Latest from Horse & Hound in Tales-from-rio

Tales from Rio: ‘He’s the most brave breeding stallion in the world’

Alice Collins — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 12:08:49 +0000

Germany’s Christian Ahlmann is a regular face on the international showjumping scene. He was in Rio with the magnificent Dutch warmblood (KWPN) horse Taloubet Z.

But far from being a fire-breathing stallion, Christian says he is “really quiet, almost too quiet”.

“Just walking around, you wouldn’t think he had so much blood [energy and fiestiness] in the ring. He is a breeding stallion, but the most brave breeding stallion in the world. You could take him in to your bed if you wanted. He’s such a nice horse.

“To start, in the ring, he is on the border of almost too much blood; but in the stable you can’t see it. In the ring he comes alive.”

Now 41, Christian has been riding Taloubet for seven years — although as a youngster Christian’s first love was for football before he found riding.

Although Taloubet was always talented, the son of Galoubet A used ot have a fear of water jumps.

“I took him home from a show and he didn’t want to jump the water and he didn’t want to jump the fences around the water,” says Christian. “So we had a hard time with that. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to jump it, but he was a bit scared and didn’t want to get close.

They worked long and hard to overcome the horse’s fear, starting with baby steps.

“We started from 20cm onwards, and from the moment he felt safe it was OK. It took a while, and luckily we got on the team.”

The German equestrian teams are some of the most successful medal-producers for their nation across all sports. And in Rio they were sniffing out medals too.

“Taloubet’s in great shape, really concentrated, really fresh,” he goes on.

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: A million reasons to love this rider

Tales from Rio: ‘I was on 21 painkillers, but I had to qualify for the Olympics’

Tales from Rio: Why it was ‘wee wee’ rather than ‘oui oui’ for the French yesterday

Christian is in the mix zone in Rio, talking to journalists under the punishing sun after jumping in the main arena. How does he feel about the courses?

“The first day was a very good course,” says the lanky German. “We had no big problems in the course and I really hope I can keep it like that. But I didn’t expect so many clears — lots of horses jumped it very well.

As everyone knows, it’s millimetres that makes or breaks a combination in showjumping.

“One fault can make a huge difference,” he continues. “Talou is an amazing horse, with so much power and a lot — a lot — of scope. It is my job to get the power out of him in sport. Now we have the control and the confidence for a lot of years, but we had a hard time to start, so that makes it more special now.”

The German team went on to take bronze after a jump-off with Canada.

Full 20-page report from the Olympic showjumping in Rio in the issue of H&H published Thursday, 25 August, including full analysis of every round of the competition and expert comment from Geoff Billington and William Funnell.

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Tales from Rio: ‘We had no money; I did Polly Pocket commercials to pay for lessons’

Alice Collins — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 18:01:40 +0000

Tiffany Foster might be jumping round huge tracks on Tripple X III now, but the Canadian Olympic showjumper didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth. When she was a kid, she acted in ads to earn cash.

“When I was a little girl, we didn’t have any money, so my mum made me do commercials to pay for my riding lessons,” she says. Then she reels off a whole list of brands she worked for — at lightning speed.

“They were little girl toy commercials,” she says. “Polly Pocket, Littlest Petshop, Little Petshop Zoo, Shampoodle, Puppy Surprise, Pony Surprise, Kitty Surprise — all of those. I’m multi-faceted over here!” she jokes.

Tiffany is so engaging and bright; the only tough job for a journalist is writing fast enough to keep up with her supersonic talking speed.

She’s now competing at the Olympics in Rio on Ben Maher’s London 2012 gold medal-winning horse, Tripple X.

“I’m telling you; anybody could go in the ring on Tripple X and feel confident,” says Tiffany, as she bounces up and down with enthusiasm under Rio’s punishing sun.

Is it strange for her to be riding Tripple X at a show, knowing Ben is here too?

“No,” she says brightly. “Ben and I are pretty good friends and we’ve been to a lot of shows together. I’m used to him being around. All I’m thinking as I’m cantering round is if he’s thinking he’s wishing he was riding ‘Hugo’ — though maybe not!”

She giggles in her charming, chirpy way.

Ben Maher and Tripple X III win team gold at the London 2012 Olympics (Image credit: Trevor Meeks)

How does it feel to be riding an Olympic gold medalist?

“He’s a double gold medalist — he won gold at the Pan-Ams too,” she admonishes, quick to praise the British-bred son of Namelus R.

“You honestly don’t think there’s a jump he can’t jump. When you feel that at the Olympic Games and you walk the course and you don’t even register how big the jumps are. It’s a great feeling and I don’t think everybody gets that. I feel really fortunate to have that.

“I’ve come here with a ton of confidence in my horse — I can’t imagine being here on any other horse.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: A million reasons to love this rider

Tales from Rio: The incredible comeback from cancer, facial reconstructive surgery and a superbug

Tiffany Foster to keep ride on Tripple X III

In the first round, Tripple X nudged out a single brick on top of the gigantic wall.

“He jumped unbelievably,” she says with her customary enthusiasm. “He felt like he was having a good time.

“He has a little bit of a left drift which I have to use to my advantage. I couldn’t be happier with him though, he tried his heart out.

“I can’t believe I had the stupid wall down, just the top brick flicked off! I’ve never had a wall down with him. What a time to do it!”

Decked out support crew

Tiffany’s mother Lynne is in Rio to support her.

“My mum is my number one fan — she’s totally decked out and I just hope I get a clear so I can go and give them a wave.”

And that precious clear came today. She and Hugo jumped a cracking round in temperatures touching 30 degrees. Canada was then tied in third with Germany and had to jump again. The pair put in another astonishing clear, with Hugo eating up the ground with his huge canter and Tiffany daring him on. It might not have been good enough for the team bronze, but the horse jumped his socks off, and Tiffany rode beautifully.

Tales from Rio: A million reasons to love this rider

Alice Collins — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 17:38:58 +0000

He’s a graphic designer. He competed at two Olympics, one of those as an eventer. He has three kids. And he’s gorgeous. There are a million reasons to love H&H’s new Games crush, Swedish Rio showjumper Peder Fredricson.

“I did my first Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona in three-day-eventing,” he coos.

Why did you change disciplines, we want to know.

“Well, it happened because I got a sponsorship with H&M, but they wanted a showjumper.”

So they liked Peder, but not his sport.

“They wanted another jumper and it wasn’t difficult to persuade me. It was the other way round really — I was wondering why they wanted me, why I got the call.

