Words Chris Hector Images Monique de Smit © DigiShots
Andrew Hoy – Vassily de Lassos FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018
For all the worries about the weather, it was just perfect for eventing when the time came. A minute sprinkling of rain at one stage, no humidity, cool and pleasant.
The day started on a high for Australia with a fabulous round from Andrew Hoy and Vasilly de Lassos. clear and six seconds under time.
Ingrid Klimke and Hale Bob – no trouble for this German combination – Klimke, second overnight, made it look easy as she and SAP Hale Bob OLD flew round the 5,700m course in 10:00 minutes, bang on the optimal time. Ingrid leads the field on 23.3
Things were looking good, especially as the leading German team were in all sorts of bother, Kai Ruder and Colani Sunrise picked 17.2 time before the dressage leader, Julia Krajewski had a stop and time, for 28.4 penalties.
Best of the Kiwis at the end of the cross country, Tim Price and Cekatinka still on his dressage score of 27.2
The Kiwis were in all sorts of trouble, with Blyth Tait retiring, and Mark Todd picking up 37.6 to add to his dressage for a 69 total.
Rosalind Canter and Allstar B just behind Ingrid Klimke on 24.6, and the Brits lead with all the team members, Piggy French and Quarrycrest Echo, Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser, all scoring under 30. Discard Gemma Tattersall and Arctic Soul the discard on 32.4
On the other hand the British team was on a roll, as were the French and the Irish.
Sarah Ennis and Horseware Stellor Rebound, member of the Irish team which is currently lying second.
Qing du Briot Ene and Lt Col Thibault Vallette for France. The French team is lying in third place. Japan is currently in fourth place.
Christopher Burton and Cooley Lands through the combination to finish on 48.6 and the Australian team lies in fifth place.
After such a bright start our hopes took a battering, when number one ranked rider in the world, Christopher Burton had a run out but still managed to come home under time.
Emma and Fernhill Tabasco
Then Emma McNab put in a super round, just 6.8 to add to Fernhill Tabasco’s dressage.
Shane and Virgil
Photo FEI/MARTIN DOKOUPIL
We were back in the frame, but alas Shane Rose had 28 to add to Virgil’s dressage for a 57.4 and we were not looking great. A lot better than our hosts the Americans, but that was small consolation. Going into the jumping we were lying in 5th behind the Japanese team, but in front of the German team who were 6th!
Andrew Hoy
“No surprises, I felt a bit of rain on my face, that was the first surprise. The first water, it is 200 metres of water, that’s a long way to be cantering through water. It was important not to use up your horse too much in there. Last night when I walked it, it was very deep, I met Mark Phillips when I was half way up the hill last night. I said to him, how deep is the water going to be? He said it was going to be eight inches and it must have been, because it wasn’t as deep as when I walked through it last night. I’ve got at lot of faith in Mark, he sticks to his word.”
Did it feel tough going up the hill?
“With Vasilly de Lassos – No. He’s Anglo Arab, and he ran up there, and when I got to the top of the hill I didn’t push him, I just let him canter along, allowed him to take a big breath, then coming to the two brushes, I went the left hand side. It walked six strides, I rode across there in five. The ground out there is really good.”
“He’s a phenomenal horse, we’d only just got the saddle off, washed him down once, and his heart rate was 90 which is just incredibly low. When you are running around a cross country course, the horse’s heart rate is going to be well over 200, and for it to drop like that is extraordinary.”
“I’ve ridden a lot of good horses in my time, but what I have just experienced with Vassily de Lassos, I would say he’s one of the best horses I’ve sat on. I mentioned that to Mark Phillips a little while ago and he said that’s a big statement because you’ve sat on some very good horses, but today has just confirmed my feeling.”
“Darien Powers was just a phenomenal horse for me, I won two team gold medals with him and he was extraordinary across country, this horse, his dressage is still the unfinished project but always improving, but cross country, he has a TOTAL of 3.2 time penalties out of his entire career. Showjumping, he’s exceptional again. He’s just fantastic. Unbelievable.”
Emma McNab
Emma McNab was called into the team at the last minute for her first championship with an Aussie flag on the saddlecloth, and she had a super round on Fernhill Tabasco.
“It was really special, amazing. I was quite nervous before I went out. There were quite a lot of problems all around the course. We changed our plans at the second water – today is not the day to find out if your horse jumps a water cascade or not. So we went the long way there. There were a couple of not so pretty moments, but he felt fantastic. At the bottom of the hill, it still felt as if there was a lot of petrol left, and when I got to the top, there wasn’t much left, the hill was really something.”
