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2002-Apr-01
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Eventing From 'Across The Pond'
I am told that few people are passionate about their work. I regard myself as one of the fortunate ones. When I set off for Europe in pursuit of my dream as an International Event Rider, I had no idea where my journey would take me. Now, twelve years, later I am living my dream, eventing professionally throughout Britain and Europe.
Despite the fact that I've been away from the USA for so long, and in that time have lived in Switzerland, moved to the United Kingdom, married a wonderful Brit, and now live and work in England, I feel as much a Yank as ever. Living overseas, one takes pride in being an American and in having the chance to represent the USA in international competition. During these years, I have competed in CCIs in eight countries, learned to converse in four languages and, most importantly, made some fantastic friends. I was thrilled when US Eventing Magazine approached me for an article, as it's a great opportunity to share with readers the excitement of competition in England. Argue as we might, Great Britain is the heart of world eventing, make no mistake. See if this doesn't boggle your mind: last September, Aldon Horse Trials accepted 1000 entries -- and had to turn away many more!
People may remember me better by my maiden name, Collier, when my most notable achievement was representing the USA at the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome on my horse Time Will Tell, or Toby. I was long-listed for the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, but injury to Toby sadly led to his retirement. As is so often the cycle in equestrian sport, the subsequent retirement of my other advanced horses in 1999 meant that over the last few years I have had to go back to square one while developing a string of very promising youngsters. I am now about to return to the higher levels of international competition, with plans to event at four star level. If we all stay healthy we also look forward to competing for a place in the next Olympic Games.
In this article I will be setting the scene for future diaries that will follow my team's progress throughout the 2002 season in the UK and Europe.
How Did I End Up In Europe?
Like every HCP (or "horse-crazy person"), my addiction developed at a very early age. Even as a youngster I wanted to be as complete an athlete as I could, learning from riders with greater experience in their own disciplines. In the early days my limited budget meant that I travelled far afield, and worked in exchange for tuition.
I began to train seriously as a working student for Mike Huber in Norman, Oklahoma. For three years I worked with Mike learning the basics -- like how to stick on a horse over a big fence! My first CCI, at age 18, was the three star at Kentucky where I finished 13th on Mike's old advanced horse, Deer Creek.
 Photo credit: Mary Phelps |
 Photo credit: Don Collier |
I was truly fortunate when Jack Le Goff, little realising what he was getting into, selected me for the USET's Young Rider program in South Hamilton, Mass., where I spent the next five years. Anyone working with Jack quickly learned that 150% effort was the minimum requirement! He made many things possible. For example, he arranged for my first taste of riding in Europe through a one year scholarship at L'Ecole National d'Equitation in Saumur, France, home of the world-renowned Cadre Noir. It didn't take long to discover the importance of Berlitz tapes! The French seem to take pride in not speaking English, but once one makes the effort to communicate, they are a warm and caring people.
 Photo credit: Editions Greff |
 Photo credit: Don Collier |
Looking back I would still say that Jack Le Goff has been one of the biggest influences on my riding career. At the end of my 5th year in South Hamilton, Jack was preparing to retire, and he advised me to go to England to gain experience at the international level. After many letters to different trainers, I came to England in 1989 as a working student with Jane Holderness-Roddam, who at the time was the Chairperson of the British Event Team Selection Committee. With my two horses, Newmarket (Intermediate) and Bentley (Prelim), I trained with Jane for two years. She is renowned for her skill as a cross-country rider, with excellent technique and a great ability to instil confidence in her students. Her advice was often, "Just kick on," -- and it still works today!
Through Jane I began riding for several owners, one of whom offered me a job in a show jumping yard in Switzerland. I leapt at the prospect of training with top class show jumpers so, armed with a pile of German Berlitz tapes, I set off. My original plan was to spend the winter in Switzerland, but I ended up staying five years.
 Photo credit: Don Collier |
 Photo credit: Don Collier |
1992 was a pivotal year. My competition results and ability to speak French and German resulted in an offer to coach the Swiss National Three-Day Event Team. I saw this as a great opportunity to learn, despite being a relatively inexperienced teacher. I coached the team for two years and, although limited by the number of qualified horses and riders, the Swiss Event Team did achieve their best result in a three-day event for fifteen years.
My string of young horses was then approaching Advanced level and several good victories (including the Chantilly CIC ** and two of the four German Olympic selection trials) convinced me of their four star potential. At that point I decided to concentrate again on my career as a rider.
 Photo credit: Don Collier |
 Photo credit: Don Collier |
The 1996 season ended with two top ten placings at the Boekelo CCI *** and selection to the USET long list for the 1997 Open European Championships. I needed more opportunities to run my horses at advanced level and was left with the choice of returning to the USA or competing in Britain. The appointment of British-based Captain Mark Phillips as the team trainer and the offer of a good job in Devon persuaded me to move back to the UK.
