The Sun Shines on the 2010 Royal Festival of the Horse
Monday, July 19, 2010
The first Royal Festival of the Horse, held at Stoneleigh Park from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 July, provided the 20,000 who attended with a full programme of activities, including Heavy Horse Village, National Farriery Competitions, Horsebox Village and the Royal Agricultural Society of England Showing Classes. Over 150 stands - selling everything from horseboxes to hats, leather to lollipops and jumps to jumpers - rounded out each day’s entertainment.
Spectators in the main stadium were treated to highlights from different disciplines in the equestrian world on each of the three days: dressage on Friday, showjumping on Saturday and Express Eventing – the one-seat-sees-all arena format of traditional three day eventing (dressage, cross country and showjumping) on Sunday. In addition to these special features, the daily main stadium programme also included a presentation from the Parelli Team – experts in the skills and techniques of natural horsemanship, Musical Drive of Heavy Horses and the Pony Club Musical Ride competition.
Friday’s stadium crowd were treated to a Pro-Am Dressage Challenge which was won by Carl Hester (who has been a member of the British Dressage team at Olympic, World and European Championship level) and Mandy Day on Mandy’s horse, Uptown Boy.
This was followed by a masterclass by Edward Gal, the winner of the 2009 Dressage World Cup Final, and Interfloor Next One. The day’s Dressage delights were concluded with a Freestyle to Music competition, won by Gareth Hughes on Duvie.
In the main stadium at the Festival on Saturday, showjumping devotees saw John Whitaker, with six Olympics, six European and six World Championships under his belt, ride to triumph on Argento in the Accumulator to collect the £3000 first prize. Speaking to the BBC on his win, John Whitaker said: “We came here on our way to Aachen in Germany, so it’s worked out really nicely. Argento’s a really good horse. I think a lot of him.”
Saturday’s showjumping programme culminated in a jump-off for the Festival Grand Prix, one of the richest grands prix in Great Britain, with a first prize of £10,000.
After a nail-biting competition, fought by five world-class competitors, it was Billy Twomey from Ireland on Sue Davies’ Tinka’s Serenade who took honours, with a clear round in 44.37 seconds. John Whitaker and Peppermill, favourites with the crowd, took second place with a clear round in a time of 48.15. Third place was taken by Robert Bevis on Courtney 6.
Eleven under 25 young riders representing Great Britain, France, Portugal and China, foregathered at Stoneleigh Park on Sunday to compete in the Express Eventing competition. Their challenge was to undertake three phases – Freestyle Dressage to Music, Cross-Country and Showjumping – all on the same horse, on the same day, in the same arena. It was a first for all of them – except Alex Hua Tian who competed in the inaugural event in Cardiff at the end of 2008. With the leader board changing after each phase, no-one – including commentator Clare Balding – was prepared to say who would win.
In the end it was Flora Harris, after a disappointing season last year when she broke her leg, who jumped to victory on Law Choice to claim the £5000 cheque and the keys to a Chrysler Jeep for a year. China’s Alex Hua Tian came second on Magenta and Georgie Spence moved up the rankings to third on Birthday Night.
Commenting on her win, 22-year-old Flora said: “This is a massive deal for me. I’m really excited. I’ve been looking forward to this Express Eventing at the Festival for a long time. I’m very happy and very lucky to be riding a horse like this.” Of her mount, nicknamed Bob, she said: “He’s a horse of a lifetime. If things go well, we’ll be at Badminton next year. I’m over the moon as to how this horse has adapted. It’s a privilege to be here and I think this type of competition could be the future of the sport and should be embraced.”
Festival visitors travelled from all over the Midlands and further afield to witness and participate in the Royal Festival of the Horse and there were myriad features to delight and intrigue them: immaculate ponies and carriages, the glare of the furnaces and rippling muscles of trainee farriers competing against the clock in soaring temperatures, which reached record levels over the weekend.
At the end of the Festival, Alice Bell, Assistant Director RASE Events, commented: “We are pleased that so many people came to enjoy the Festival. The positive feedback we have had from competitors and visitors endorse our belief that there is room in the calendar for an event of this type. However, we acknowledge that, when planning for the future, ticket pricing must take into account the tightening of economic belts across the country and avoid clashing with other major international sporting fixtures.”
Filed Under
News
