Promising event horse swaps international competition for Pony Club camp
A promising young event horse has a rather different sort of outing next on his agenda – Pony Club camp.
Six-year-old Jack the Ginger, owned by Caroline Queen, finished third in the CCI* at Hopetoun (16-19 June) with Herefordshire-based event rider Alice Pearson.
But now, as Alice said: “He’s off to be a 14-year-old boy’s ‘Pony Club pony’ for the summer!”
Caroline’s son Henry, a pupil at Malvern College, will take him to Pony Club camp, hoping to represent his branch, the North Herefordshire, at the novice area competitions.
“Caroline bought him from Ireland through Lucy Docker as a four-year-old, and he came to me that winter to get him ready for Henry to ride,” Alice said.
“He started eventing this time last year. He’s kept improving and kept surprising us – he’s such a dude. He adapts so well to both jobs – when he’s with me, he can be quite feisty and always bucks before the dressage.
“But as soon as Henry takes over, he knows he has to be a good boy. He’s a sweetie – anything you ask him to do, he does.”
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Jack the Ginger won a novice section at Broadway as a five-year-old, and has not finished lower than sixth at his six British Eventing competitions this year.
“He was the only six-year-old in the CCI* at Hopetoun, and he was second after dressage, led overnight after cross-country and, despite having three showjumps down on the last day, still finished third,” Alice said.
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“I don’t quite know why he had three down – the course caused quite a lot of problems and only two people jumped clear, but I’m not sure why.
“However, whatever he did in the showjumping was never going to matter as he went so well across country.”
After a summer of Pony Clubbing, Jack will return to Alice and will be aimed at the British Eventing six-year-old championship at Osberton (29 September – 2 October).
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A St Andrews’ graduate, Catherine joined Horse & Hound in 2002 and stayed for 11 years in a variety of roles until she went freelance in June 2013. She rejoined the team part-time in November 2016 as hunting editor. She pretty much lives on the hunting field or at the racecourse, but also loves eventing, as a journalist, press officer and competitor. She was H&H’s sole accredited journalist at the London Olympic Games and has reported from major race meetings and eventing, showjumping and dressage championships and shows round the world, and has hunted all over Britain and Ireland.