I loaded Hannibal, my trusty old Bedford horsebox, to the brim with my entire worldly possessions, horses included. Reminiscent of a prospector's wagon train I drove across the Alps for the last time and headed for the UK. Why we were never stopped for being overweight I'll never know!
Over the next few years Mr. Manager and Time Will Tell, my advanced horses, achieved good results at International competitions. The highlight of these years was the chance to fulfil one of my lifelong ambitions, competing for the USA at the1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome on Time Will Tell. Although we had the misfortune of a fall on cross-country (six fences from home!), I learned some invaluable lessons and came away with the conviction that representing your country and competing at four star level is the greatest thrill ever!
Galloping on.
I have since had the good fortune to marry a tall, witty, and very tolerant Brit -- for love, and not for the passport! We are based near the beautiful and historic City of Bath, 100 miles from London, in the Southwest of England. This is wonderful horse country.
My team and I have found that we do our best when we concentrate on a few horses at a time. I therefore have a stable of seven: one advanced, two intermediate, one novice (or prelim) and two intro (or pre-training) level horses, as well as Toby, who is enjoying a very active and mischievous retirement!
Eventing in the UK
I had quite a shock at the differences between eventing in the US and Britain. Some are subtle, others less so.
One of the first things one notices is the sheer number of people involved with equestrian sports in the UK. Horses really are part of the rural culture. It is great for me, as I no longer feel like a weirdo when, at dinner parties, the topic comes around to, "So what do you do?" In fact, people are often genuinely excited when they meet a professional rider, and invariably ask if I will be competing at Badminton!
The diversity of equine activities available makes it very easy to have fun with your horses. As an event rider I have endless choices. There is foxhunting (excellent cross-country schooling), team chasing (great fun and good for improving the confidence of young horses), galloping racehorses (excellent for my steeplechase technique and fitness), show jumping, dressage, hunter trials, and eventing, often within just an hour's travel. Variety being the spice of life, I like to use all these activities as part of my own and my horses' training.
Being a "Colonial," as my husband Scottie calls me, can have its advantages. As one of only a few American riders permanently competing in the UK, people are more often than not pleased to add an "International" feel to their Horse Trials.
However, competing in England is not without its issues. The outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) last year really devastated the rural economy and effectively closed the countryside. The event season was limited to running from June to October, and much credit should be given to the organisers who managed to run their events under strict guidelines. Even Badminton had to cancel! With my horses effectively confined to home during the outbreak, I decide to use the time to work more often with my trainer, Dutch Grand Prix dressage rider Dries Roef. These concentrated sessions have been invaluable and provided some personal benefit from this difficult time.
Having survived the FMD crisis, there is currently a great deal of concern in the countryside as the Government pushes for a ban on foxhunting. Apart from the very obvious effects on the hunting community itself, many country folk believe this is a threat to their way of life and, as such, is an extremely emotive subject for the normally quiet and reserved Britons. The fact that half a million people are prepared to march on London gives an idea of the depth of feeling. The debate continues, with the Government appearing to be on a collision course with the Countryside. I will keep you posted on how this develops, and particularly the impact upon eventing in the UK.
Events are almost always over-subscribed and can attract 1000 horses with many more balloted, or refused entry. Sections will run with up to 50 horses per class, with all three phases completing in one day. We quickly learned to organise ourselves to run three horses per day, and therefore courses tend to be 'jogged,' not 'walked'! Although the majority of competitors still ride solely for pleasure, there are many professionals based in the UK. It is therefore not uncommon to see an Olympic gold medallist or the World Champion fighting for a novice placing against a field of determined amateurs. While this makes things tight at the top, I love being able to compete against a large number of the best riders in the world at virtually every competition.
 Photo credit: Don Collier |
 Photographer unknown |
To meet demand, horse trials are held during the week as well as on the weekend, with divisions from intro to advanced. Often you can find a weekday show with four sections of advanced, each having forty riders.
Weather is another factor. Rain and mud are a "given" in England. The rider who loves to compete in a downpour and the horse who is considered a "mudder" will be truly at home here!
People tend to use horseboxes (large trucks with big living areas) instead of trailers and motels, with almost everyone remaining on site throughout the competition. As events are often held in the "boonies," I also had to adapt to driving a large truck down very small, leafy lanes, much to the fright of the locals. In fact, Scottie clucks around the new horsebox, his pride and joy, like a mother hen, and would be far happier if it never left our yard -- it must have something to do with my driving!