“My brother and my wife [Lisen, also an Olympian] were doing showjumping and it was also something I thought was interesting to get into and I could travel around with them, doing the same thing.”

Peder adapted easily to his new discipline, playing down the sheer talent required to do both (and either!) at top level.

“It’s not so different really,” he shrugs. “You do showjumping in three-day eventing. It’s just that I don’t have to do that dressage and I’m really happy about that. But I do miss the cross-country sometimes.”

Was he sad about missing out watching the cross-country in Rio?

“Not really,” he laughs. “You have to have a very good horse and be trained for it.”

As if riding at two different disciplines at different Olympics is not enough of a skill, Peder is also a graphic designer.

He created the memorable FEI pictograms, depicting the various horse sports in one easy-to-digest bite.

“I didn’t do the Olympic rings,” he jokes. “But I did do some logos for Stockholm international horse show. I’ve taken a break from that for the last three months though.”

That’s allowed in the run-up to an Olympics, we tell him. So with all this going on in his life, how does he look so remarkably fresh-faced for a 44-year-old?

He smiles at us through his gold Olympics sunglasses and explains: “I’ve got three kids and the youngest one just turned three two days ago. But he’s at home, so being here is like a holiday for me!”

This time round he’s jumping a gelding called All In, a 10-year-old by Kashmir Van Schuttershof. They bought the horse from Ludo Philippaerts as a seven-year-old and at home he’s called — somewhat uninspiringly — Alan.

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘My last Olympics was 28 years ago — in a different discipline’

Tales from Rio: ‘The hard times have made our bond even closer as a team’

Tales from Rio: ‘I found out I was jumping today at 7am’

“We looked at many horses,” continues Peder. “I saw this one, but he’s really small, and I thought he was too small, about 165m. But when I took the first jump, I just knew it was the horse for me.”

The little horse’s talent belies his name.

“I don’t think I’ll ever go the Olympics with a horse that good ever again, so I’m very happy,” he reasons. “But we’ll take one round at a time ands see how far we can go.”

Full report from the Olympic showjumping in Rio in the issue of H&H published Thursday, 25 August, including full analysis of every round and expert comment from Geoff Billington and William Funnell.

Tales from Rio: ‘My last Olympics was 28 years ago — in a different discipline’

Alice Collins — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:43:22 +0000

“It’s not that amazing a story, really.” says Australian showjumper Scott Keach, modestly. In fact it is an amazing story. And it includes a decade-long gap where he didn’t ride at all.

Twenty-eight years ago, he contested his first Games. But not in showjumping. Back then, in Seoul, he rode on the eventing team that finish fifth on a horse called Trade Commissioner.

He has set an Australian record for the longest gap between two Olympic appearances — across all sports.

This time round, he’s riding an 11-year-old called Fedor (Kashmir Van Schuttershof x Orkaan).

Scott admits he evented “some time ago”. His longevity is staggering.

“I used to showjump as a young person before I evented, and it was always in the back of my mind,” he says. “I stopped eventing in the 90s, then I didn’t ride for nearly 10 years. Then I just started again.”

What made him pick up the reins again? It’d take all day to tell the full story, he says, but the short version is this.

“Someone convinced me to go to the States. I had an opportunity to get into the jumping and grabbed that opportunity,” he explains somewhat vaguely.

“I was going to produce couple of horses to sell to put some money together and go back to uni and study chiropractic in the US. I just ran into a curve and ended up living in riding in the US.”

So how is he finding his second Games, nearly three decades after the first?

“This time I knew what I was in for,” he grins. “I was a lot more able to focus and be cool about it.

“I’m fairly happy with my riding and very happy with the horse,” he adds, after jumping for four faults in the first round in Rio, also known as the speed class. “I cut it a shade too much on a direct line. The horse read my body language and did what he was told to do — just a little bit too much.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘I found out I was jumping today at 7am’

Rio showjumping: riders disqualified for excessive use of whip and spurs

‘Tougher than expected’: carnage in Rio Olympics showjumping but Britain’s John Whitaker shines

Off the pitch, Scott is chuffed with his stay so far in the Athletes’ Village.

“The Australian building has the swimming pool right outside our building in the village; we’re very lucky. I get to swim every day.

“It’s beautiful weather, I’ve got a pool outside — this is a cool place to have a good time!”

Tales from Rio: ‘The hard times have made our bond even closer as a team’

Pippa Roome — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 20:13:02 +0000

The French showjumping team are hoping they have now had their full dose of bad luck for the Rio Olympics.

World number two Simon Delestre had to pull out last Wednesday when his horse Ryan Des Hayettes was found to have a micro-fracture of his hock and reserve Phillippe Rozier was called in with Rahotep De Toscane.

“I’m sure in one month my horse is ready for the Olympic Games,” jokes Phillippe today after jumping a clear in the first individual qualifier. “The trainer said would I accept the reserve position and I said yes, my horse is ready, we’re not just coming for a holiday.”

Further problems befell the team when Penelope Leprovost’s Flora De Mariposa suffered a mild colic episode on Friday night. The rider ended up sleeping a night on the floor of the veterinary clinic.

“All the hard times we went through made our team bond even closer,” says Phillippe. “The last three days were really hard for us. We’ve had a lot of hardships, so now we’re done [with our bad luck].”

Phillippe says his 11-year-old stallion by Quidam De Revel is “my friend, not my horse”.

“I first rode him at five and he wasn’t super crack at five, six or seven — he was a normal horse,” he says. “At eight he was much better and now he’s super crack for me.

“We have a great bond together and I think that makes us really strong. It’s really the kinship we have that makes us better — I think the cross-country riders have that too with their horses and that takes them further. It’s not so much the training and all the work that we do, it’s really that bond we have with the horses.”

Phillipe, who is based in Fontainebleau, says he does a lot of training with “Toto” in the big forest there and that the stallion has a pony-like character.

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘I found out I was jumping today at 7am’

Tales from Rio: ‘I was on 21 painkillers, but I had to qualify for the Olympics’

Tales from Rio: ‘It took two years to rehabilitate him; now I only school him once a week’

The French team had a four-day training camp at Deauville before flying out to Rio and they sit equal third as a team after today’s competition. However, faults from today do not influence the team medals, the results simply determine the starting order for the team competition on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today’s scores also count for the individual rankings, which will determine who qualifies for the individual final next Friday.

