came of age here on Arctic Soul. She was so impressive across the country and has Quicklook V and Chico Bella P as alternatives. Tina Cook was the model of consistency to pull up 35 places after dressage to seventh with her clear on Star Witness and she has Calvino II and Billy The Red as other Rio prospects. I’m not sure that Laura Collett’s performance on Grand Manoeuvre was quite ready for the Games, but she does also have Pamero 4.

Then of course William Fox-Pitt was not here with Chilli Morning, nor was Kitty King with Ceylor LAN or Persimmon. Sarah Bullimore with Lilly Corinne, Flora Harris (Bayano) and Holly Woodhead (DHI Lupison) are also having a more conservative preparation.

It was good to see my daughter Zara Tindall get her Rio qualification with High Kingdom. After a year off, the pair looked a little shy of their best in all three phases, but the run will have done wonders for the confidence of horse and rider. They look well on course to coming back to their best.

The enduring memory though of this Badminton was Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW making history and completing only the second ever Rolex Grand Slam of eventing.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 12 May 2016

Mark Phillips: ‘this is a ray of sunshine after our winter of discontent with the FEI’ H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 07:55:08 +0000

To see so many events having to cancel is sad, but we were lucky last weekend that Stuart Buntine and his team were determined to battle the elements at Belton, where I am the cross-country course-designer. Belton and Eland Lodge were the only events to survive this weekend from six scheduled, albeit both had to cancel some classes.

It’s extraordinary how Stuart has grown Belton. I was impressed with the live scoring system.

I am completely at sea with the internet, but even I appreciated all the info available on my phone. Not only did we get broken down dressage marks as they happened, but at the end of the test we could review all the marks from each judge for every movement.

Event Riders Masters (ERM) are about to introduce exciting innovations for TV, streaming and live timing. They should adopt this live scoring too.

With these positives, it’s sad that the FEI seems intent on blindly trying to make the three Olympic disciplines fit one format, rather than examining all the possibilities for making the sport more understandable and entertaining.

I had to smile when I read this quote from FEI president Ingmar de Vos: “Athletes probably still have a lack of information about what is driving all this” (news, 14 April). Whose fault is that? It led me to think how much better off we were with presidents of the FEI who also sat on the International Olympic Committee, rather than the first ever-salaried president we have now.

I just hope that when a team wins a medal counting an eliminated competitor, that that is not the final nail in the coffin of our sport at the Olympics. I also don’t see how we’re going to qualify more teams and maintain our risk management without lowering standards or increasing the possibility of having a fatality at an Olympics.

Looking forward

For now we can look forward to Kentucky and Badminton looming. Kentucky, the US four-star, has a massive entry, which is great, although I do wonder about the quality at the bottom end. It’s a job to see beyond Michael Jung — who may well claim the second leg of the Rolex Grand Slam — Tim Price, Mark Todd and the other New Zealanders as the winner.

Badminton has a super quality field in depth. With Michael Jung, Ingrid Klimke and Andreas Dibowski all running, can anyone stop Chris Bartle’s squad? If anyone can do it from outside the home team, it might be New Zealand again.

A special mention for Andrew Nicholson ahead of Badminton — he’s been so close in the past on Nereo. How good if he could win it after his accident at Gatcombe last year.

In the same vein, all will be wishing William Fox-Pitt a great return to the top level after his fall last October. Many will also hope for a good result for my daughter Zara Tindall (née Phillips) after High Kingdom’s injury at Kentucky 2015.

The British Rio selection looks really open. Pippa Funnell, Tina Cook, Oliver Townend and Nicola Wilson will be trying hard, but there is an opportunity for the younger generation, led by Kitty King and Izzy Taylor, to book a place.

After Badminton, it’ll be the first ERM event at Chatsworth. Putting this series together was a long and tortuous process, but the six event directors decided to try to make it work despite their respective conflicts. Owners, riders, viewers and spectators will all benefit — this is a ray of sunshine after our winter of discontent with the FEI.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 21 April 2016

Mark Phillips: ‘I really don’t understand where eventing is going’ H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 07:55:10 +0000

With edict after edict from the FEI, I really don’t understand where eventing is going.

Regarding the proposal to change the sport’s name, I cannot understand why we are hung on “tri” or “equestrian”. Squash is not called after the black ball or tennis after the furry one! We could do worse than stick with “horse trials” or even the old “military”, as our sport is still called in Europe.

The FEI continues to say that it is canvassing the stakeholders (national federations, officials, owners and riders) on all issues and making informed decisions, but if they are not going to actually follow that policy, why keep professing it?

I have not heard from one stakeholder who thinks three in a team at the Olympics is a good idea. In fact, statistics from Sam Watson’s EquiRatings show the opposite — that fewer teams will complete with only three per team, which defies the aim of extending our global reach.

Many in the media say the drop-score scenario adds to the excitement. But we so often lose a horse on the final day because of an innocent overreach or lost shoe, there is a real chance of medal teams being ruled out — and huge pressure on ground juries at the final inspection.

What’s in, what’s out

I actually like much of the proposed Olympic format, including shorter dressage tests — let’s extend this to all events.

Positive scoring is a red herring, because the FEI proposals are so complicated. But I agree with ditching the co-efficient, which has the effect of making the dressage more influential by turning 75% into 37.5 penalties and 60% into 60 penalties. Why not say that 75% in the dressage is 25 penalties or 60% 40 penalties, then add jumping penalties as we do now, so the lowest score still wins?

Having a 10-minute cross-country does not worry me — current requirements are 10-11 minutes. However, not enough thought has been given to the proposed 125m per effort (45 jumping efforts in 10 minutes). We know that at 570mpm 100-110m per effort produces an exciting competition over a six to seven-minute course — these are the CIC3* parameters. I’m not sure we need another 15m per effort if the cross-country is to retain a realistic influence.

I don’t think jumping the team consecutively with all riders in the ring is a great idea.

It’s a warm-up nightmare and the last one is at a disadvantage with an extended wait. But if it helps TV it’s not a deal-breaker.

You wonder who the media or TV consultant recommending these changes was — or was there one at all?

Why not five-stars?

It’s ironic that eight years ago we recommended a five-star system to the FEI, starting at the 1.05m level. It was dismissed out of hand, but eight years later we’re doing exactly this. This will let more nations compete, but none of the other changes will help us towards this holy grail of globalisation.

So why not just make the existing four-stars into five-stars so eventing matches dressage and showjumping, something the FEI insists is so important, rather than calling them Classics?

In that vein, why would we dumb down the existing World Equestrian Games (WEG), the only true four-star (soon to be five-star) championship, by bringing it in line with the Olympic technicality?

The FEI has lost a lot of credibility with its stakeholders, who put an unbelievable amount of time into submitting opinions. The FEI sports forum (4-5 April) will be a last-ditch effort to get the sport of eventing and its governing body back on the same page.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 24 March 2016

Mark Phillips: When will common sense prevail with qualifications? H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 07:55:07 +0000

I was interested to read that the FEI is talking to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about the Olympic showjumping qualification process.

This is particularly pertinent with regards to Belgium and Ireland, two strong countries in the Nations Cup this year, who have not qualified. Common sense says both nations should be at the Games, but everyone understands it’s too late to make changes for Rio next year.

In a similar vein I’ve been perturbed for some time by the eventing system, especially when Australia and/or New Zealand have a bad World Equestrian Games.

They then have to qualify for the Olympics against Japan, South Africa and others at a CCI3* — the Asia Pacific Championships — the following year.

Again, common sense tells us that both Australia and New Zealand should be at the Olympics. To ask them to qualify against the developing world is a real “own goal” as we seek greater global participation.

This year’s qualifier was at Boekelo, which is always a softer CCI3* because of Holland’s horse welfare concerns. So much for the FEI’s cries for high and consistent standards of qualifications.

