Annabel Shields: Supporting British shows is for our benefit *H&H VIP*

While it is now so easy to jump on a ferry and compete in Europe, I love to support the British international shows.

I have been competing at South View for the past few years in two-star classes, and had a great first visit when winning a ranking class and finishing second in the grand prix riding Wet Wet Wet.

This year, winning the opening 1.45m class here with Creevagh Carisma was also a huge bonus, as she had to step up to that level quicker than expected as one of my other horses was sidelined.

Because I can’t get into all the international shows I would like to, it is frustrating when two I can enter clash. To travel on from here and compete at Keysoe a day later is too hard on the horses.

The extra mile

Charles Britton and Linda Wright try hard to accommodate everyone here and go that extra mile to make this more than a normal South View show. The entry system is straightforward and riders have been well looked after with their own coffee bar. The courses have been good and varied each day and, despite the hot weather, the horses have settled in and jumped well.

A little bit more space and opportunity to work in would be nice but, as at most shows, room is at a premium.

We all appreciate shows like this cost a lot of money to put on and will have little chance to break even, so rather than jump on that ferry, I think we need to support our own bread-and butter shows that are put on for our benefit.

Ref Horse & Hound; 4 July 2019 

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