When Elise Washer rides Menelaus out on the LeMieux Grassroots Championships cross-country course tomorrow (6 May) it will be for the last time.
Qualifying for and competing in the BE90 final at Badminton had long been the dream and Elise and “Spotty” have achieved it. But as Spotty is now 21, this will be his eventing swansong.
The pair scored 32.1 in their dressage to sit in provisional 11th place, and are set to showjump then go across country tomorrow.
“I think the centre line was probably the first realisation, like this is it, and it’s amazing,” Elise told H&H. “There are so many people here supporting me and everyone else, and it’s our last one, he’s retiring here, so we’ve got to soak up every moment.”
Spotty was bought by Elise’s late aunt Tina Plowright and evented by Tina’s daughter Abi Porter to novice level.
“Then my cousin broke a bone in her eye socket – a freak accident with one of the horses – and he came to us for a holiday, and never went back,” Elise said. “I’d never really jumped or anything; I had ponies but had only really done dressage.
Picture by Alys Williams
“But we went to a combined training event; I’d never even jumped a course before so I just had to wing it, don’t know who thought it was a good idea! But we managed to win it.
“We’d just gone for practice but it was a qualifier and the final was at Aston-le-Walls, and we won that too.”
In June 2022, the pair completed their first event with a double clear, on what would have been Tina’s birthday.
“So that was really nice, then the next year we came second in the British Riding Clubs national championships,” she said. “I’d seen the Badminton finals and thought how much I’d like to that, so we really tried in 2024.”
They qualified for the regional finals in 2024 but Elise broke her collarbone, so although she was back in the saddle for the regional championships, it came too soon to get the ticket.
“Last season, I came to the realisation that he was getting older, and ‘what will be will be now’, so we went out just to have fun,” Elise said. “So we went out at BE100, and actually got really good scores. We came seventh, eighth and ninth, and went to the regionals, but had a bit of a wobble.”
Elise retired across country as Spotty was not feeling quite right, and once he was home and had been checked by a vet, they stepped back down, contested a BE90 regional final – and earned their Badminton ticket.
“It was a dream of mine, anyway, to go,” Elise said. “As a family, we always went every year, my mum, my auntie, my cousins, to watch Badminton – the five-star, but still the same place, same atmosphere, so to be able to bring Spot here was so special. And it was my auntie who chose to buy him, so it’s really special.”
Elise said she was pleased with her score; good enough to be in contention but without the pressure from being at the top of the leaderboard, and she plans just to enjoy the ride tomorrow.
“Showjumping is definitely not his strongest phase, nor mine!” she said. “We’ve done well just to get here, so I just want to try to enjoy the showjumping.
“For me, and him, it’s got to be the cross-country; he absolutely loves it. He’s quirky, not a straightforward ride – the start box can be interesting! – but he’s absolutely brilliant.
“The course has some challenges, but I think it’s fair for a championship, so I’ll just try to have fun, and as it’s our last event, just make it a memorable one.”
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