Because New Zealand, arguably the world’s number two nation behind Germany, were seeking qualification at Boekelo, other countries did not even bother to go to the expense of attending.

If New Zealand or any other country have four riders high enough up the Olympic athlete rankings they can field an Olympic team anyway — almost a certainty for New Zealand had they not qualified at Boekelo — so why make them do this one-sided process and kill off the aspirations of the developing nations?

The same principle could be used at the Pan Ams, where too often the US and Canada snuff out South American hopes, although in 2016 Brazil will compete as host nation.

This conundrum needs to be on the Olympic 2020 Agenda.

What will we sacrifice?

Mark Todd recently made his frequent plea for more prize-money, maybe from a percentage of the gate, and enviously eyed Scott Brash’s $1m Rolex Grand Slam.

Sadly, we are looking at apples and oranges. It is really difficult to make significant money out of running horse trials. Badminton and Burghley manage it, but do most people pay for the sport or the social side and shopping?

All events are in the entertainment business. Showjumping is cheaper to stage, easier to televise — attracting more sponsors — and spectators get a result every two hours or so.

In eventing we are slowly moving in a positive direction. Piggy French said my course at Kelsall flowed well, but was twisty. Yes, because the whole objective is to make it spectator friendly, so most jumps can be seen from one spot.

One of the most successful events I was involved in this year was the advanced-level showcase at Wellington in Florida, which offered compact viewing, was cheap to televise and gave a quick result.

We have to assess how we can make eventing easier to understand, cheaper to stage and more TV and spectator friendly — questions the IOC has put to us. We can only achieve this on smaller acreages — if we go this way, we may see more prize-money. But it will mean a different sport to the one we know in the traditional British parkland.

Ref: Horse & Houd; 15 October 2015

Mark Phillips: A £10,000 lapse of concentration at Burghley H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 07:55:51 +0000

Every Burghley is a momentous event in my life. After weeks of agonising and tinkering, finally the riders walk the cross-country course.

Every year I’m keen to find out what they think. I was not so pleased when the feedback was “the biggest four-star ever” and “the first ever five-star”. My hair was already turning more grey.

Nature was on our side — the footing was just about perfect and the sunny intervals were ideal for cross-country. Judgement of pace was going to be paramount with the course running the other way round to previously. This put the Lion Bridge in the first minute and the Anniversary Splash and Capability’s Cutting in the second, before the climb to the Cottesmore Leap at 3min 30sec.

I thought if riders were 10-15sec down on the clock at the high point of the course, the Cottesmore Leap, they could get it back before the end. In fact it didn’t work like that and they really struggled to recoup the time, even on horses who were not tiring.

I think we are set to keep following this route for a year or two now. Next year riders will know a lot more and be much closer to the time when they get up to the Cottesmore Leap.

Only Christopher Burton and Jonelle Price made the time, with Jonelle and Classic Moet making it look ridiculously easy. Michael Jung was only a couple of seconds over, mainly thanks to trotting into the water at the Lion Bridge after his speedier approach and ducking on FischerRocana FST.

I owe a big thank you to Oliver Townend, who was riding back at his best and set the tone for the day as the pathfinder on Dromgurrihy Blue and made it all look very simple. I did feel sorry for Oliver on his third ride Armada, who was truly cruising under the time when he had a very unlucky glance-off in the Trout Hatchery.

The other bad luck story was William Fox-Pitt with Fernhill Pimms, who had an expensive moment in forgetting a fence after being held and having to gallop back. I’m sure he’s worked out it was a £10,000 lapse of concentration.

On a brighter note, I was thrilled that of the 68 starters, 55 finished and 42 of them were clear. That is a remarkable statistic for a track of this magnitude and a great credit to how the competitors rode. It probably also had something to do with the respect they had for the course. Add in the fact that there were no serious horse or rider injuries and the sport had a truly good day.

A joy to watch

I was pleased to see Michael Jung win on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW. Sam may be 15-years-old but he is still a joy to watch in Michael’s hands. He’s won Olympic, world and European titles and been second at Badminton — how good that he can now add Burghley to his roll of honour. It’s not easy to win here on your first visit because of the terrain.

The fact that Michael’s preparation was riding in the five-star showjumping grand prix at Glock’s in Austria last weekend makes his achievement all the more remarkable, and speaks volumes for Michael’s talents. His Blair ride, FischerTakinou, spent the week training and relaxing at Burghley and Michael said it was perfect preparation for the horse — a scary prospect for his rivals!

Tim and Jonelle Price continue their amazing year. It was sad that Jonelle had an uncharacteristic rail with Classic Moet to allow Christopher Burton in to spoil their party of both being in the top three. But what a weekend Christopher had to finish third and fourth.

‘Fit to compete’

The atmosphere that event director Liz Inman and her team create at Burghley is unique and gets better every year.

This time I also thought ground jury president Nick Burton and members Andrew Bennie and Christina Klingspor did a good job. They can never please everyone with their dressage marks, but I liked their attitude of looking for horses who were “fit to compete” at the trot-ups. Too often those nerve-racking moments feel more like a pre-purchase examination. A little latitude was like a breath of fresh air at Burghley.

As everyone left Burghley the attention swung to the European Championships at Blair this week. With Ingrid Klimke winning the FEI Classics series and Michael second, the thought of world champion Sandra Auffarth joining the team poses a daunting proposition. William Fox-Pitt, Nicola Wilson, Pippa Funnell and company can only do their bit and hope the cards fall kindly.

Spare a thought, too, for France, Belgium, Italy and Sweden all vying for two Olympic tickets at Blair. Denmark, Spain, Poland, Russia and Switzerland also field teams and are not qualified for Rio, but the real competition is likely to be among those four leading nations.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 10 September 2015

Mark Phillips: We need a new 1.05m eventing level H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 07:55:38 +0000

For as long as I’ve been involved in eventing, all the major initiatives have come out of Britain. But now the US are introducing a level with 3ft 5in (1.05m) cross-country fences. This would sit between our current BE100 (1m) and novice (1.10m)

As far back as 2008 the FEI toyed with making one-star at 1.05m (currently 1.10m), two-star at 1.10m (currently 1.15m) and so on up to a new five-star level (at the dimensions of the existing four-star). Sadly they stepped back from the brink.

Since then, from time to time I’ve advocated the 1.05m level, but British Eventing (BE) have pushed back because of the cost to organisers and said it is not necessary because at BE100plus and intermediate novice (IN) riders can practise the extra 5cm in the showjumping.

That shows a serious lack of understanding of how the sport works for organisers and from a grassroots’ perspective.

Firstly, I’ve yet to meet an organiser who doesn’t want to put on a class where they can make money! Existing BE100 fences could have 2in of chock or brush added and you are 90% of the way there. A couple of new portables with the extra top spread, and a few distance or bending-line changes would complete the job.

Secondly, an extra 2in in the showjumping does not address the real issue.

People find it much harder to kill or hurt themselves over coloured poles than they do cross-country. Eventing is the only sport where we expect horses and riders to make a 4in step up (3ft 3in to 3ft 7in or 1m to 1.10m) instead of the normal 2in or 10cm. Small wonder we get so many serious injuries at novice and one-star level.

All BE have to do is put the new level in the rulebook and sit back and see how many organisers grab the chance. Some entrepreneurs like Michael Munden at Bricky — which has dedicated tracks for the BE100plus and IN levels — have tried to do their bit but are inhibited by existing rules.

I believe the introduction of the 1.05m level would be a huge move forward on the risk management front. As well as providing a stepping stone for amateurs, it could be useful for pros starting young horses.

Well done the US for leading the way — let’s hope we are not too proud to follow.

Right for Gatcombe

Some of the diehards looked down their noses at me with the introduction of the Corinthian Cup at Gatcombe, a novice championship in which participation was limited by rider experience, and asked if that was really what the Festival was about.

