A lorry driver from Cornwall made her seven-hour journey to Bramham Horse Trials worthwhile when she topped the NAF Five Star BE80 championships results.
Emily Tamblyn and the grey 16-year-old Knockenpower Rory were the only pair to break the 30-barrier in the dressage, on 29.3, and held onto their lead despite 2.4 time-faults across country.
“I’ve had him for just over two years and we mainly spend our time hunting on Bodmin Moor with the East Cornwall, and then in the summer I just do a bit of eventing for fun,” said Emily. “I deliver tarmac for a living and work 4am to 6pm, so he’s on full livery.”
This was Emily’s first affiliated run of the year.
She said: “I entered two events and they both got cancelled, so luckily I went to a little unaffiliated three weeks ago just to give him a run. I did go for the long route at the double of skinnies at fence 11 here and it nearly cost me because I only finished 0.1 of a penalty in front but I’m glad I played it safe.
“It means a lot to be here, especially having got in on a wildcard after I tried to qualify at Chillington and didn’t. The atmosphere is really cool, especially the lap of honour with the crowd and all the photographers down the long side.”
Amy Bevans finished on her dressage score of 31.8 to take second in the BE80 championships results on her own 10-year-old Annas Delight, a son of OBOS Quality who she has owned since he was three.
“He’s just everything to me, I love him to bits,” she said.
Amy is a mother of three and she and her husband Joe also head up the electrical engineering company which was previously run by his parents.
“We’ve got all the horses at home and we have a tight schedule, but when days like this come it pays off. To jump double clear around here is incredible,” she said.
Carys Waligora, 15, sat a GCSE PE exam in the morning on cross-country day and then travelled from her base near Harrogate to complete on her dressage score of 32.1 in third on nine-year-old Connemara Fisherhill Pearl.
“I’ve had her three years,” said Carys. “She’s very brave, but she can get a bit hot headed in the dressage and she likes to go a bit faster than I want her to.
“It’s always been like my dream to compete at Bramham so while I was a bit nervous, it’s just been really exciting and amazing.”
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