Arabella Clegg’s Eventing Column
I am a young event rider based in Oxfordshire, aspiring to reach the top in my chosen sport of Eventing. I have been competing in British Eventing since 2006. In 2011 I was head girl at Bullimore Eventing, riding and grooming horses from 3-year-olds to Advanced. Riding has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started in showing aged 2 with a lovely Welsh pony my mother bought from Stow Fair for £50, he gave me my first taste of success, winning lots of lead rein classes. I then started show jumping, hunter trialling and hunting, and at the age of 12 we brought my first event pony. As a member of the Old Berkshire Pony Club I represented them up to senior level showjumping and eventing. Since then I have produced two event horses up to Advanced and CCI** and trained with the Junior and Young rider teams.
Anyway, as we know, dressage is a matter of opinion, so we put that behind us and focused on the real reason Molly loves eventing, the cross country. It’s a long wait throughout the day when you aren’t on until 17.50. Molly proved once again that she really is a ‘little horse with a huge heart’. The 1, 2 and 3* tracks all ran similar routes so with approximately 300 horses going over the same ground before us, it did mean in some places along the way the ground was quite deep and holding. Nevertheless, we skipped around in true Molly style, taking all the direct routes, until the secondto-last combination, the very narrow sun dials and medals that were at Greenwich last year! I was expecting at this point that Molly would be quite tired and would slow down a bit, so I’d planned to go five strides between ‘A’ and ‘B’ and the same between the ‘B’ and ‘C’ elements. But she was still so full of running that she jumped part ‘A’ so big I think we made it to ‘B’ on 4 strides. Again she put in such a huge jump that I quickly opted to shout for the long route to the 3rd element. That was definitely going to be the safest option as we would never have made the turn to the final element. This was probably when we picked up our time faults. I can’t exactly complain that my horse was too f ?B??W"?V'B&FR&WGW&?VBF???&????&?WBR??WFW2?B6?Rv2?&F?&??v??r?v2'6??WFV?FV?v?FVBv?F??W"W&f?&??6R?BvR&?F?v?B??B?b&?6Rg&??F?R??V?r&?FW"6V?V7F?'2?BfWB?v??6??2?VvV?&Wv&F??r?w&VBWfV???rv2?&v??6VB??6GW&F?'?fWB??&??V6W??f?"??F?R??V?r&?FW'2?f??W2?B?V?W'2?&?f?F??r???'GV??G?F?6F6?Wv?F?WfW'???R?F?Rf???F?6r????f?F?&?Vv?F?RG&?B?W?Bf???6?F?RWfV?Bv?F??W"?V7Bff?W&?FR????7&?726?V?G'???????????F?2'?F??v????6????G2?bW?6?F??r?Ww2F?&W?'B????f?'7F????fR?Wr?V?&W"?bFV?6?VvrWfV?F??r?v??v?W2'?F?R??R?bF?Vv?2?B??W2??Rv???&R6??WF??rV?FW"F?B??R?2?B?2F?R&Vv?7FW&VB??R????277?'B?^( ?2R?V"???BGWF6?v&?&???B?BfW'?W?6?F??r&?7V7B??( ?fR?B???fWrvVV?2??r?B?gFW"v???r7&?726?V?G'?66?????rGv?6RB&???W&?r??R?26??R??6??V6???V???r6?????W2?B6???&?V?6W2???F??B?WB?bvFW"?WfW'?F???r??fR6?VB?b????R?2F?V?????27G&?FR?F?R???2F?'V??????6??RR?V"???B6?76W2??F?R6V6??B??b?bF?R6V6???6?FVf???FV?vF6?F??276RFW7?FRF?RvgV?vVF?W"6??F?F???2f?"F?&VR?WB?bF?Rf?fRF?2B??Vv?F?????B?????rF??R???f?'7Bf?6?BF?F?R&VWF?gV?WfV?B????&f???????v2F???rF?R44?"??B'V'?6?R???rf?"6??R6??r?V???r&7F?6R?????G&?GFVBW??vVF?W6F?WfV???r?B?BG&W76vR?W76????vVF?W6F??BF?W'6F?v?F?B?WfV?B&?FW"?6&?'V????&R?v???2f"G&??W"?BV?FRf??B?b????vR&V??v?&?VB??vWGF??r&?r?&??BG&?B?B6??R?bF?RFV6???6???fV?V?G2?7V6?2GW&???F?R?V?6?W2?BF?R6?FW"6W'V?F??W2??v2#WF?F?v???F?RG&W76vR??g&?F???F?R"??'?F?RV?B?bF?&VRF?2?bG&W76vR?F?R&V?v2&WGG?FVW???VB?W'6?????F?????Bv2?W"&W7BdT?FW7BF?FFRWfV???F?RvgV?6??F?F???2?vRWfV?66?&VBGv??2g&????R?VFvRv??6??2&WGG?W?6?F??r?F?W'v?6RF?W?vW&RV?FR?'6??f?"W???R?F?RGW&???F?R?V?6?W2vR?B&7F?6VB6?vV??&Vf?&V??B?v2?VvV???&?fVBg&??&Wf??W2GFV?G2??WBF?R?VFvW2vW&RfW'?7&?F?6????f7B?F?????76?&?F?W?vW&V?( ?B??????r?v???r'?F?V?"6???V?G2???????????F?RG&W76vP???6RB2?F???????v??v2F?&VBgFW"?W"W?W'F???2F?RF?&Vf?&R?F?F?( ?B?V?&B&?V?B'WB??????v??6?VBW??&RfV?G2F??6?RFW6W'fVB?2v??6?RG&?VB?W"?GF?R?V'B?WB?vV???FW6W'fVB6??'B'&V???r&Vf?&R6?W?R?b??RF?'V?2?2F?R?W?B??f?"?????V?WBf?'F??v?B&Vf?&R'V'??VG2F??V??W???FW&?VF?FR?BF?V?&?F??????B'V'?v?F?6?W'F??f?"F?R??FW&?VF?FR?F??VW?R?WB?bG&?V&?R??'W7?&?F??rF?&VR??G2V6???&???rf?"?&"G&??W"&6VB?fW"?W&Rf?"F?R7V??W"?v?f??r?RF?RgFW&????2F?v?&??F?&VR?2?w&?FRF??2vR?fR?BF?R??7Bv?&vV?W2fWrF?2?b7V?6???R?v??6??2&V?F?6WBf?"F?R?W?BF?2?'WB?v??( ?B???B?'&VF?f?"?B??Wr??'6RF?Vv?0??wwr?WVW7G&???fV?v???R?6??V???cp??T??T?2?3R???FBcp??#?b?#2#???C@???