The dressage was not spectacular and we probably made a wrong choice in using the CIC* test, but the Corinthian riders coped well with the showjumping and cross-country and gave good entertainment for the crowd.

Bits and bobs

My daughter Stephanie took me to Homme House after Gatcombe — a good event with a friendly atmosphere, but the ground left a bit to be desired despite use of the aerator.

They used the short-arena intermediate test for the IN and I felt quite sorry for the riders as it is tricky to do in that small arena.

I was also at Somerford Park, where some riders had a shock as their vaccinations were valid for the national classes, which demand annual boosters, but not the FEI ones where horses need them every six months. It was a little ironic then to see everyone warming up together. Rules are rules — it’s just a shame when national and FEI ones are not in sync.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 27 August 2015

Mark Phillips: Safety clips have a place in British eventing H&H VIP

Mark Phillips — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 07:55:08 +0000

I was interested to read that Mark Todd wants to see the end of the alligator in the water at Barbury.

It’s on the list for change, partly as the three-star will have a new track next year. But I’m left with a lingering question about rider responsibility.

Many horses, particularly in the two-star, left a leg and several got an early bath. There was a boat strategically placed before the alligator so riders could take a chance and approach on the angle or go around the boat and jump the alligator square on. Everyone who got wet took the angle.

Is it up to the course-designer not to give riders the angled option or should it be the riders’ responsibility to do what’s best for their horse?

Like Mark, I was mystified why quite so many of the Brits — 20 — withdrew before cross-country. A CIC3* is an expensive way to practise two phases. I could not agree with Yogi Breisner when he told me the ground was hard.

After the Verti-Drain treatment the two-star horses made a great cut the day before: even before the rain you could see the print they made. We did not Verti-Drain the three-star course until Sunday morning — the later you aerate, the greater the benefit to the horses.

The clips have a use

After my comments asking why MIM Clips cannot be used in Britain, British Eventing’s (BE) Chris Farr wrote in to explain that they have not been submitted for the BE frangible device tests (letters, 9 July).

This is true — because the makers know the clips won’t pass one of the Transport Research Laboratory criteria. There is a requirement around poles dropping vertically, while the action of the MIM Clip means the pole initially falls in an arc. However, this doesn’t stop the clips having a useful place in risk management.

The British frangible pins are not infallible. The pin breaks only in a particular type of rotational fall — most designers have seen more rotational falls where the pin did not break than where it did. Also the pin is less likely to break over a narrow fence or when hit by a pony.

Neither the pin, nor the reverse pin, nor the MIM Clip is guaranteed to break in every circumstance. If 10 horses hit a fence, they are likely to hit it in 10 different ways with different pressure from different angles. But a fence with a frangible device must be safer than one without.

My belief is that the MIM Clip has a role but, like the pin, it is not the answer to every type of impact. I gather BE is now talking again to the MIM designers in Sweden, so hopefully progress can be made. Then BE can further educate its designers as to which device to use according to circumstances.

Facing the challenges

I talked to new BE chief executive David Holmes at Barbury. I was impressed by how quickly he has grasped the endemic problems within BE. Reorganising the board so each member has a specific area of responsibility will enable them to take better-informed decisions.

However, I still despair that energetic up-and-coming organisers are held back from running an advanced class until an existing venue falls off its perch, thus creating a vacancy. This cannot be healthy for the sport’s development.

At the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe entries are good for the new Corinthian Cup and the intermediate championships, but the novice championships has seen a serious decline. Hopefully BE will look at the qualification criteria next year.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 6 August 2015

Mark Phillips: With that move, no frangible can save you [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 07:55:02 +0000

This is a busy time of year for me as a course-designer. I still really enjoy the challenge and the thought of being retired by the FEI in four years when I reach 70 does not excite me, as I feel I still have a huge amount to offer the sport. But who knows what the future will bring — there is always the chance I’ll go into a serious decline!

I have never worked under so much pressure as in Luhmühlen, where fatalities in recent years have put things on a knife edge. It was as if after more than 50 years, the whole future of the sport at this fabulous venue was hanging by a thread, dependent on a good cross-country day. Everybody felt it and the competitors rode very responsibly. The vet and doctor never moved all day.

I agree with Mark Todd that the cross-country was big but not overly technical. But still 10 out of the 35 starters found trouble, including Michael Jung.

This further emphasised the two divisions within four-star. The best horses in the world made it look easy — that’s how it has to be, if the remainder are to survive, let alone compete.

Luhmühlen raised its qualifying requirements this year. This reduced entries but was a good move for risk management, and I hope the other four-stars follow suit.

Rising standards

Luhmühlen was also a showcase for the modern sport’s standard. Twenty-six of the 38 dressage starters scored under 50 and 14 hit 40 or below.

Were we not saying just the other day that you need to break 50 to be competitive? In the future it’ll be 40.

Quite how we balance this with the International Olympic Committee’s and FEI’s desire for universality is beyond me, unless we have two events, one to weed out the bottom half, the second for the medals. To allow the best horses to compete twice over an Olympic fortnight means using the CIC format, with its shorter course, thereby losing the identity the CCI classic format has held sacred for so long.

A move you cannot make

The CIC3* at Hopetoun was an educational track — Barbury will be much sterner — on excellent footing provided by Harry Williams’ crew. But one incident highlighted eventing’s risk management problems.

All the star levels share one fence across the ha-ha into the garden. There were no incidents over the friendly ditch and brush until four from the end in the three-star, when Camilla Neil took off well away from the fence, landing in the ditch. The horse was OK, Camilla was taken into intensive care with head injuries but thankfully was released into a normal ward on Sunday night.

When riders make that move, we cannot make the sport safe. I use the motoring analogy. If you overtake in your car coming to a blind corner, you may get away with it — and this may have been a one-off for Camilla — but for sure if you keep doing it eventually you’ll meet a vehicle coming the other way.

It’s the same cross-country — you ask for the big stand-off and get away with it until ultimately you ask for one that is too big and the horse can’t help you out. There is no fence or frangible device that can help if riders keep making that move.

Coaches, trainers, old fat people like me, keep saying that the real answer to safety is in the training and discipline of horse and rider. It’s not tangible, but it’s the truth. If riders take time to balance a horse and put it “on its feet” before a fence, riding cross-country is no more dangerous than driving your car.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 2 July 2015

Eventing safety takes a step forward at Luhmühlen

Pippa Roome — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 06:25:24 +0000

Mark Phillips took eventing safety another step further at Luhmühlen last weekend (18-21) when he used MIM Clips to allow the back part of triple brush arrowheads to break away.

The course-designer and H&H columnist had the idea after a couple of nasty accidents at this sort of fence including the fatal fall of France’s Bruno Bouvier in Portugal in 2013.

“If a horse takes off a stride early they will come down on the back of a triple brush arrowhead,” said Mark. “I don’t think this will stop them falling, but it should stop a rotational fall [the type which most commonly causes a rider fatality] — the horse would go to the ground on its nose instead.

“Statistically triple brush arrowheads are one of the safer types of fence, unless horses leave a stride out, when they are actually quite dangerous.”

Two triple brush arrowheads in combinations had the clips in Luhmühlen, as well as the wide brush fence in the arena. MIM Clips, a Swedish invention, are not approved for use at British Eventing fixtures, but Mark wants them to be allowed, as he believes they are better than frangible pins in some situations.

Mark added: “It’s about using the right [frangible] device in the right place. However, you can’t justify a fence by making it frangible, that’s just an insurance policy — you’ve got to feel comfortable with the type of fence in a place.”

There was intense pressure to have a cross-country day without any horse or rider fatalities at Luhmühlen after the death of German rider Benjamin Winter here last year and of French horse P’tite Bombe after a fall in 2013. Both incidents inflamed the German media, which can be hostile to eventing and its safety issues.