Tales from Rio: ‘I found out I was jumping today at 7am’

Alice Collins — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 17:10:38 +0000

It’s the call-up you always dream of. But you never envisage having only a couple of hours to prepare to ride at an Olympic Games. That was exactly what happened to Germany’s reserve rider, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum when team member Marcus Ehning and his horse Cornado NRW were withdrawn this morning.

“I was on the way to the stadium this morning and I had my training outfit on,” she explains. “I was going to take a day off from riding today and just watch everything — give my horse Fibonacci some grass.

“Then I got a message on my phone: ‘Do you have your white riding breeches with you?‘ I was like ‘Oh my gosh!’ I had lots of emotions and tears came to my eyes, but I had to quickly turn the emotions down low. I really wanted this [to ride in Rio] and I thought I would have to give it up as a reserve rider.

“It was a shock and a surprise and thank my lucky stars that I’m able to compete on this fabulous horse.

“We had to rush around to get ready for this class at 10am. But it was fun rushing and here I am.”

Continued below…

What time do the British showjumpers ride in Rio today?

Beginners’ guide to Olympic showjumping

Beginners’ guide to Olympic showjumping at Rio 2016

Meredith nearly didn’t even make the trip to Rio when she and the 11-year-old Fibonacci were selected as the reserve combinations, rather than stright onto the team.

“The owner was reluctant to go as the reserve, but we slept on it. This is sport and we didn’t want to be bad sports. I’m delighted I came – can you imagine if I was sitting at home?”

Talented but fragile

Fibonacci is nicknamed Nacho at home. The horse is “an incredible talent but mentally fragile“, says Meredith.

“He’s a little particular about his surroundings,” adds Meredith.

Luckily her groom, Anu Harrita, knows exactly how to keep the horse — and Meredith — happy.

“She is the best braider [plaiter] on the face of the earth,” grins Meredith. “She used to do Shutterfly too and has been working for me for 18 years.”

In the first days’ jumping, Meredith and Nacho put in a spectacular clear round and are cleanly through to the next round.

Her team-mate Ludger Beerbaum — who is her husband Markus’ brother — adds: “Having Meredith as your reserve is a luxury.”

Tales from Rio: ‘I was on 21 painkillers, but I had to qualify for the Olympics’

Pippa Roome — Sat, 13 Aug 2016 13:42:30 +0000

It’s not unusual for a rider not to trot up their own horse at the vet inspection, perhaps because they are injured themselves. But for Danish dressage rider Anna Kasprzak, letting trainer Andreas Helgstrand trot up Donnperignon at the Rio Olympics was more about preventing an injury.

“After the vet check at the European Championships in Aachen last year I was on the way back to the stable when he got scared and jumped in front,” says Anna. “Then he got scared of me and kicked me — I saw his hoof coming.

“He hit me in the chest and my first reaction was that he was loose, but luckily my groom had him. I passed out, it really hurt.”

X-rays at the hospital in Aachen didn’t reveal any breaks.

“They wanted to keep me in, but I said no, I had to ride to help my team qualify for the Olympics,” says Anna. “The doctors weren’t happy. I had 21 different painkillers.

“I rode in the grand prix and the special, but it was very painful. I was going to ride until an hour before the freestyle, but I couldn’t do it any more, the pain was hell and I was just crying.”

Despite Anna’s valiant efforts in completing her two team tests, Denmark missed out on a team qualification in Aachen. But they managed to qualify a “composite team” for Rio — when individual riders win places through the rankings system.

Back home in Denmark, Anna discovered she had broken her sternum and three ribs. She needed three months off riding to recover.

As Donnperignon, a 17-year-old by Donnerhall, misbehaved at the Rio trot-up, Anna was glad she hadn’t taken the risk of trotting him up herself.

“It’s good he’s happy, but he is naughty,” she says. “He’s also blind in his left eye, so he can’t see on one side.”

The Kasprzaks knew that Donnperignon had an eye condition when they bought him.

“A white film would come over his eye and it was stress related — he’d get it from travelling — but we knew about it and how to treat it,” says Anna. “We had a paste to put in his eye and he was really sweet about it.”

All was well until the medication Donnperignon required was added to the banned substance list. His condition worsened and became painful for him and he had to have an operation. Now it no longer needs treatment or causes him any problems, but he is largely blind in that eye.

“The front of the eye is ok, but he can’t see behind,” says Anna, explaining that the horse had time to adjust because his sight deteriorated gradually. “If there was a noise on the left side, I’d let him see it and he’d see that if I’m not reacting, it’s fine.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘It took two years to rehabilitate him; now I only school him once a week’

Tales from Rio: Why it was ‘wee wee’ rather than ‘oui oui’ for the French yesterday

Tales from Rio: ‘I used to be a hairdresser — I’ve done our team trainer’s hair’

Anna credits her groom of six years, Jane Kallistrup, for helping her to manage the horse.

“I’ve said if she’ll stay with me for another four years, I’ll try to qualify for the Olympics again,” she says.

Anna scored 74.524% for 15th in the grand prix special today, meaning she has qualified for Monday’s freestyle, her aim coming into this Games.

Full 20-page report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison and Peter Storr.

Tales from Rio: ‘It took two years to rehabilitate him; now I only school him once a week’

Pippa Roome — Sat, 13 Aug 2016 07:55:12 +0000

We all know horses are fragile creatures, but Spanish dressage rider Beatriz Ferrer-Salat has shown remarkable persistence in finding a way to manage her Rio Olympics ride, Delgado.

“I bought him when he was six and he started to suffer some tendon injuries in front,” she says of the De Niro son, who is now 15. “They took longer and longer to heal — he’d do one show, then be off again, do one show, then be off again.

“In the end, his tendon broke. We had to operate and he had a year off. Two months later, the same thing happened. I decided to stop and do everything it took to make him sound.

“I started working with a chiropractor and a good blacksmith. It took almost two years to get him right. I did a lot of long reining and hacking in the woods and took everything really slowly. We started competing in March last year.”

Beatriz’s faith in the horse’s potential proved founded when the pair won the freestyle bronze at the Europeans in Aachen last year. She continues to manage him carefully.

“I only school him once or twice a week and I do a lot of hacking and working on canter tracks,” she says. “He goes to the spa and walks on the treadmill in the water.”

Looking after the horse out in Rio is a particular challenge.

