In usual circumstances, the only extended period of time I spend at home riding is the winter, when it’s cold and wet. This lovely weather means some aspects of “lockdown” are hardly a hardship, but I know how privileged we are.
Normally the end of April and the beginning of May is one of the most intense periods of the season, with two five-stars – Kentucky and Badminton – to aim for.
The first time I went to Kentucky was in 2001, which was foot-and-mouth year. I took two horses, Lord Killinghurst and Mallards Treat, and as well as being their first event of the year, it was also the first time I had ridden either horse in a competition.
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eW914oCZZCBicmVhayBldmVuLiBCZXlvbmQgdGhhdCwgeW914oCZZCBzdGFydCBydW5uaW5nIGludG8gdGhlIHJlZC4gQnV0IEkgaGFkIGdyZWF0IGZ1biBvdXQgdGhlcmUgYW5kIEnigJlkIGRlZmluaXRlbHkgZ28gYmFjayBpZiBldmVyIHRoZSBjaGFuY2UgYXJvc2UuPC9wPgo8cD48ZW0+UmVmIEhvcnNlICZhbXA7IEhvdW5kOyAzMCBBcHJpbCAyMDIwPC9lbT48L3A+CjxwPgo="}