Lucinda Mills and Chaconda Blue win the 2024 BE100 grassroots championships. They are pictured with Shane Speak from Voltaire Design and the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort.
“I did come here five years ago on another horse, but it wasn’t quite as successful – we did finish, but it was a bit of a bumpy ride,” said Lucinda Mills after her win on her own Chaconda Blue.
The Warwickshire-based rider continued: “It certainly hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m ecstatic with my horse. She’s only seven and has never been in an atmosphere like this, but she held her own from start to finish. She behaved like a true professional and just got on with the job.”
Lucinda bought the mare, known as “Noodle”, as a just-backed three-year-old. The pair led throughout this class, adding just one time-penalty showjumping to their leading dressage score of 25.8.
“She is quite a hot head – a bit of a diva who knows she’s queen, but she’s lovely,” said Lucinda, who currently works as a human osteopath and freelance rider and is training to be an equine and canine osteopath too.
Niamh Richardson claimed second on another seven-year-old Cartown Bonnie Bell.
Niamh said: “I’ve had her from a young horse and she was really green when I bought her – there were quite a lot of tears and I was like, ‘What have I bought?’
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“She wouldn’t go near a log on the floor. My instructor Mel Chapman has a beautiful indoor school, but we spent the whole year dusting cobwebs off the roof – we spent most of our time up in the air. She is awesome now, though, and does everything I want.”
Grassroots championships BE100 results: from policing to breeding racehorses
Niamh graduated last year in professional policing but works for Copgrove Hall Stud in Harrogate, which breeds Flat racehorses.
“So I get to play with baby foals all the time and it’s great – a complete career change, but I’m really happy. There are some reprobate foals so my degree does come in handy occasionally,” she joked.
Warwickshire-based Victoria O’Brien built on a double clear in the BE90 class last year with third in the grassroots championships BE100 results this year. Her ride was her eight-year-old gelding whose stable name is Otis, but who is officially unnamed due to an issue with his passport.
“I originally bought him as a green four-year-old to be my hunter but a friend dragged me to a dressage lesson and we went on from there,” said Victoria, who project manages property developments.
“It’s busy enough, but he’s so easy, which helps. I can always get on him and know he may be a bit fresh, but he’ll never do anything too silly.”
The majority of faults in this class came at the British Equestrian Federation Lodges at fence 6ab, where riders had a choice of jumping the corner of the house or across the spread at the first element, their selection then determining whether they would jump the fast or slow route at part b. In total, 61.2% jumped clear over James Willis’s track.
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