“He does a couple of days work, then has a light day, then does a couple of days work, then a light day. We use iced boots and are very careful.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: Why it was ‘wee wee’ rather than ‘oui oui’ for the French yesterday

Tales from Rio: ‘I used to be a hairdresser — I’ve done our team trainer’s hair’

Tales from Rio: ‘We walk to McDonalds for date night in the Athletes’ Village’

The pair scored 76.863% in the special and 74.829% in the grand prix.

“I’m very happy with my horse,” she said after the special. “He was really with me. Yesterday he was distracted.”

This is the Beatriz’s fourth Games and she collected team silver and individual bronze at Athens 2004 riding Beauvalais.

Full 20-page report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison and Peter Storr.

Tales from Rio: Why it was ‘wee wee’ rather than ‘oui oui’ for the French yesterday

Pippa Roome — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 16:46:52 +0000

Sometimes when you have to go, you have to go. And that was the case for Rio Olympics dressage horse Badinda Altena after the grand prix yesterday — as she was leaving the arena, she had to let the flood go, on the biggest stage she’ll probably ever perform on.

“It’s the first time she’s done that, it was a bit embarrassing,” admits her French rider Pierre Volla. “It’s quite funny. And she was able to do a personal best score despite needing to go!”

Badinda Altena can’t hold the flood back any longer as she leaves the Olympic dressage arena in Rio (Image credit: creditUnknown)

The pair scored 71.5% and made it through to today’s special.

“We’ve been training on the grand prix more than normal,” said Pierre. “She’s a very special horse to ride and you have to really work on control because she is full of energy.”

Today’s test did not go so well for Pierre and Badinda Altena, a 10-year-old by Tolando, and they scored 65.742%.

“It started well at first, but I’m disappointed by what I did,” he says, referring particularly to some issues in the piaffe.

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘I read my horse love stories — it makes him calm down and tune in’

Tales from Rio: ‘We walk to McDonalds for date night in the Athletes’ Village’

Tales from Rio: ‘I used to be a hairdresser — I’ve done our team trainer’s hair’

Pierre makes his Olympic debut here in Brazil.

“It’s a magical thing to be part of the Olympic team, the dream of every athlete,” he says. “To represent your nation at this level is special.”

Pierre was a showjumper until 2008, before becoming interested in dressage — his wife Perrine’s chosen discipline. He made his championship debut with Badinda at the European Championships in Aachen, Germany, last year, finishing 18th in the special.

Badinda’s sire Tolando was competed by the Dutch 2010 world champion Edward Gal before being sold to Canada and gelded in 2013.

Full 20-page report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison and Peter Storr.

Tales from Rio: ‘I used to be a hairdresser — I’ve done our team trainer’s hair’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 13:01:20 +0000

US dressage rider Laura Graves is in line to win a team bronze medal at the Rio Olympics later today, but a few years ago she earnt her living with a pair of hairdressers’ scissors in her hand.

“I was a hairdresser for an embarrassingly short time — probably about a year and a half, maybe two years,” she says. “I was always riding, but it was a hobby. Verdades [her Rio mount] was very young at the time, so until I decided to become a working student with this horse I had to support him in some way and that was it.”

Laura’s skills have come in useful while she is out in Rio — she has done team trainer Robert Dover’s hair, as well as her team-mate Kasey Perry-Glass’s and Kasey’s sister’s.

“We’re over here for a very long time, so it’s come in handy for them I guess,” she says.

Laura had the best test of the US riders in the grand prix, scoring 78.071% for fifth individually. Her only serious mistake was missing the last flying change at the end of the canter zig-zag.

“Unfortunately we just weren’t able to ride clean today, but I’m super happy with the feeling and the way the training is reflecting in the test,” she says.

The US riders are staying near to the venue at Deodoro, rather than in the Athletes’ Village and Laura says there is great team spirit.

“I can’t say enough good things about our team — team has a lot of different meanings and for us as equestrians in particular I think the Olympics is very special,” she says. “We have our team of our horses and ourselves, then we have our trainers and our friends and family and I couldn’t ask to be here with a better group of people. And we also get to be Team USA, which is something really special and it’s definitely memorable.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘I read my horse love stories — it makes him calm down and tune in’

Tales from Rio: ‘He’s nuts — his difficulty has always been his brain’

Tales from Rio: The horse bought at auction for half a million Euros who nearly died

Laura was very keen to attend the opening ceremony after going to the one for the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen, France.

“I wasn’t going to miss that, after my experience in France,” she says. “People tell you what an experience it is, but they also tell you that you will wait around for a long time and to be expecting that. But when you see your home nation flag there’s nothing more special, so I definitely wasn’t going to pass on it this year.

Laura rides again in the special at 3.38pm local time (7.38pm British time) and will hope to help confirm the team bronze for the US team. Follow all the action here.

Full 20-page report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison and Peter Storr.

Tales from Rio: ‘I read my horse love stories — it makes him calm down and tune in’

Pippa Roome — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 20:32:25 +0000

Russia’s Inessa Merkulova, who makes her Olympic debut in Rio, reads to her horse Mister X before every test they do in competition.

“He’s not a horse, he’s a person,” she said. “He likes to read books with me. Every time, before the competition, we go and read books for an hour and a half.

“I read love stories. He listens to my voice, he calms down. He’s tuning in. It’s a ritual for us now; he always knows it will come.”

The racy novel Fifty Shades of Grey is among Mister X’s choices for pre-competition reading.

Despite this unusual approach, Inessa is a serious competitor — she finished 14th in the grand prix with the 12-year-old Egeus son Mister Z with 75.8% and has qualified for the special.

“I liked the test very much,” she said, naming the passage, piaffe and pirouettes as her favourite parts. “I would like to have more energy, but I hope that will happen later.

“We’ve been together since he was very young. I am his first rider. And all the horses that I ride, I take from when they are foals.”

Inessa and her husband Anatoli have a training facility in Russia with some 80 horses and have recently acquired a new centre in Germany. Her daughter, Viktoria, also rides. She says Mister X loves to work in deep snow, but at the centre they keep the temperature at 15ºC in the indoor school, so that even when it’s -30ºC outside, they can still ride in short sleeves.

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘I hope I make the freestyle so I can express my flamboyant Spanish character’

Tales from Rio: ‘He’s nuts — his difficulty has always been his brain’

Tales from Rio: ‘We walk to McDonalds for date night in the Athletes’ Village’

The rider described the uncertainty over whether she and her younger sister, Marina Aframeeva, would be able to compete at the Games after the Russian doping scandal broke as “an unbelievable stress”.