The result was just what was needed, with only one fall in the CCI4* and no serious injuries — every horse which completed the cross-country passed Sunday’s horse inspection. But the cross-country still exerted an influence, with 25 finishers from 35 starters. There were also no falls in the supporting CIC3*.

Event director Julia Otto said: “It’s been an emotional weekend for the organisation, but we’re all so relieved and happy everything went so well on cross-country day.”

Walk the Luhmühlen CCI4* cross-country course [VIDEO AND PICS]

Pippa Roome — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:00:50 +0000

Luhmühlen CCI4*, presented by DHL, has a new route to its cross-country course this year, for the first time since the summer of 2011.

The track has plenty of loops in it, so riders will need to be on their toes to ensure they go the right way.

The course-designer is Mark Phillips.

Germany’s Michael Jung, twice winner of the CCI4* here, said: “I’m not totally convinced by the new route of the course. There are a lot of twists and turns which could potentially cause problems in the horse’s concentration.”

However, his compatriot Ingrid Klimke commented: “I‘m looking forward to riding the cross country on Saturday. It looks super, it’s a very friendly and inviting course for horse and rider.”

Ingrid picked out the Ariat Combination at fence 28ab as a fence to watch: “It would be easy to have a run-out there if you don’t set up properly.”

New Zealand’s Jonelle Price described the course as “on the nice side.”

“You don’t like to say too much until you’ve ridden it, but it’s not as technical as some of the other four-stars,” she commented.

Britain’s Coral Keen, who is riding here for the first time, said: “There are lots of big wide oxers for them to jump all the way, which could make them tired at the end. There is plenty to jump and plenty of accuracy questions.”

Fellow Brit Nicky Roncoroni, another debutant here, added: “I think the time will be influential as it is twisty and when the time is tight that always leads people to make stupid mistakes. There are a lot of jumps off turns and big spreads the whole way.”

The red numbers are for the CCI4*, the blue ones are for the supporting CIC3*.

Fence 1: Auftakt der Sparkasse Harburg-Buxtehude

Fence 2: Fledermaus Hotel

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Fence 3: Trakehner

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Fence 4: The Charles Owen Royal Works

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Fence 5ab: Kleines Dorf

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Fence 6ab: Kleines Dorf

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Fence 7ab: Oxer

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Fence 8ab: The Charles Owen Royal Works

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Fence 8b alternative

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Fence 9/10: AGCO/Fendt am Waldrand

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Fence 9 alternative

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Fence 11: Hühnerfarm

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Fence 12abc: Am Coffin

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Fence 12b alternative

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Fence 13: Wittinger Bierstand

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Fence 14: ICE-VIBE Jump

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Fence 15: Heiners Jagdhütte

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Fence 16/17ab/18ab: Meßmer Teich

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Fence 17c alternative

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Fence 19: Birkensprung

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Fence 20: Trog

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Fence 21abc: Turnierplatz Hecken

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Fence 21b for the CCI4* is on the right in the picture below

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Fence 22ab: Longines Kombination

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Fence 23: Luhmühlen Buch

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Fence 24: Gärtnerei Wredes Rennbahnsprung

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Fence 25: Blair Castle Crossing

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Fence 26/27ab: DHL Komplex

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Fence 27ab alternative route

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Fence 28abc: Ariat Horses

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Fence 28a alternative

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Fence 29: von Ellings Fachwekhaus

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Fence 30: Luhmühlen Basket

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More updates from Lühmuhlen online this week, full report in the magazine, out Thursday (25 June).

Mark Phillips: The best horse in the world could prove useless [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 07:55:15 +0000

Following on from H&H eventing editor Pippa Roome’s comments about selection last week, Bramham this week and Luhmühlen next will have a huge influence on who gets the call-up for the European Championships at Blair Castle.

I’ve been involved with selection for more than 25 years now and I’ve found that often horses and riders choose themselves. The first rule is don’t give selectors an excuse not to select you — they find it difficult to ignore results!

The second part is having a sound horse — the veterinary input is often decisive. By the time a horse has proved itself, almost by definition it will have a few aches and pains. If those are manageable within the rules all well and good, but the best horse in the world who fails the final trot-up is worthless. You cannot win a medal if the team don’t finish. This is so often why apparently inexplicably a partnership will be selected as an individual and not for the team, or left out altogether.

As hosts the Brits have the luxury of 12 combinations at Blair, so selectors can give valuable experience to up-and-coming stars.

I’m sure the team will be the A-team, as Yogi Breisner will be keener than ever to knock the Germans off their perch — a tall order as Germany seems to have increasing depth. But with the home advantage, could the formbook be overturned?

Luhmühlen (pictured) looks to have its strongest four-star field yet. It makes me a little nervous as the course-designer as while still a four-star track, it’s not as tough as sometimes. In Britain we don’t understand the depth of the “green feeling” on the Continent. After the tragic demise of the French horse P’tite Bombe in 2013 and Ben Winter last year, there is unprecedented pressure to produce an incident-free cross-country day.

Michael Jung plans to run his Kentucky horses at Luhmühlen. Two four-stars within eight weeks is unusual — most people find the intensity of the modern test does not let them run more often at three- or four-star than in the with-steeplechase days.

Despite the wet, both horses must have had an easy trip around Lexington and these days equines seem to cross the Atlantic as easily as the road, such are the advances in veterinary science and air transportation.

The ends of the spectrum

I was in Aachen to see Scott Brash win the second leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping — he was lucky as he used some Braille technique in the first two rounds, but was outstandingly brilliant in the jump-off.

I was not quite so lucky, being bumped off my flight afterwards, leading to a catalogue of events which left me out of love with British Airways!

Over in America, I designed CCI and CIC one- and two-star courses at Roebke’s Run in Minnesota, 100 miles west of Minneapolis in the heart of corn (maize) country. Each division struggled to get 10 starters. What a contrast to the glamour of Aachen, but these small events are still special in their own way.

Back in England I designed the two-star and intermediate tracks at Rockingham Castle. It’s fun to be associated with such energy and enthusiasm — this is an event “on the move”.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 11 June 2015

Mark Phillips: High Kingdom needed general anaesthetic to treat Kentucky injury [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 06:55:07 +0000

I travelled to Kentucky last weekend, principally to see my daughter Zara ride High Kingdom (pictured above competing at Bramham), but also to keep up to speed with four-star course-design.

I was mortified to learn, while waiting for my connection in Detroit on the Friday night, that Zara had been unable to do her dressage as “Trevor” had kicked his stable wall while having acupuncture and needed four staples in a back fetlock.

Imagine my dismay when I arrived to discover he had had to go to hospital to have his joint flushed under general anaesthetic. He stayed there over the weekend and at the time of writing was due to travel home with the other European horses on Monday.

I walked the cross-country at 6.15am the next day on perfect footing. The track was a credit to Mick Costello’s build team as snow and floods left them a mountain of work to do in the closing weeks. I liked Derek di Grazia’s course: lots of angles and let-up fences, big but not too technical, especially in the final four minutes.

The shortened three-minute intervals to hurry the competition through before the weather came in created problems for cross-country control and the TV coverage, as there were always three horses on course and sometimes four.

It all looked too simple as four of the first 13 starters went inside the time, but by 11am conditions were changing and the softer ground made beating the clock increasingly hard.

Aside from the top guys, Bill Levett was superb after a sticky moment in the first water. He was one of those held on course, although only for a few moments after Will Faudree’s Andromaque broke a frangible pin. Will would have contested his 11 penalties had the mare finished sound. She now retires to stud.

Francis Whittington demolished a fixed corner, so got off with no penalties as they are only for frangibles. He did a great job just to get round as Easy Target did not enjoy the conditions. But he paid the penalty when the horse was too sore behind to showjump.