Did it help with Andrew going so well to lead the way?
“Andrew was amazing to watch, he did it perfectly. There was a line early, we weren’t sure if it was six strides or seven but when we saw Andrew do it, we were happy with six. It was really helpful to have him out first.”
Lovely dressage…
“He was a real professional. I’ve had him since he was four, just after he was broken in, he’s ten now. He’s like the most sweetest, loveable pet in the yard. He’s a real trier.”
How does he showjump?
“He usually showjumps better when he is a little tired after cross country.”
Let’s hope he is tired…
“He’s tired, don’t worry about that.”
more from Emma follows
But you are going to have an extra day for rest, is that going to throw out your usual patterns?
“It will be really interesting to see how that affects them. I know with people, sometimes you feel a little worse on the second day… ”
At what stage in your life did you decide you wanted to spend your life as a full-time eventing rider?
“It’s quite funny, we were discussing this at our team camp, at dinner one night. Listing the teams we had been on, and then Andrew started listing championships and teams he’d been on, and he was on teams before I was even born! I remember I first knew I wanted to do the sport properly when I was really young, watching Badminton on a video, watching Andrew Hoy riding Darien Powers. That was the day I said, I really want to ride at a competition like that. Andrew really has had quite a lot to do with me being here.”
It’s been a long haul, there have been a few down spots on the way, what has kept you hooking in there?
“I have to say I owe an awful lot to my husband, Kevin. He is absolutely amazing. He is a real driving force. I’m really lucky to be working with him on a day-to-day basis. He is a really positive, amazingly motivated person. He is always there to bounce ideas off and run things by. A lot of it is down to him…”
What are the emotions at the moment?
“I’m so excited. I felt so sick before I went out. I couldn’t eat anything, I couldn’t talk to anybody – but once I got past the corner complex, that was the one I was most worried about, and I said to myself, gosh and started to enjoy it a bit more. He was fantastic.”
Emma amongst the gum trees at Warwick ten years ago
I remember about ten years ago, we had Australia’s team of the future on the cover of the magazine, and there was Briana Burgess, who went within a vet check of going to the last WEG, Julia Hargreaves who rode at London, and now you…
“You got it very right. I’m really glad my horse got here. He’s had a really solid lead up and he’s the right horse to have here. I’m not always the quickest on him and I know that was a deciding factor when they picked the team, but you need combinations that are going to finish and he’s a real team player.”
Were you scared that we might not have a cross country, with all this crazy weather?
“It’s been a bit of a roller coaster event. It changes all the time and we just roll with it on a day-to-day basis, an hourly basis. Today the weather was perfect for the horses and the sport.”
Christopher Burton
Christopher Burton’s official press conference was a fairly brief affair, he muttered something about the distances and times and excused himself. I caught up with him a while later, pushing a pram – it’s the sort of activity that brings a degree of calm. He was ready to interview and develop a really important argument about the future of the sport.
“I made the time with a run out, you shouldn’t be able to do that. It’s stupid. Piggy French was twenty seconds down at the bottom of the hill, and she made the time on a Warmblood. It’s stupid, all you’ve done for two minutes is gallop tired horses, that’s not a skill. Stop it down the bottom, the really good riders will get close to the time, and the ones having a semi-good round will have time penalties. What a fun sport that is!”
“It’s some of the old people who are holding the sport back. We have to go short format and it should be sooner rather than later. It’s right there in front of us. Everyone goes to Aachen and goes to the CIC and has a wonderful time.”
I said to you a few years ago at Aachen, if I never see another CCI, I will be perfectly happy, you agree?
“100%.”
Christopher and team adviser, Stuart Tinney after Chris’ round
Tell me about your ride here at Tryon?
“I am lucky to have the horse, but it is a bit of a catch ride. I’m grateful to Kate for the ride on the horse. It’s a super horse but silly little things can happen when you don’t really know the horse.”
You didn’t have anything else at home?
“Sadly no. Quality Purdey was shaping up nicely and she broke a pedal bone, unlucky but that’s the sport, this is horses. It’s part of life and I was lucky to be selected and be here.”
With your twenty points, I don’t think you are going to win individual gold, but we could still snaffle a medal….
“Maybe I can put up a team score – let’s have a go.”
Well the Eventing Showjumping has been postponed from Sunday to Monday, let’s just hope that the weather let’s it happen…