“During that process, we couldn’t sleep,” she said. “It was very hard. It was a shame. I’ve been in the international sport for 20 years and of course I’ve been tested many times for doping. All the horses are absolutely clean and it would have been a shame if I had not been able to come.

“We didn’t know until the horses needed to travel. My husband is the general secretary for the equestrian federation. So he was in touch with the FEI. And so they kept us both informed and supported us very much morally. We are very grateful to the FEI.”

Full 20-page report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison and Peter Storr.

Tales from Rio: ‘I hope I make the freestyle so I can express my flamboyant Spanish character’

Pippa Roome — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:19:35 +0000

Spain’s Severo Jesus Jurado Lopez rides one of the youngest horses in the Rio Olympics dressage field, the 10-year-old Lorenzo, but he says the Lord Loxley son is unbothered by the big atmosphere.

“He’s a really cool horse, he gives a nice feeling to the people watching,” says Severo. “He’s a funny, happy horse day to day, you don’t have to worry about anything with him. He doesn’t care about the atmosphere. When there are people he can take all that pressure so he’s a really fun horse to have in competition. He becomes more expressive in an atmosphere like this.”

Severo scored 76.429% in the grand prix this morning for seventh at this stage.

“It felt good,” he says. “I think it was a nice round, very clean with no big mistakes.”

It’s now or never

In Aachen in July, the rider finished fourth in the freestyle with a special final centreline. He rode it with one hand to the vocals: “It’s my life and it’s now or never” from the Bon Jovi song, with the spectators clapping along.

“I hope I make the freestyle here so I can express my flamboyant Spanish character,” he said.

“It’s my first Olympics and my first time in Brazil so I can’t compare it to others, but I’m very impressed with everything. It’s really cool being with the other sport guys.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘He’s nuts — his difficulty has always been his brain’

Tales from Rio: ‘We walk to McDonalds for date night in the Athletes’ Village’

Tales from Rio: The horse bought at auction for half a million Euros who nearly died

Severo comes from a horsey family but initially riding was “just a hobby, not for sport”. After stints in Germany and the Netherlands, he is now based in Denmark, where he works for Helgstrand Dressage. He was part of the team who brought a handful of the stud’s stallions over to the British Equestrian Federation’s UK stallion show at Bury Farm, Bucks, in January of this year.

Full 20-page report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison and Peter Storr.

Tales from Rio: ‘He’s nuts — his difficulty has always been his brain’

Pippa Roome — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 16:50:04 +0000

Irish dressage rider Judy Reynolds says her Rio Olympics ride, the 14-year-old Jazz son Vancouver K, is an “all-round package” in his paces and ability, but his temperament has been the part she has had to work on.

“He’s nuts,” she smiles. “His difficulty has always been his brain. Over the last year and a half he’s got it together and his brain has caught up with his body and he’s been able to show what he can do better.”

Judy scored 74.7% this morning in the grand prix to hold 13th place with one session still to go.

“‘JP’ stayed really relaxed, which is the main thing,” she said. “I felt I could have got a few more points — he felt as good as when he’s scored over 75% in the past — but that’s a really solid score and foundation to go on from. I thought he piaffed and passaged particularly well. His transitions were good — they can be a weak point. His pirouettes were fantastic.”

Judy has now qualified to ride in the special tomorrow, the second Irish rider to do so at an Olympics after Anna Merveldt in 1992. The best eight individuals who are not part of a team (or whose team does not qualify) make it through here. Judy says there is “real support” in Rio among the riders competing as individuals rather than as part of a team.

“Everyone’s rooting for each other,” she says. “I went to the opening ceremony, which was fantastic, but I’m trying not to get too wrapped up in the Olympic thing and to treat it like any other show. Maybe I can relax now we’ve got underway, but I’m trying not to go wild. It’s important to focus and do what you do normally.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘We walk to McDonalds for date night in the Athletes’ Village’

Tales from Rio: ‘It’s like watching Avatar — all these beautiful bodies, except not blue’

Tales from Rio: The horse bought at auction for half a million Euros who nearly died

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Judy’s parents Joe and Kathleen are in Rio staying in an apartment near the Athletes’ Village and they gave her the pin she wears on her jacket, which is an actual copy of Vancouver K’s shoe.

She also sports a vintage Irish flag from a friend and a four-leaf clover from husband Patrick Heavey and his parents, as well as a shamrock “because I’m Irish”.

Her father Joe has an oil transport business and at one point she drove trucks to earn money.

“I was the first female to deliver petrol in Ireland,” she says. “I didn’t particularly enjoy it, but it’s a fallback plan D.”

Full 20-page report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison and Peter Storr.

Tales from Rio: ‘We walk to McDonalds for date night in the Athletes’ Village’

Pippa Roome — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 16:27:04 +0000

Dressage rider Lyndal Oatley and her husband, Patrik Kittel, have dates in McDonalds. Yes, really. Ok, perhaps not on when they are at home in Germany, but with rooms at opposite ends of the Athletes’ Village at the Rio Olympics, it’s the hot spot this week.

Lyndal rides on the Australian team here with Sandro Boy 9 and Patrik represents Sweden on Deja.

“I’m married to my trainer, so we’ll be debriefing for weeks,” says Lyndal. “I’m very driven, I want to do my best for me, my horse and the Australian team.”

Lyndal is joined on the Aussie team by her cousin, Kristy Oatley, who partners Du Soleil.

“Kristy and I are sharing a room, so it’s like when we were kids back in the Hunter Valley and had sleepovers — she’d braid my hair and pull half of it out,” smiles Lyndal, who is the fastest talker in dressage — my pen was flying to keep up.

“I’m lucky to have family and friends around me. The mixed zone was the most multi-cultural group when I was riding. That’s what I love about this sport, that it brings people together.”

Lyndal has been based in Germany for nine and a half years and goes home to Australia four times a year.

“I have 11 old horses at home, including a 33-year-old New Forest, which my Mum gets to look after,” she says.

She rode at Aachen as her last show before Rio and made it through to the freestyle, something she believes only one other Australian has achieved.

“It was a bit close to being here, but my parents were there and that meant a lot to me,” she says. “I want to make my family happy as they are along for the ride, so when they are in Europe, I show.”

‘All I could hear was inappropriate sounds’

The 15-year-old Sandro Boy 9, by Sandro Hit, was gelded after the London Olympics.