The new frangible rule did work for some, when riders had penalties removed after the MIMs clip on the footbridge went.

William Fox-Pitt was masterful — his time-penalties gave others breathing room, but he left nothing in the tank.

The Americans had a mixed day, but the pressure is off now they only have to beat Brazil and Mexico at the Pan Ams to claim their Rio ticket.

Up the requirements

Reflecting on this weekend I was glad Luhmühlen has strengthened its qualifications so category C and D riders (the least experienced) have to hold a second CCI3* result. This seems sensible as at Kentucky we saw a significant proportion of pairs who probably should not have been there. We need to strengthen the requirements further for four-stars as they are not for everyone.

I designed at Belton the weekend before Kentucky. It worked running the 115-runner Grantham Cup in the middle of the day so the massive crowd could see many Badminton horses. This was in sharp contrast to Weston the week before where advanced horses were still running as the clock closed in on 7pm.

I’ve been confused by the discussions about medical armbands. The responsibility is now on riders with medical conditions to show that for the paramedics. If you are healthy you display nothing. This must be better than the old system of out-of-date cards and riders borrowing each other’s cards to comply with the rules.

Ref: H&H 30 April, 2015

Mark Phillips: ‘competitions are won or lost by fractions’ [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 07:55:49 +0000

All credit to International Event Riders Association president Bruce Haskell and FEI rider representative Daisy Berkeley for coordinating the widespread misgivings over the new frangible fence rule. Everyone is happy to see the 21 penalties go, but I believe 11 faults is still a big hit. These days so many of the big competitions are won or lost by fractions.

The new rule says penalties can be removed “only if an unexpected activation occurred through a light tap”. In the vast majority of events, that puts a huge onus of responsibility on the fence judges, who are volunteers, not experts. Also, we all know that if three people see the same road accident from three different angles, you’ll get three different reports.

I’d like to have seen a smaller penalty for breaking a frangible fence, but with review only at championships, four-stars and the larger three-stars, where we can use video replay. Then the ground jury can make an informed decision based on a slow-motion review. Is this not the direction most sports are going?

Even then organisers will not be happy if the video review goes on into the evening, delaying the results. Somehow we need to review the video while the competition is still running so there is not a mountainous backlog at the end of the day.

Wind and shine

The weekend before Easter I was in Texas, where I designed the advanced course, and the event ran with spring sunshine, a cool breeze and perfect footing.

How sad that the second day of Gatcombe had to be cancelled due to gale-force winds and driving rain, as well as other recent British fixtures. The following Tuesday I was at Luhmühlen, where again they had huge winds, rain and waterlogged ground. The next day at Belton we had to survive the bitter wind too.

It was not a great hardship therefore to find myself back in Miami at Easter for the Global Champions Tour on the beach. It may have been 85°F, but the cool breeze made this a wonderful venue.

Sadly my commitments in the US prevented me from getting to Richard Meade’s memorial service, but fellow Munich Olympic team member Mary Low (née Gordon-Watson) represented me. How great a tribute to Richard that so many people made the trip to Bath.

Looking forward

Now we can look forward to the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* later this month. They have record entries, thanks in part to the likes of Michael Jung, William Fox-Pitt, my daughter Zara, Nicola Wilson, Andreas Dibowski, Francis Whittington and Tim Price making the trip across the pond. The notable absentee is Andrew Nicholson, who is not going for the second leg of the Rolex Grand Slam.

They have had atrocious weather in Lexington though, and when I was there at the end of March there was still a huge amount of work to do on the course. Course-builder Mick Costello and his team will have a busy month of final preparations.

Conversely the Badminton entry — or should I say waiting list — is down this year, so it looks as though for the first time in a while all those entered will get in. That will not make course-designer Giuseppe della Chiesa’s job any easier as it may mean more less experienced combinations, although it’s also possible some of those were scared off entering.

Having said that, it is still a star-studded field, and running a week later in May should mean better weather and conditions under foot. Also, those returning from Lexington will have another week to prepare.

Before all that we can look forward to Belton next week, where organiser Stuart Buntine reports an increase in entries, sponsorship and tradestands. Sunday has more than seven hours of advanced cross-country over a course that I’ve reversed for the first time in years. A new start and finish area will also give more space for car parking and other activities. It will be a great chance to see many horses destined for Badminton going through their final preparations.

Ref: H&H 7 April, 2015

Burghley 2015 promises to be a ‘very different’ experience for riders

Sophia Heath — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 11:55:33 +0000

This year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country will be a “very different” experience for riders, with the course being run in the opposite direction to normal.

The change will see all the major combinations tackled in the opposite direction to before. The Lion Bridge and the Anniversary Splash will come early — at fences four and five — with the Leaf Pit and arena fences being some of the final challenges of the course.

Course designer and H&H columnist Mark Phillips said that it was “time for the change” after three years of a similar course.

He also believes the reversal will provide further challenges for riders aiming to get inside the tricky Burghley time.

At last year’s event, winners Andrew Nicholson and Avebury were the fastest combination of the day but still picked up 5.6 time penalties.

“I actually think the change could make the time even more difficult to get,” Mark said.

“On the old design riders understood you could be down on the clock at the midway point and still make up the time.

“This way around you don’t have the galloping time at the end of the course. Riders will have a different challenge.”

No combinations made it inside the time cross-country at Badminton, the World Equestrian Games (WEG) or Burghley last year and all three courses had relatively low completion rates.

Despite this Mark maintains that there is “not a trend” for stronger courses.

“There is no intention for this,” Mark said. “There was not a bad fence at Badminton it was just the collective combination of difficult fences that lead to the low completion rate.

“The issues at the WEG were footing related and at Burghley I possibly had one too many turns in the Dairy Mound combination, which made the time tight.

“Some of it is weather dependent — if it is wet a four-star track looks bigger. I think you will see an easier Badminton track this year.”

Ref: H&H 26 March, 2015

Mark Phillips: ‘The sport has to change’ [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 08:55:15 +0000

The start of a new season is here and already we have experienced sadness and are embroiled in controversy.

Francisco Seabra, who was killed in a fall in Spain last month, was a decent rider, having competed at the World Equestrian Games. Portables tipping over — as reportedly happened here — is every designer and builder’s nightmare. It’s happened to me twice and I was lucky that no one was hurt.

I write from central Texas, so could not be at Heathrow for the FEI meeting with the International Event Riders Association and course-designers to discuss the new rule giving riders an automatic 21 penalties for breaking a frangible fence.

Riders are obviously worried that they could clip a rail with the back feet, break a device and lose big money or forfeit a medal. Many organisers and designers share their view.

Our fence judges are volunteers, but even for experts it’s really difficult to tell if a pin has started to bend or a touch of tension has been lost from the reverse pin wire or rope.

The only way to guarantee fair play is to change a device every time it is hit. Obviously this is impractical — it would be expensive and time-consuming as since time began horse have used their hindlegs on rails going into coffins, sunken roads, quarries and drop fences. It’s part of the balancing process even when the fence is ridden well.

Such is the concern of organisers — who want a result on the Sunday night and not an impending visit to the Court of Arbitration for Sport — that at Kentucky, Luhmühlen and Burghley it’s been decided to replace frangible rails that might be broken by hindleg contact with old-fashioned logs or short-backed cabins. This is surely a retrograde step in trying to reduce the risk of serious injury.

The trouble is, I think the new rule is a good one with fences out in the open. We have had too many serious accidents where riders have not respected straightforward jumps enough. I’m not sure that the rule can differentiate between the two, but hopefully by the time you read this a compromise will have been reached.

Is this the future?

Just over a month ago I was course-designer in an eventing showcase in Wellington, Florida. The organisers there could not get a date from the governing body, so decided to put up $50,000 (£33,000) of prize money and run unaffiliated. It’s a similar frustration many organisers have suffered in this country, although not a solution we’ve seen often.

