The news that The Jockey Club has decided to stop running Blenheim Horse Trials two years into their five-year contract is a blow to the sport. Riders had voiced strong support for The Jockey Club’s involvement in eventing and the opportunities it could bring, from both a sport and a business perspective. But as it turns out, the 2022 event was the last time the British four-star would run under The Jockey Club banner, owing to the “current economic climate”, allowing the organisation “to concentrate on our core mission of acting for the long-term benefit of British horseracing, with our profits being reinvested into that sport.”
When young showing rider Harry Edwards Brady, 12, lifted the inaugural Robert Oliver showman’s award at the 2022 British Show Pony Society (BSPS) summer championships, little did he know that his success would give him the chance to ride an Olympic dressage horse. As part of his prize, Harry visited Carl Hester’s yard, where he met Carl, Charlotte Dujardin and supergroom Alan Davies, as well as the team’s other grooms and horses. After Harry had his photo taken with Valegro, Carl invited him to have a ride on Uthopia. Harry’s mum Emma Edward said: “Harry has never done dressage before and he was completely amazed to ride an Olympic horse; he said he’s never felt power like it. He had a dream day.”
Laura Rose had no plans to take on anything like 14.2hh coloured cob Borough’s Doorman (Barry), having always ridden hunters before. But her gamble certainly paid off as the six-year-old has this year won at the British Dressage Associated Championships, as well as equalling the winning score at the Petplan Equine Summer Area Festival Championships. Laura has an important message for everyone who thinks a cob isn’t for them: “I’m a cob convert and I wouldn’t have anything else now. Look at what we’ve achieved; don’t be like me and snub cobs because I’d missed out on this opportunity and journey for so many years.”
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Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.