“He was going well there, but he was always predominantly large in that department and as I was going round the arena all I could hear was the most inappropriate sound from sweat,” says Lyndal.

“He was always a bit uncomfortable and it was important to make him comfortable. He bounced back quickly and his temperament is the same. Now he gets to go out eight hours a day in a long grass paddock next to the mares, so that’s a lovely thing.

“He is also a windsucker and I didn’t want him to have any additional risks.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘It’s like watching Avatar — all these beautiful bodies, except not blue’

Tales from Rio: The horse bought at auction for half a million Euros who nearly died

Tales from Rio: The incredible comeback from cancer, facial reconstructive surgery and a superbug

The pair scored 70.186% in the grand prix this morning.

“I was happy with him — he was concentrating on me,” says Lyndal. “It was my fault we had a mistake in the one tempis.”

Full 20-page report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison and Peter Storr.

Tales from Rio: ‘It’s like watching Avatar — all these beautiful bodies, except not blue’

Pippa Roome — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 20:41:44 +0000

Rio Olympic dressage competitor Yvonne Losos de Muñiz is the first rider from the Dominican Republic to make it to the Games in any discipline.

“No one else has got close, but every time I got knocked down, I just bounced back,” says Yvonne, who actually quit the sport for a couple of years after losing an appeal over a place to ride at London 2012 with Carl Hester’s world and European team silver medallist Liebling II.

She returned to international competition in September 2014 after being asked to reconsider by the Dominican Republic Equestrian Federation.

“Thank god it’s a sport you can compete in forever,” says the 48-year-old. “I’ve come for the whole experience and to see what it’s about.”

Yvonne was her nation’s first equestrian to win a medal at the Pan Am Games when she claimed bronze on home soil at the 2003 Games at the Palmarejo Equestrian Center — a property built by her and her husband Eduardo Muñiz for the event — in Santo Domingo.

“The Olympics is a whole different world to the Pan Ams and I’m floored,” says Yvonne. “It’s like watching Avatar — all these beautiful bodies, except not blue.

“Being here has really sparked it — I want it 150 times more next time. You compete with top riders, a little here and a little there, but you put them all in one place — wow.

“I 100% want to be in Tokyo — in fact, that was a warm-up for Tokyo.”

‘I’m sort of from everywhere’

Yvonne is a mother of two and splits her time between Florida and Europe, but says she is “sort of from everywhere”. She was born in Nigeria and spent her childhood in Kenya before moving to Germany as a teenager to train at the state stud at Marbach.

Her family subsequently moved to Canada before she made the Dominican Republic her home after marrying Eduardo Muniz. She also holds a Canadian passport.

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: The horse bought at auction for half a million Euros who nearly died

Tales from Rio: Ruy Fonseca and the ‘modern, nippy’ horse who went from 0* to 4* in a year

Tales from Rio: Frida Andersén’s rolls the dice and finds an Olympic ride

Yvonne scored 62.3% today in the grand prix riding the 10-year-old Foco Loco W.

She says: “He’s very green and spooky and I had to really keep him together, but he misunderstood keeping together and came back too much. I can’t get mad at him, I have to be happy he tries so hard. When he understands and get stronger, he’ll go better.”

Full report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday, 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison.

Tales from Rio: The horse bought at auction for half a million Euros who nearly died

Pippa Roome — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 17:29:22 +0000

As soon as Danish dressage rider Anders Dahl trotted his Rio Olympics ride Selten HW 10m, he knew he wanted him.

“There was an instant connection,” he says, explaining he turned to his wife, British Rio rider Fiona Bigwood, and said: “We need this horse.”

That was at the 2012 Equine Elite Auction in the Netherlands and the Sandro Hit son duly made his way to the couple’s Sussex yard, with a price tag of €500,000.

But things didn’t go so smoothly once Selten was back home.

“He was very ill,” says Anders. “We weren’t sure if we were going to lose him. He had strangles and then a virus which meant that by law he would have to be put down if he failed a blood test, which he did, but luckily he had another which was clear.”

When the horse recovered, he was “very naughty” in his work after the long break. He had originally been bought by Fiona, but the couple agreed Anders would take the ride.

“But I made it clear that if I’m riding this horse, I’m keeping him,” he says. “I sold Bukowski, who is at Rio with Korea’s Kim Dongseon, and used the money to buy him off Fiona.

“He’s a lot more mature now. I think because he’d had so long off he was flying more than staying on the ground.”

As well as Bukowski, the couple also sold another Rio horse, Don Lorean, who is ridden by Japan’s Yuko Kitai.

Anders was pleased with Selten’s grand prix test this morning, which scored 69.9%.

“He was listening to me, although the first piaffe got a bit tense and was not as good as it could be,” he said. “In the second piaffe I let him go more forward to relax into it.”

‘We are always there for each other’

The 40-year-old Dane said that he and Fiona have things well worked out so they can support each other but also focus on their own performance.

“We do it so much, but it’s fantastic we can be at something as big as the Olympics as husband and wife,” he said, explaining they each have their own trainers, but will support each other in the warm-up. “We were a bit nervous about the draw and whether we’d be a bit close together, as we are always there for each other.

“I feel almost part of the British team and Fiona is almost part of the Danish team. Most of the time in the Athletes’ Village I am in my room and Fiona is in hers, but I have been over to hers.”

The couple have three children, four-year-old Lars, eight-year-old Morten and 10-year-old Mette and they are also out in Rio, staying in a hotel with other British supporters. They are being looked after by Anders and Fiona’s mothers, as well as a Danish guide who lives in Rio, and have been seeing all the sights including Copacabana, Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.

Continued below…

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“We didn’t want to feel we had to look after them as we wanted to focus on competing, but tomorrow we’ll be here [at the venue] with the kids and we’ll be with them on the rest days,” said Anders.

Full report on the dressage from Rio in H&H next week, out Thursday, 18 August, including full analysis of how the medals were won and comment from Richard Davison.

Tales from Rio: The incredible comeback from cancer, facial reconstructive surgery and a superbug

Alice Collins — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 19:55:25 +0000

Just 14 months ago Australia’s Shane Rose was in hospital. It was bad. He’d parted company from a young horse who’d given him a good kicking as he fell.

Today he rode at the Olympics, partnering the beautiful grey gelding CP Qualified to a 42.5 score and lie in 13th place overnight. The judges didn’t really agree about the performance, with one awarding 67% and another 74%. But Shane is lucky to be here at all.