We ran an advanced dressage test, Richard Jeffery designed a 1.25–1.30m showjumping course and I did a 2,000m cross-country course with 20 jumping efforts at 535mpm, so a slower, shorter version of a regular CIC3*. Every part of every phase could be seen from the hospitality tent. The result was a huge success, enjoyed by spectators, sponsors and TV, as it was so easy to cover.

What if this was the future of the Olympic sport? What if teams were seeded like a tennis tournament, with a top and bottom half of the draw? Sixteen teams could be whittled down to four for a final medal showdown.

Countries could nominate teams of four, but in every round could only run three. Everyone would have to ride competitively to stay in the game. You could run a similar knockout contest and a second showjumping round for the individual medals.

The whole thing could be done in an area the size of a couple of polo pitches and with portables you could have a different course every week. The possibilities are endless.

There is no question that the sport has to change — nothing is forever, even if Badminton and Burghley survive in their existing form. Princess Haya has recently commissioned Charles Barnett, formerly the boss at Aintree and then Ascot racecourses, to look at new ideas for eventing and I hope he studies this one.

Riders and owners in the US are also pushing for a new rule that if an organiser puts up a certain prize fund they can choose their date, in an effort to raise prize money and break old-fashioned protectionist policies. You know this one is not going to be universally popular!

Ref: H&H 12 March, 2015

Mark Phillips dropped as eventing team coach

Sophia Heath — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 14:55:11 +0000

The Belgian eventing team has a new coach after the country’s equestrian federation (FRBSE) decided not to renew Mark Phillips’ contract at the end of 2014.

Olympic rider Marc Rigouts has taken over from Mark, and will be tasked with trying to help the team qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

The Belgian team finished in 10th place at WEG after two of their riders failed to complete to the cross-country phase.

The team will therefore have to try and gain their Olympic place at the European eventing championships at Blair this autumn (10-13 September). The top two teams, that have not already qualified, will head to Rio.

“After assessing the actions taken for WEG and after consultation with the riders of high performance sport in this Olympic discipline, the steering committee of the FRBSE decided to stop working with the current coach, Mark Phillips,” FRBSE said in a statement.

Marc rode for Belgium at the London Olympics and also coached the team at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. The 56-year-old has been the Belgian national champion four times and also coached the Dutch team in 1993 and 1994.

“His many skills such as experience, technical knowledge, accessibility, availability, communication skills, sense of the horse and his affinity with the world of eventing in Belgium made him the ideal candidate,” the statement added.

Marc said that he was looking forward to “raising the bar” for Belgian eventing.

“I will try to implement the right tools to achieve an increasing level of performance, thanks to a modern management and training, ” he said.

It is not clear what Mark Phillips’ next role might be.

The H&H columnist has designed the cross-country course for a new $50,000 (£32952) compact eventing class being hosted in Florida this weekend (30-31 January).

He is also the course-designer for the four-star tracks at Burghley and Luhmühlen. Last October it was announced that he would design the CIC2* course at Rockingham Castle International Horse Trials (22-24 May).

Mark was previously coach for the US eventing team in the run-up to the London Olympics (pictured top).

H&H was unable to reach Mark for comment prior to publication.

Zara Phillips shares her eventing wisdom

Madeleine Silver — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 09:55:53 +0000

With a European eventing champion as a mother and an Olympic eventing gold medallist as a father, Zara Phillips is never going to be short of good advice. H&H caught up with the World Equestrian Games silver medallist to get her take on course-walking, hard graft and learning from your mistakes.

Zara Phillips on…

…hard graft

“My parents [Captain Mark Phillips and Princess Anne] were always very much about working hard,” says Zara. “When I started we only had one or two horses anyway, so it was always about making sure you do one horse or a few horses very well, rather than having a lot and doing them averagely.”

…course-walking

“I always walk the course with my Dad,” Zara tells H&H. “He’s very good at walking a great line, but also making sure that you have a plan B just in case something happens.”

… eventing legends

“[It was hard to be in awe of the older generation of eventers as a child] because I grew with my parents riding and I just went around the circuit [with them],” she says.

“But it’s funny to now be riding with Toddy after he’s come back to the sport. And when I started Pippa [Funnell] was at the top of the sport winning everything and no one could get past her. So it’s great to be riding with those guys now.”

…what makes a great rider

“Everyone is different,” Zara says. “If you went and looked in the top five riders’ yards now you’d see how everyone does everything so differently.

“It’s about getting the best out of your horse on the day and all of that is due to day-in-day-out training, learning about your horse and getting the best partnership you can.”

…getting expert advice

“If you look at the top football or rugby teams and the amount of people they have around them — they’ve got physios, doctors and nutritionists for example — it’s so professional.

“And we’re working with expensive animals as well, so you kind of have to go that way.

“You’re always trying to get ahead and get that last little bit of perfection or ability out of a horse.

“You want to try to make sure you get the most you can out of them.”

…making mistakes

“You see mistakes that younger riders are making when you’re on the circuit, but I think they’re all mistakes that you’ve made yourself,” says Zara. “Unfortunately the best way to learn is through mistakes.”

Zara Phillips is the in-game mentor and guide for the internationally successful equine game Howrse which is available as a free-to-play browser game for PC, Mac, iOS and Android mobile devices. Find out more at www.howrse.co.uk

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Mark Phillips: What’s the future for the four-stars? [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:23:30 +0000

This year has been a dramatic one, with the cross-country the dominant factor in determining the result at many of the four-stars. The old and bold would celebrate this return to the “good old days”.

Unfortunately times have changed and many of the pictures we saw this year are becoming increasingly unacceptable.

That produces a real dilemma for the four-star designer. How do you set a four-star test and still produce a picture that is acceptable in countries such as Germany, Holland and Sweden where animal rights activists are vociferous?

We have had the introduction of frangible fences with the British pin systems and the Swedish MIM Clip. Designers are using more brush fences as they, too, are forgiving if a rider makes a mistake. But some say the bigger effort required to jump so many brushes is making horses more tired.

There have been papers circulating among senior designers this autumn asking whether we are mentally asking too much of the horses, with so many combinations and skinny fences.

Badminton final scores

As ever, we seem to have more questions than answers.

Why horses are tiring more

One common factor this year was the ground conditions, which made the time unattainable at Badminton, Burghley — where one softer section meant riders could not make up time — and the World Equestrian Games. In all three cases we underestimated the conditions underfoot.

When the time is difficult, horses become more tired and the resulting pictures are less pretty. The shorter format doesn’t have the endurance element we had from a 5min 13sec steeplechase followed by a 14min cross-country. In those days, we settled into a rhythm like the long-distance runner in order to finish.

In the long format, we had a jumping effort every 175 or 180m — now it’s every 140 or 145m. The number of fences has not changed, nor has the speed at which water, a coffin, a sunken road and so on can be tackled. That means horses now go much faster between the jumps and they therefore get winded, more than tired, from the intensity of the effort.

In addition, many riders aspire to ride at four-star and indeed meet the minimum requirements. However, in life, experience is what you get just after you discovered you needed it. So my heart sank when I heard there were 18 first-timers at Burghley this year, because I knew there would be a percentage that were not up to it.

Where do we go now?

I go to Burghley this week to start the 2015 course. It’s been agreed that we can turn the track around so that the Lion Bridge, Lake Crossing, Capabilities Cutting and Cottesmore Leap will all come in the first 4min. The highest point on the course will come at 4min instead of 8min.

Will this be an improvement? I don’t know, as it will put the challenges of Discovery Valley, the Leaf Pit and the Arena in the last 3min.

It will be fascinating to see what Giuseppe de la Chiesa comes up with at Badminton. He’ll be praying for better weather.

