‘We’ve just got to keep polishing the diamond’: exciting young prospect impresses at eventing World Championships

Frenchman Tom Carlile put in a sterling performance in his eventing World Championships dressage test in Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy today (15 September).

Riding the striking nine-year-old Darmagnac De Beliard, Tom posted a score of 26.4, despite incredibly windy conditions blowing flower-topped arena markers over throughout his test.

“I’m knackered – the most difficult part about our sport is the dressage,” laughed Tom. “I was very pleased with my horse – he is a real genuine, very honest, shy little horse. When he comes into an atmosphere, he can get fazed and I think the worst thing you can do is be a bit soft and quiet on him as that doesn’t reassure him. If you can really ride him into the confidence, then he just performs.”

Speaking about riding Darmagnac De Beliard in the windy conditions, Tom said that it comes down to his relationship with this horse.

“Everything was shaking his emotions, but because he kept his concentration and he has the trust in me, it keeps him occupied and he stays with me,” he explained. “I’ve been lucky enough to have known the horse since he was a foal and fed him in the field when he was a yearling, so we know him inside out and built him into the animal he is today – he has total trust in us.”

Tom said that Darmagnac De Beliard, who is owned by Scea De Beliard and Jean Jacques Montagne, and who finished fourth in the CCI4*-L at Bramham in June, is a horse that is improving all the time.

“He is such a lovely horse to work with and there’s so much to come from him – give him two years doing this same test and it will be five marks better,” he explained. “We knew his class, but he showed it to everybody at Bramham, and now we’ve just got to keep polishing the diamond.”

World Eventing Championships dressage: more disappointment for Germany

There was further disappointment for the German squad – after Christoph Wahler had a tricky time of it earlier this morning – for second team rider Sandra Auffarth. She was also at the mercy of the windy conditions, but unlike Tom’s horse, her ride, Viamant Du Matz, was spooked when flower pots and arena markers went flying.

“He was on really good form over the last few days and I was very happy with him, but now it’s a little bit windy and I think that’s why he became a little bit more fresh,” explained Sandra of her performance with the 13-year-old. “Then the ‘H’ marker fell down so he became a bit spooky and from then on, I had the feeling he was wondering what was going to happen next.

“But he did a good job to the end and he tried hard. I’m still happy with him and I don’t think it’s going to be a dressage competition.”

The second youngest competitor in the field, Belgium’s Jarno Verwimp, who is just 21 years old, put in a super Eventing World Championships dressage test aboard the 10-year-old mare Mahalia to score 30 and go into seventh at this stage of the competition.

“As I went around the arena I couldn’t really breathe as this is the biggest thing I’ve done,” explained the young rider, who competes for the Belgian military. “But I went in and my horse was amazing, so I’m very happy.”

Jarno has ridden this mare, who he co-owns with Marc Rigouts for four years.

“She’s something very special. She’s a real mare in that she knows her own way and she wants to do everything she wants to do,” he explained. “But if she wants to work for you, she’s amazing. I could ride all the things I wanted to in the test today and she was working with me and really relaxed.”

Ireland’s Susie Berry, who is the second rider to go for her team, scored 38 and sits in provisional 23rd riding Monbeg By Design.

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