“Last year I was riding a young horse at home — a former racehorse who’d been treated badly — and he felt like he was going to throw himself on the floor, so I sort of jumped off and he turned and kicked me.

“It broke five ribs, split my liver and punctured a lung. To top it all off I then got and golden staph infection. I was knocked around a fair bit.”

That’s an understatment. In his career he has broken so many bones he can’t even remember the exact number. He’s also recovered from thyroid cancer (including an operation and radiation treatment) and a kick to the jaw while long-reining that was so violent that he was in an induced coma for a week and surgeons had to reconstruct his face with four operations and eight metal plates.

His face was so badly bashed up that his wife Niki had to bring in photograps to show the surgeons what they were aiming for.

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: Ruy Fonseca and the ‘modern, nippy’ horse who went from 0* to 4* in a year

Tales from Rio: Zimbabwe’s trailblazer and the horse she was not convinced by

Tales from Rio: Frida Andersén’s rolls the dice and finds an Olympic ride

“Since I’ve been healthy, things have been going great,” says Shane, whose wife gave birth to twins just three months ago.

Despite all the physical hardship, Shane has managed to find time to be an Olympic medallist, picking up team silver in Beijing in 2008. And, right now, the Australians are sitting in bronze medal position after dressage in Rio.

Looking ahead

What does Shane think of the cross-country course, looming on the horizon for tomrrow?

“There isn’t one specific fence to catch you out,” he says, “it’s all of them. But my horse is brave, accurate and adjustable.”

We think Shane is deserving of the brave accolade too.

Tales from Rio: Ruy Fonseca and the ‘modern, nippy’ horse who went from 0* to 4* in a year

Alice Collins — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 17:53:40 +0000

Is a Mexican wave called a Brazilian wave when it sweeps round your home stadium at an Olympic Games? For Rui Fonseca, his final halt was greeted with the crowd going wild crazy for their home rider after scoring 46.8 on Tom Bombadill Too, the oldest horse in the field at 16. Ruy was rewarded with two eights for his riding, which is quiet and effective.

“I was lucky they waited until afterwards,” laughed the 43-year-old, referring to the early tests yesterday, during which the excited crowd applauded riders’ first halts as well as their final ones.

Ruy Fonseca BRA riding Tom Bombadill Too in the eventing dressage at the Rio Olympics (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The story of how Ruy came to ride ‘Tommy’ is quite remarkable.

Ruy, who is based in Oxfordshire, mucked out the horse for nine months when ‘Tommy’ was a livery on his yard.

“One day the owner asked me to ride him, and that’s how I found him,” he says. “I looked at him and thought he was small, but he’s proved he’s got a big heart. I am very lucky.

“In a year Tommy went from zero-star to four-star and now he’s been to WEG [World Equestrian Games] and two Olympics. He’s 16 now, but he only went to his first event when he was nine.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: Zimbabwe’s trailblazer and the horse she was not convinced by

Tales from Rio: Frida Andersén’s rolls the dice and finds an Olympic ride

Tales from Rio: ‘You don’t need money; you need to work for it and get results’

The horse’s temperament sets him apart

“Anyone could have him as a pet,” says Rui affectionately. “I can put a five-year-old girl on him to hack out and ride. Tommy is a modern, nippy horse and has been a very good servant.”

Rui descibes London 2012 and Rio as “two home Games in a row” as he is based in the UK but originally from Brazil.

How have these latest Games been for him?

“The media were negative about Rio,” he says. “I’ve been in England hearing that. But it’s a bit like the World Cup and it’s all worked out. I hope we’ve [the Brazilian organisers] surprised people and I hope we can represent a beautiful sport herebecause it’s really beautiful out there on the cross-country.

“I’ve been in the UK so long that to be here riding in front of so many friends and fans is really special.

Tales from Rio: ‘We only have 41 athletes — it’s inspiring to see lots of other small countries’

Pippa Roome — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 16:15:52 +0000

Lauren Billys has been riding for Puerto Rico since 2010, having previously represented the USA.

“In 2009 the FEI made a big push to get lots of small Latin American countries at championships like this,” she says, citing success in the fact Ecuador and Chile also have individuals and Brazil fields a strong team at the Rio Olympics.

“I found out my heritage gave me the opportunity to ride for Puerto Rico — a lot of my family live in Puerto Rico, in Bayamón — so I went and jumped in.

“The opening ceremony here was so cool — the fireworks were so bright you could see people lit up like it was daytime.

“It’s inspiring to see lots of other really small countries. We only have 41 athletes, but they are 41 strong athletes and it’s great to see other countries in that position too. Most of my Puero Rican team-mates have no idea what I do — they are table tennis or judo players — but it’s interesting to hear about the sacrifices they have made to be here.”

Lauren says the support she has had on the way to Rio has been overwhelming.

“I’ve had so many sweet messages, I’ve had to turn my phone off,” she says. “I feel surrounded by love even though I’m with people I don’t know.”

Lauren’s ride Castle Larchfield Purdy was produced in Britain by Emma Castle, who won a European CIC2* team gold medal on him in 2011. He came to California in 2013 and was competed by amateur rider Elizabeth Tempkin until she decided to focus on showjumping and Lauren picked up the ride in 2014. He is now owned by a syndicate, for half of whom it is a first venture into event horse ownership.

“The reason I bought him is I feel fearless when I ride him,” says Lauren. “If I’m nervous, he doesn’t hear that and he squeals coming out of the start box — he loves this sport.

“Emma has reached out to me in the last few months and I’m so glad she did that and thankful she produced him and gave him the background we need to be here.”

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: Zimbabwe’s trailblazer and the horse she was not convinced by

Tales from Rio: Frida Andersén’s rolls the dice and finds an Olympic ride

Tales from Rio: ‘You don’t need money; you need to work for it and get results’

The pair scored 56 in the eventing dressage today for equal 39th position with 16 horses still to go and now progress to the cross-country tomorrow.

Full 25-page report on the eventing from Rio 2016 in H&H next week — out Friday, 12 August. H&H is published on Friday instead of Thursday next week only to allow us to report the full competition from the Olympics.

Tales from Rio: Zimbabwe’s trailblazer and the horse she was not convinced by

Alice Collins — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 14:15:34 +0000

Camilla Kruger has become the first person to represent Zimbabwe in an equestrian event at the Olympics Games. She was “excited and proud” after her test on Biarritz, which scored 59.4 penalties for 30^th place at the half-way stage of the dressage competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

It’s been an emotional week already for the 29-year-old, who burst into tears during the opening ceremony.