Even more interesting will be Ian Stark’s Bramham after his wet one this time and how he deals with the mountain at Blair Castle for the Europeans in September.

Talking of Blair, Alec Lochore assures me that the dressage arena erected in the main ring this year to protect the virgin grass was in the wrong place and I’ve now seen pictures of it correctly sited. Happily, the boards looked laser-beam level.

I apologise for inferring otherwise (comment, 28 August) but I was not the only one scratching my head. Anyway, I’m excited about returning to Scotland next year for what should be a great European Championship.

It was disappointing to see so few runners at Pau last week. Was this because of the attrition at WEG, Badminton, Burghley or the lack of HSBC funding for the FEI Classics — or a combination? I don’t know, but it was a sad way for 2014 to peter out.

Let’s look forward to 2015. I’m hoping we can make it a golden year for the sport and leave the soggy memories of 2014 behind.

Mark Phillips announced as new course designer at popular event

Amy Mathieson — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 08:55:15 +0000

H&H eventing columnist Mark Phillips is to design the CIC2* cross-country course at Rockingham Castle International Horse Trials next year.

The plans are already underway for the 2015 event — which will be held from 22-24 May — at the park in Rockingham Castle, in Leicestershire.

Mark has been for a walk around the site and is already planning several changes to the layout, which are under discussion.

“We are thrilled to have Mark Phillips on board,” said event organiser Andrew Norman.

“His enviable CV, which includes designing the courses at Burghley, the Festival of British Eventing and Luhmuhlen, mean that he needs no introduction.

“His courses are highly regarded by competitors who have already given the event their vote of approval over the past two years.

“This is the perfect news for us as we strive to make the Rockingham Castle Horse Trials a ‘must go to’ event both for riders and spectators.”

Rockingham replaced Brigstock International Horse Trials – which was dropped from the British Eventing calendar in 2012.

This year’s CIC2* was won by Gemma Tattersall riding Quicklook V, who finished ahead of Tim Price on Bango.

The first CIC2* section was won by Oliver Townend on Sandiman II.

For more information visit: www.rockinghamcastlehorsetrials.com

Mark Phillips: Escaping France for British four-star efficiency [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:27:26 +0000

Although I am biased because I’m involved with the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, I don’t know anybody who wasn’t glad to get out of France after the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) and into the polite, efficient atmosphere of Britain’s autumn four-star.

Last week Mark Todd was eloquent on how “WEG failed to deliver”.

Having been at championships as a competitor and coach for the past 40 years, it was not all bad. But as a spectator or owner it probably surpassed 1994 at The Hague as the worst ever WEG, with the problems with traffic, loos and food queues.

I’ve been to many wonderful events in France and at Haras du Pin. I’m not sure what it is about WEG that makes the normal good organisation disintegrate. Maybe it has something to do with the FEI!

Inconsistent rules

The one thing the FEI should have learned at WEG is never to let your lawyers talk to the coaches.

We were lectured about how athletes’ sponsors could not be on clothing nor could there be national flags on horse ear covers for dressage. When I showed a picture from grand prix dressage the day before with a flag, the answer was: “It’s not allowed”. So I said: “What are you doing about it?” Answer: “It’s not allowed”. My answer: “Well, if you are doing nothing about it, then it must be allowed.”

We had riders taping over logo signs like a patchwork quilt, despite the word of the lawyer not matching the rules on the FEI website.

Was the going acceptable?

We knew there would be hills across country and it was no surprise that 18 of Pierre Michelet’s 42 fences were a skinny or an angle. The fact that nearly 50% of the fences had a brush component had many course-designers sucking their teeth. But the course had many great attributes.

The only place Pierre totally missed was the last water. The step was too big and the skinny fish did not focus the horses’ attention.

Like Mark Todd, I heard about the €1million spend on the footing, but you couldn’t see where it had gone, save a few causeways with a drainage pipe underneath them.

After cross-country, many riders said for a four-star championship the ground was unacceptable.

On a personal note, I was proud of my daughter Zara. She may not be 100% fit, but she sure showed up on the day.

Also, I was sorry for William Fox-Pitt. His bronze was fantastic, but we have to admit that Sandra Auffarth’s Opgun Louvo was the class act and that Michael Jung is a genius, the likes of which we have not seen before in the sport.

The Burghley time

At Burghley, the big surprise was that the cross-country time was unachievable.

Neither I nor technical delegate Philip Surl cheated on the measurement and no riders complained after wheeling it.

Watching the TV, a typical percentage of riders were 15-20sec down at the Land Rover Dairy Farm. Normally riders are able to make the time up between the Land Rover Dairy Farm (7min) and the Anniversary Splash (10min).

This year, that fastest part of the course was taking a 2in cut in the turf, so riders were not able to make that time back. Then they lost another 10sec at the Lion Bridge.

For me, that put too much pressure on the clock and therefore on the riders. I’d like to see the best finishing with the horses’ ears pricked. As it was, everyone was under pressure and using hands and heels to get home as soon as possible. This year’s Burghley, Badminton and WEG have all emphasised the importance of good footing if the riders are to produce a good picture.

So why was the time so impossible? The footing down from Cottesmore Leap to Capabilities was one factor, the “stop-go” riding from so many was another.

Riders forget at the Land Rover Trout Hatchery and the Dairy Farm how tiring it is for the horse if you come back to zero and then have to accelerate back up to 600mpm.

Finally, no one predicted that the arena fences (part B pictured top) would be the most influential test. They were not difficult if riders gave horses time to understand the question.

Mark’s column was first published in Horse & Hound (11 September, 2014)

Mark Phillips: Am I coming or going? [H&H VIP]

Horse & Hound — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 08:45:56 +0000

Last week was the start of a three-week nightmare for me. I can only hope it finishes up with pleasant dreams! At the beginning of the week I was training with the Belgian team, before the press day at Burghley on the Thursday and then Blair Castle (pictured above) at the weekend.

On the Sunday night of Blair I was on the ferry to Normandy for the World Equestrian Games (WEG) and this Sunday I’ll be back on the boat en route to Burghley. I guess it’s a great life if you don’t weaken.

Having said that, I leave for WEG quite relaxed about Burghley. The cross-country is big and looks in fantastic condition as clerk of the course Philip Herbert and his team have made the most of this user-friendly summer.

Even Caroline Powell quite likes it and wishes she were riding (see pull-out, p12 in this week’s issue), although she does have reservations about the Dairy Farm, where I actually thought I’d been kinder than last year.

Even without the WEG field Burghley looks to have a great entry. It would be a brave man to bet against Andrew Nicholson making history with a third victory on Avebury. But I’m sure William Fox-Pitt and company will have something to say about that.

It’s a long way north…

I had not been to Blair for years and had forgotten the beauty of the mountains and countryside on the Blair Atholl Estates. It is, though, a long way up country and a lot cooler than we are used to for those of us living south of the Midlands.

That will be a factor next year for the foreign teams at the European Championships.

It took my Belgian riders 22 hours door to door including the ferry and driving through southern England at night. For those that still don’t comprehend the geography, when you get to Edinburgh you still have to go north for another two hours.

Alec Lochore’s team were all outstandingly helpful, which augurs well for next year.

This year was a typical Alec 10-ring circus with one-, two- and three-star competitions, showjumping and the longstanding country fair. It did get people through the gate, even if the organisation creaked at times.

There were, though, enough of next year’s key people in place to iron out the wrinkles for the Europeans. It will also be a lot easier when the whole team is focused on just one class, rather than four international sections.

I feel sorry for Alec, who suffered a detached retina driving back from Normandy the week before trying to be the director at Blair, quickly followed by trying to be technical delegate at WEG. He could not have chosen a worse moment in the year to be unable to see!