First Competition of the Season at Aldon Horse Trials, Somerset
We started the season at our local event, Aldon, which is only an hour from home and offers pre-novice (training level) through intermediate. Aldon is one of the first of the larger horse trials, and as such it is a "Who's Who" of the World-Class riders based in the UK.
Aldon is a firm favourite with my supporters. The organisers are extremely friendly and will go out of their way to make life easy. Its terrific sandy footing means the event can run whatever the weather -- a big advantage in England! -- and uniquely, the cross-country runs through a natural bowl. This allows the spectators to watch nearly the whole of the course with a grandstand view from their cars. Given that the weather was atrocious, my owners were more than happy to watch their horses through a windshield!
I ran three horses, with Ashdale David's Way (Davey) upgrading to Advanced, or grade 1, with a 4th place in the intermediate division. Halavadream, or Benny, completed only his second intermediate with a respectable 7th place -- no mean feat given the horizontal rain and howling wind! Last year at Aldon his cross-country round was made all the more difficult and exciting by a greyhound virtually underfoot for the last half of the course. The dog had escaped his owner, a jump judge! Since he easily kept pace with us, jumping all of the fences with Benny, I suspect that his owners are considering a career for him on the track! The Gatecrasher (Harley) ran hors-concours, or HC, in novice (preliminary), but would have placed 5th. Although qualified for intermediate level, his relative inexperience meant I gave him a quiet and confidence-building run.
I took all the boys steadily, as this was their first run of the season, and the cross-country is over hilly terrain. I was particularly pleased as all the horses led the dressage in their sections and finished the day fit and well.
Third Time Lucky at Somerley Park, Dorset
Somerley Park is the stately home of the Earl of Normanton, and overlooks a beautiful park and woodlands. The going was good but, more importantly, the weather was great. Somerley Park has always been a bit of a "bogey event" for me. Previous trips included a breakdown of our vehicle, and a near breakup with Scott, whom I was dating at the time, over who had failed to set the alarm clock! My early start times and the distance from home meant that it was easier to stay at local stabling. Staying away always causes a certain feeling of trepidation, as you can never really guarantee what the "facilities" will be like. From bitter experience, we pack the kitchen sink!
True to form, our stabling turned out to pre-date the invention of electricity, which explained the lack of lights -- so Kirsty, my head groom, was not amused at having to muck out by Braille! Kirsty is a fantastic groom and a real rock, but resists any attempts to "Americanise" her. I have not been able to convince this reserved Brit to shout "Woo! ...yeah!" yet, but I'm working on it! Scott joined us later that evening, and broke into a cold sweat when he realised our stabling just happened to be the exact location where we had our "difference of opinion" several years ago. I'm glad to say things were a lot more peaceful this time!
This was the first International Event of the season, with 85 runners in the CIC **, or intermediate level one day event. Spring finally made its appearance, and we enjoyed a rare warm, sunny weekend. With Brits running for the suntan oil, Benny was definitely full of the joys of spring! He made up for a slightly wilful dressage test with a good double clear, finishing 11th. Davey, on the other hand, is mellow by nature (at least until he sees the cross-country!), and did an excellent test, jumped well, and finished 6th out of a truly international field.
Harley had a very respectable performance at his first intermediate of the year. We took a long option on the cross-country for a steady round, and finished 12th. Most importantly, he achieved a qualifying run for his Spring three day event, at Blarney Castle CCI** in June. I feel the transition from Novice to Intermediate is the first real test of a horse's nerve and ability, and I was glad to see that Harley really enjoyed the cross-country. With his terrific jumping style, he is one to watch for the future!
Coming Up
With the season now in full swing, life becomes a hectic balancing act between the training of my horses and the demands of teaching clinics in Wales, England, and the US. Having taught throughout Europe, I still love giving clinics in the USA most of all. There is nothing to match American enthusiasm for learning. It is also great for me to come home, especially if I can visit my family in Connecticut, whom I miss greatly despite my time away.
With a good start to the season, Davey will run his first advanced at Belton Park in three weeks' time. The step up to advanced is always a big one, but as Davey is the closest I have ridden to a cross-country machine, I am really excited about it. He is fast and fearless, and I can't wait to see how we cope with the bigger, more technical courses. It is gratifying to know that the gentle giant I started competing two seasons ago is now about to hit the big time. I certainly hope that the horses' results will encourage more people to join our newly formed Owners Syndicates. Unlike racing, syndicates are relatively new to the eventing world, and are a fun way to enable people to enjoy "up close and personal" involvement with the career of an event horse and rider at a fraction of the normal cost.
Benny and Harley will continue with intermediate runs in preparation for Blarney Castle in June. The junior members of the contingent -- Glamorgan, or Glam, and Lord Lan, or Bill -- will start their seasons at pre-novice and intro levels. This is bound to produce some fireworks! Stay tuned.