Everything Horse magazine February 2014 | Page 12

British Eventing News written by Nicola Strong “For the horses, they’ll be fed when we get to the yard at 7am, and then be turned out for either the morning of afternoon, and worked the other end of the day. They have lunch at 1pm, and the last feed at 5.30pm when we leave, and they always have a ‘proper groom’ before bed.” Below are an example of what Flora might do with her horses in a standard working week but she explains it’s difficult to be too specific; “I always tailor the work to suit the individual horse so one horse’s week might be quite different to another depending on what they need to work on. The indoor stable block Example winter schedule Day Activity Flora and Bayano Flora Harris Flora Harris believes she has the best string of horses she’s ever had. Flora has been eventing for the past eight years, and in 2011 made her Badminton debut with Law Choice – a horse with whom she rose up through the ranks, and retired the same season. Losing a top horse through retirement can be devastating for a rider making a name for them self, but Flora’s work of past years has come to fruition now with the emergence of her younger horses. For an eventer to ensure longevity within the sport, they need to consistently produce horses to top level, and keep their younger replacements coming through the ranks behind them. Last year Flora achieved her highest UK ranking to A Day in the Life of Flora Harris date moving up to 23 , thanks in no small part to the aptly named Am