Ian Stark, the course-designer at Blair, did a great job. The hill here is legendary, but Scotty had re-routed the track to move it to the middle of the course and so lessen its effect. Next year it will be even earlier in an effort to produce better pictures at the end, where there will be an extended distance on the flatter ground.

Flat ground — or the lack of it — is a real issue at Blair. Next year’s dressage arena was the “hallowed ground” this year with no horses allowed on the new turf. A fortune has been spent on this ground with all sorts of experts involved and it did look a huge improvement to the surrounding areas in the main arena.

However, when they erected the dressage boards on the Sunday to keep the jumping track off the turf, the new arena looked quite unlevel. Having gone to so much time, trouble and money with draining, grading and turf, you would think that levelling out the depression would be relatively easy — if I was Alec I would want some of my money back.

Finding good flat training areas will be an issue next year. Alec is very much on the case and with far fewer horses spread out over a much larger area, I’m sure he’ll find a way to make it work.

Everyone at Blair is determined to make next year’s European Championships a very special occasion and something that Britain and Scotland can be very proud of.

This column was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (28 August, 2014)

Mark Phillips: Do riders realise the risk they take across country? [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:00:39 +0000

The past two weekends I’ve been lucky enough to be the course-designer for the CIC3* at Hopetoun and then for the novice, CIC2* and CIC3* at Barbury (above). I say lucky because at these big events it is a privilege to be responsible for the cross-country course.

However, this did mean I spent four days out of eight sitting on a hill watching 200 horses a day crossing the country over fixed obstacles. At both events my heart was in my mouth more times than I care to admit watching the novice, CIC* and CIC2*, but happily less at CIC3*.

I love watching cross-country. Seeing horses and riders at speed, jumping out of a balanced rhythm, has a majestic poetry that we can all admire — the horse has a four-wheel drive system that vehicle manufacturers will never match.

Conversely, viewing people make bad moves in front of solid obstacles gives heart-stopping moments. I saw two of those moves at two-star and even more at one-star.

It left me wondering why. Eventing is doing more than ever to try to make the sport “safer” yet we are seeing more “bad moves” than ever before. It is ironic that the “safer” the fences become, the less responsibility is taken by the riders.

I’m not saying that competitors deliberately ride irresponsibly. Most “bad moves” come from a lack of knowledge — people don’t even appreciate the risk they are taking.

Everybody who drives a car understands the risk if they overtake without quite enough space before a blind rise or a corner. I’m absolutely not convinced that many riders have the same understanding when they push a horse out of balance in front of a fence, so the horse is thinking more about the rider’s hand than the jump.

Eventing has mushroomed with the introduction of BE80(T), BE90 and BE100. Forgive me, but these are truly point and kick levels. There is then a massive jump to the novice (1.10m) level that actually requires the rider to start riding.

As a sport, we have a responsibility to now introduce the 1.05m level to help riders make that massive step. It should be a mandatory requirement for riders to do four or five 1.05m competitions if they are not qualified three- or four-star jockeys.

After the Olympics in 2008 we talked with the FEI about making 1.05m competitions the one-star level and moving the star rating of the other levels up — so Badminton and Burghley become five-star events. That would give eventing an equivalent star rating to dressage and showjumping. The FEI did not care to do this. I felt it was the wrong decision then and feel even more strongly now.

In America, where riders can start at levels even smaller than BE80(T), they are starting to draw up criteria for the 1.05m level. I’m convinced we need to do the same in this country and that, one day, the FEI risk management gurus will see the commonsense and follow suit.

The jewels in the crown

Having said all that, it was wonderful to see Stuart Buntine’s extravaganza at Hopetoun growing in stature just a stone’s throw from the airport on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

As the event grows it has the inevitable associated pains, but wondering how to cope better with so many people is a nice problem. I’m sure this will increasingly become a destination event for the sport, just like Thirlestane in the old days.

After 10 years Barbury has been through many of those growing pains and is now overrun with entries. Somehow the programme needs tweaking so we are not still running cross-country at 6pm.

I appreciate the event is victim of its own success, but on Sunday there were massive crowds out on the course in the early afternoon, who had mostly drifted home by the time the big names were displaying their skills at speed as the reverse order of merit CIC3* came to an exciting end.

We are so lucky in this country with special venues such as Hopetoun and Barbury. Now British Eventing’s fixtures people just need to help by not having these two jewels in the crown on back-to-back weekends!

Mark Phillips: you cannot make eventing totally safe [H&H VIP]

Mark Phillips — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 08:00:54 +0000

Eventing is a wonderful sport, but it does not take competitors long to experience the fantastic highs and the terrible lows.

At Luhmühlen we saw some terrific riding as some great young horses put in world-class performances in perfect weather on perfect footing.

That spectacle was sadly clouded by Benjamin Winter’s tragic death and the sad loss of Tom Crisp’s old friend Liberal, who looked as though he died of a heart attack, just 1,600m into the course.

A lot of research has been done in America into what causes this type of fatality, which appears more prevalent today than 25 years ago. Sadly, as yet we don’t have any answers.

Like Liberal, Benjamin Winter [pictured at Houghton last year] died doing what he loved best. He had a wonderful ride at his first four-star on Wild Thing Z and looked to be heading for a second one on Ispo.

We will never know what made him have a rush of blood to the head and kick for a distance that was never there. He’d even been told by coach Christopher Bartle not to see the distance from 100m away. He never took the tug and paid the ultimate unacceptable price.

Ispo did not land on him, with resulting crush injuries, but the impact caused fatal head injuries.

As course-designer, the sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach never really leaves you. Simon Long’s fall at Burghley over 10 years ago still haunts me; Benjamin Winter’s will never disappear either. All riders know the risks, but none expects to lose their life when they make a mistake.

With frangible pins and other technologies, we have made so much progress, but we cannot make eventing totally safe, any more than you can guarantee safety in your car.

What is so unfair for Benjamin is that plenty of others make mistakes. Georgie Spence did a very similar thing at the oxer at number 5. She was lucky — the post broke and she only broke her collarbone. It is not the first time she has ridden this way and she should be mindful of the possible consequences.

Craig Nicolai fell at the footbridge at number 6, a 3-star level fence with an uphill take-off. At 3- and 4-star, riders really need to take responsibility for jumping the straightforward, let-up fences. Please let us not end up with a situation where we cannot, at the top level, site fences off a straight approach, unless they are steeplechase fences.

The memorial service at Luhmühlen was a moving way to handle the tragedy. With amazing courage, Benjamin’s mother Sybille said he would have wanted the event to continue and so we went on.

I was thrilled for Tim Price and Wesko. This class performance greatly strengthens their World Equestrian Games [WEG] bid.

You have to take your hat off to Boyd Martin. He rode in pain from his recently broken leg all weekend and his clear was a masterpiece, as Shamwari 4 is not easy on the last day. At full fitness, he must have a strong chance at WEG. Oliver Townend, too, did a great job on Black Tie.

Our low was compounded by the news from Nunney of Jordan McDonald’s death. His was the slow rotation, Ben’s the fast one. Let’s hope the rest of the summer brings more smiles after these tragedies.

Erratic yellow card use

I was saddened by Mary King’s automatic 2-month suspension for 2 yellow cards for dangerous riding. I did not see the first incident at Le Lion d’Angers, but I saw the second at Bramham. These days Mary is not as tidy as she once was, but she has not competed so successfully all these years by riding dangerously.

We do not seem to have a level playing field here. For me, there was no question that Georgie Spence should have had a card at Luhmühlen and Anna Hasso, too, for jumping the string and then having a stop when she tried to jump back again.

We see many people getting away with bad moves. I support the yellow card system — people who ride dangerously need to be warned — but much depends on who sees you and the mood of the ground jury.

The FEI has some video footage, but probably needs to introduce more video education for officials to give a fairer system. H&H