I think that it’s fair to say that I am not the only one who was glued to the TV during yesterday’s Badminton cross country…and what an exciting few hours it was.
I ‘ooohhh’ ed when there were near misses, felt a little choked when delighted riders passed the finish line and heard the crowd scream, and was just amazed by the partnerships that were witnessed yesterday afternoon.
Of course, there are usually a few ‘thrills and spills’, and my thoughts are with those who are injured, especially Elizabeth Power who was taken to hospital. I’m keeping everything crossed that she makes a full and speedy recovery. I’m also hoping that the horses who were hurt do too- the ones that stuck out for me were Bee Diplomatic and Karen O’Connor’s rider Mandiba. They were the two horses I saw (on the TV) show signs of pain but, I also thought that the Badminton team and the rider’s were incredibly efficient with the way that both horse and rider were dealt with. Whilst watching at home is great, you don’t see all the falls, so if I have missed anyone I am sorry. I was particularly impressed with Nicola Wilson who very quickly established her horse was lame, hopped off and examined his leg to see what had happened…I think he was still moving at the time. For those who think that riders don’t care about their horses, this was just one of the many examples throughout the day that, in my opinion, prove that they really really do, although I knew this already.
I loved seeing the riders cross the finish line, give their horses a huge pat, kiss them on dismount (often while the horse was still moving) and start attending to their post cross country needs. That’s how it should be, horse and rider work as a team…and we all saw some amazing team work yesterday.
A couple of horses that really stood out for me were Westwood Poser and Gwendolen Fer’s horse Leria Du Ter. Both of these horses seem to love their job and are very much on their game, even when something goes a little off plan. This could be a slight misjudgment in a stride, or, as in Leria Du Ter’s case, a big stumble in the water, followed by a beautiful jump.
I thought it was great to see so many first timers out, not only completing, but doing really well. Laura Collett is one of these riders, who’s in sixth place after cross country.
Now we start to talk about the leader board. It’s headed by the amazing Mark Todd- and, in my opinion, he really is amazing. I have met Mark and NZB Land Vision a few times and they have a great bond. Mark’s horses seem to love him, they must feel that they are in safe hands….so could it be Mark’s year? In second place is the horse I’d like to add to any imaginary eventing stable, Calma Schelly. I love mares, and a mare that’s on your side is something else. I thought this horse was just lovely, seemed to get on with the job, looked pleased and covered the ground well. Third at the moment is that stunning Opposition Buzz and Nicola Wilson. I love this combo too. There’s something about that clever black horse that I adore. It would be great for Nicola to win, they are an awesome combination and deserve to do really well. Fourth is Andrew Nicholson. Andrew is magic to watch cross country and was one of the few to finish inside the time. To be fair, I enjoyed every second of the TV coverage yesterday (OK, apart from the falls) and I thought everyone did an amazing job. Their skill precision, dedication and everything else made me feel all warm and fuzzy- and I can’t wait to see the finale later today.
I’d also like to apologise to my mother-in-law for being late for dinner- sadly the Badminton coverage overran slightly, and was just too good to miss!
