The hotly contested Jump 1 British intermediate championship at the NAF Five Star Hartpury International Horse Trials went the way of Katie Magee riding Sharon Parnaby’s eight-year-old Cushlas Indigo, with whom she won the novice championship last year. The duo finished on their 27.8 dressage, which left them fifth after the first phase, and their speedy double clear secured the win.
“He’s only eight, but he’s been one of those wonder kids that just seems to keep delivering every time we take him out,” said Katie, who plans to take this horse to the eight- and nine-year–old championships at Blenheim next month. “Sharon found him in Ireland as a three-year-old and I’ve had him since he was rising five. He’s just had a very smooth progression.
“He can get a bit full of himself, but he stayed chilled in the dressage. He was bouncy in the showjumping but managed to jump clear. He finds it all very easy, and although he gets a bit of anxiety here and there, he’s a real superstar and I’m excited about his future.”
Katie added to her great weekend with third in the novice championships with Margaret Sunter’s Springhead Jupiter.
Lizzie Baugh and the quirky Piltown Concorde, a nine-year-old she co-owns with Janette Shipley, finished second in the intermediate on their 29.5 dressage.
“He’s a very talented horse; a nervy type but if he comes out having got out of the right side of bed, he’s absolutely brilliant, and that’s exactly how he was this weekend,” said Lizzie. The rider added that she has had to be inventive to get the best out of this horse, who will head to the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim.
“I had him in for schooling as a four-year-old and started his eventing career. He’s always been quirky – he’s nervous to get on and is difficult in his mouth and a little bit weird,” she said.
“He went through a phase as a five-year-old when he would threaten me with broncing every time I rode him, but I got him going by riding him in his field.
“We had a make-or-break moment when I took him cross-country schooling at Shelford and I got stuck in the warm-up. He wouldn’t move, but I managed to get him going and he gave me the most incredible feeling across country that any young horse has given me. That was the day he found his calling in life.”
The top two were the only ones to make the time across country in this section. Louise Bradley and Alison Garlick’s 10-year-old Ardeo Mandela retained their third place after dressage with 3.6 time-faults.
Ros Canter led the first phase on Silvesters Finesse on 26.2, but had eight faults in the showjumping and then opted for a steadier cross-country round. Izzy Taylor withdrew SBH Big Wall, who had been second on 26.7, after 16 showjumping penalties.
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