“It was an unbelievable feeling to be there and be part of it,” she says. “It was electric and there was so much energy. It was inspiring and it lifts you up.

Camilla is sporting bright patriotic colours; a tailcoat with loud green lining and a hat with her nation’s flag on it. She also has natty nails.

Camilla Kruger’s patriotic nails (Image credit: creditUnknown)

She is now based in Britain at a swanky yard in East Sussex, but she was born in Zimbabwe and spent six years living there.

As the country has no formal Olympic equestrian structure in place, horse sport’s governing body, the FEI, played a pivotal role in her road to Rio.

“The FEI were incredibly helpful to develop south African nations in equestrian sports and I got put forward.

“My focus was Tokyo 2020, so this is just a bonus. Biarritz is green though and he was a bit overwhelmed out there,” she adds.

Camilla Kruger’s helmet at the Rio Olympics (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“I had to work hard out there. He’s never seen anything like this before though. He’s seen grass arenas, like Blenheim, but nothing with grandstands like this.”

The horse was sourced by Camilla’s friend Sarah-Jane Knight, who also found Kitty King’s ride Ceylor LAN.

“I wasn’t actually 100% convinced about the horse when I first saw him,” admits Camilla. “But I thought I’d produce and sell him, but then my other horse, had an injury, so Biarritz stepped up to the mark.

Continued below…

Tales from Rio: ‘We only have 41 athletes — it’s inspiring to see lots of other small countries’

Tales from Rio: Frida Andersén’s rolls the dice and finds an Olympic ride

Tales from Rio: ‘You don’t need money; you need to work for it and get results’

“He’s still getting his bearings at this level but he’s such a friendly horse.”

Looking to the cross-country ahead, Camilla is confident about the track, which is big but technical.

“I’m going for a fairly steady clear round,” she says. “And Biarritz is good with technical fences. He may not be a Burghley horse, but he’s a technical horse.”

Tales from Rio: Frida Andersén’s rolls the dice and finds an Olympic ride

Alice Collins — Sat, 06 Aug 2016 22:16:12 +0000

Over a decade ago, Sweden’s Frida Andersén and her family let fate intervene when deciding which of her two horses to ride and which to sell when she couldn’t keep both of them.

Her mother Annki bought the dam of Frida’s Rio 2016 ride, Herica — a daughter of the thoroughbred stallion Krius xx — as a riding horse for herself.

However, she was forced to give up riding through injury, and the mare was put in foal to Cortus 15 years ago.

When Herta was two, the family had to downsize horses and, dithering about which horse to put on the market, put both her and her dam Herica up for sale.

“Whichever one did not sell would be my riding horse,” says Frida.

And so it was that she started the partnership with Herta, the horse who today took Frida down the centre line and made her an Olympian at age 26.

They scored 47.9 penalties and sit in 18^th after the first of the two dressage days.

Continued below…

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What is it like competing on a horse you’ve known since it was born?

“She’s my best friend,” enthuses Frida, “and you feel safe out there on the cross-country because I know her so well.”

Things were not always quite so smooth, especially for the 15-year-old Frida and four-year-old Herta.

“She was not so easy in the beginning,” says Frida. “She got homesick and didn’t want to go away from the other horses. She didn’t want to leave them.

“She loved to jump but in the cross-country she would just stop dead between fences and I would fall off.

“We never thought she’d have an eventing career. We spent a long time a one- and two-star to build her confidence.”

But what you see in public is not the same horse as at home.

“At home she’s so lazy and boring; she looks tiny and like nothing,” says Frida. “At shows, she grows.”

The mare still has a hint of the trickyness that dogged her in her youth.

“We sometimes still have problems coming from the stables and in the starting box, but the more she focuses on me, the better it is.”

The mare is now 14 and Frida hopes to have one or two more seasons eventing her, with Badminton as the ultimate goal, but also has foals in mind.

Tales from Rio: ‘You don’t need money; you need to work for it and get results’

Alice Collins — Sat, 06 Aug 2016 16:13:06 +0000

Not many riders can boast the sort of intellectual CV this quietly-spoken Irishman does. After a decade as a professional showjumper on the continental circuit, Padraig (pronounced Paw-rigg) McCarthy wanted a change of scene.

“I thought there must be more to life than that,” he says.

So he did a degree in German and economics. He spent time in Switzerland and Germany while studying and carried on dealing horses to fund his continued education.

“Lucy [Wiegersma] came to look at one of the horses, and that’s how he met,” he recalls.

The two of them are now parents of Tomas, born last year.

So how did Padraig go from jumping dealer to Olympic eventer riding Lucy’s former top horse? He’s clearly got talent, that intangible Irish way with horses.

He and Lucy moved in together and set up a business.

“She must have seen something in me,” he says modestly of how he came to pick up the ride on this talented son of Sofix, now 16. “She rode Simon [Porloe, Padraig’s Rio horse] at Malmo and they upturned at the boat.

“It really knocked the horse’s confidence and we weren’t sure he’d ever come back from it. Lucy also had this other really good horse, Mr Chunky, so she suggested I take Simon.

“I had no experience so had to start from novice and decided to go as far as the horse would go.”

I almost laugh. We’re standing in the mix zone, with Padraig having just completed a really smart test on Simon (barring one naughty spook at a pesky photographer) for 46.8 penalties (about 68.8%).

At lunch time on dressage day one, he lies in fourth place.

“He’s like a bumblebee — he shouldn’t be able to fly but he can,” says Padraig.

Soothed by a toddler

How did he change his mindset to start galloping at solid fences, rather than knock-down poles?

“Irish youngsters are used to hunting,” he reasons. “It’s dressage that’s the biggest challenge.”

Padraig counts his biggest personal strength as his ability to put mistakes behind him and move on.

He had a crunching cross-country fall at a corner fence in the arena at the Blair Europeans last year.

That, as with other mistakes is now “old news”.

On the day he was frustrated.

“I was shellshocked and I went back to the lorry,” he says. “And there was this toddler smiling at me and I realised it really wasn’t so important.”

Padraig has not reassessed his priorities, but his attitude has shifted.

He thinks some younger riders could also do with a change in attitude.

“They should learn their trade,” he councils. “In England there are so many privileged youngsters on great horses. But to become a real horseman you need to ride all different types.

“You don’t need money; you need to work for it and get results. Build a good foundation and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Use them to learn and get better.”