Equestrian Life May 2018 Issue

local events and reports
Belton
INTERNATIONAL
13-15TH APRIL • REPORT BY ARABELLA CLEGG
PHOTOS BY TIM WILKINSON
With a record number of entries
in the Grantham Cup, a second
CIC three star section was put
on, with international and
national classes full to give three days of
exciting competition.
The ground held up amazingly despite the
weather gods trying to do their best to cause
problems. Thursday night saw 12 hours of
solid rainfall.
However, the fantastic old turf in the park
could take this, and although the dressage
areas took a bit of a battering, both jumping
phases stood up well to the number of hoof
prints.
The team at BEDE have invested a lot of
time and money in to the event from a
spectators’ angle. They did so by putting a
raised platform out on the cross country to
allow approximately 80% of the course to be
viewed from one place.
There were a few particular fences that saw
top combinations either pick up twenty
penalties by running straight past an
element or not getting their strides correct
between the fences, catching them out
at the last second. In particular, an early
question at fence 6 a,b,c and d was where
plenty of riders fell foul mainly at the C
element. Having jumped A to B on a nice
four strides then to the acutely angled brush
at C on a committed one stride with a bit of
a bend was asking the horse to be forward
and focused between the flags before then
adjusting their body to the left for part D on
another four strides. It was a common phrase
by the commentators to say “and another
pair have joined the 6C club of faults”.
The water jump in the three star and
Advanced class took forward riding, in over
a bounce of logs followed by a very moving
four strides to an arrowhead on dry land.
Some went sailing past this, while others
made it look like a walk in the park.
Later on in the course with potentially tired
horses, was the Lycetts Leap, a left handed
corner with a steady five strides, depending
on the balance of the horse, coming back
down to trot to drop down, and then one
stride through to step up and bend left four
or five strides to the right handed corner, this
is where momentum, or lack of, caught some
combinations out.
As Badminton preparation runs go, winning
the Grantham cup is pretty high up there
as being the ideal set up for the big one a
fortnight later. Jonty Evans secured his first
ever international win aboard the wellknown
Cooley Rorkes Drift, the pair will now
Lauren Blades RODNIKIVA
Dream (1st place Novice
section C)
58 May 2018 Equestrian Life