Badminton 2007 Diary

'The Luck of the Irish?'

After 20 years of waiting, Jonty Evans this year completed his first CCI****, at Badminton.

It was always his ambition to ride there – he only lives 20 miles down the road, and three years ago he was in a position to enter – but was balloted. Last year Jasper (officially known as Cregwarrior) was accepted but knocked himself at Burnham Market and was withdrawn. This year it all looked on course….

Months of preparation with trainers Dot Wills and Trudi Robinson resulted in a string of great dressage results and show jumping clear rounds over the winter – cross country wasn’t the issue for this partnership.

Jonty has ridden Jasper for the last five years, including representing Ireland at two European Championships, and this year he felt that Jasper was better than he had ever been. So, with hindsight, perhaps running a less experienced horse round the testing Advanced track at Withington just three days before the Badminton trot up was a little fool hardy… Jonty was splattered onto the unforgiving ground when the horse fell at a corner.

It was a very sore and bruised rider who climbed into his lorry two days later – not that this cramped his elation, or his misguided belief in his singing ability…. Poor Jasper! Jonty sang to him for the entire journey – at full pelt!

“Driving through the gates at Badminton was fantastic, it was just fabulous to be there, unloading my horse in the main stable yard – only 100 yards from where the

trot up would be the following day.” Then it was off to Whatley Manor for dinner with Jasper’s owners Deborah and Martin Toogood, trainers Dot and Trudi, Trudi’s husband Robin and groom Alice.

Trot up day dawned and Jonty tried to work Jasper in the morning, “but it was so disheartening. He was trying his damndest, but because of my fall I could neither trot nor ride a flying change. Withdrawing wasn’t an option, but Trudi and Alice took a lot of flak from me over the next few days!”

It was a paracetamol rattling Jonty who presented his horse to the Grand Jury. “I turned to look along the trot up path – and it seemed to go on for miles. Was I really going to make it there and back?”

Successfully past the first hurdle, Jonty and Trudi set off to walk the course – slowly. “My first impression was that it was all jumpable - I have great faith in Jasper cross country, but I thought the ground was appalling. If that had been presented at the Gold Cup Ed Gillespie would have been out of a job 24 hours later, and Badminton is eventing’s equivalent of the Gold Cup. Yes, they did finally pull out all the stops, but it was a case of too little too late in my opinion. I don’t live far away and would love to know which weather forecast Hugh Thomas had been watching!”

The stark reality of Jonty’s injury became fully apparent on Thursday morning: “I could barely sit on the horse, let alone ride. Ann Shortt, the Irish team physio, was treating me on the grass beside the practice arenas just to loosen me up enough to trot. She literally got me through the week, treating me every day.”

Despite that, riding into the main arena was a huge highlight. “Trudi somehow had us both in the right frame of mind, her parting shot ‘you’ve waited 20 years for this, enjoy yourself’.

Cantering around the arena I must have seen at least 25 people that I knew, and it was fantastic to know they were there, supporting us.

I came in on the left rein, and after three strides up the centre line I knew we had it. He was totally listening to me, and under the circumstances it was undoubtedly the best test we could have done.” The pair finished on a score of 49.4.

Thursday night and another highlight – the cocktail party at Badminton House, hugely enjoyed by all the team. It had been a good day!

Friday: time to limp round the cross country again. “By then I wasn’t paying so much attention to worries about getting round, the pain was too bad! I had my plan about how I was going to ride the course, with alternatives at the ready just in case. Jasper prefers me to tell him where to go very clearly – he’s not that keen on fluffy plans.”

There was just enough time for a guest slot on Radio Badminton, and then back for the first of two Rider Meetings that day regarding the hard ground, after which Jonty took Jasper for a hack around the park, fulfilling another long-held ambition.

“Because of the late withdrawal decisions we weren’t given our cross country start times until 8.20 on Saturday morning. Luckily I had slept like a log, and ploughed through a huge bowl of porridge and full cooked breakfast! We were due to run at 13.24, and I couldn’t wait.

I didn’t watch anyone else go before me – I have great faith in people who know both me and my horse, and who would relay any relevant information. I don’t tend to watch unless I have a real problem with a fence, because for me it doesn’t really help.”

Physio and ice packs were carefully scheduled and finally it was the allotted time: “When the starter said ‘Go’ and I cantered out of the start box towards the first fence I just wanted to let out a huge ‘Holloa’!”

But, as if he didn’t have enough to deal with, Jonty’s round was not to take the expected 12 minutes 10 seconds, but closer to an hour.

After clearing The Shogun Hollow at fence 7 he was approaching the Outlander

Bank when he saw the horse ambulance attempting to cross the track in front of him. “The crowds were screaming at the driver to stop – there was no way I could pull up by then – and we galloped past just ahead of his front bumper. It would soon be apparent why the ambulance was on the move. After popping the bank Jonty was held on course, whilst vets dealt with the fatally wounded Icare d’Auzay.

“I had never been stopped before, and my first worry was time – I didn’t know whether to stop my watch or not, or when I passed the stop point. The fence judges at 8 and 9 were fantastic, explaining what was going on and what would happen when the course reopened. As time went by though, and my body started to seize up, I stopped worrying about time and decided that completing was the focus, not how long it took!

“I did begin to wonder if I would ever get going again. Dot and Lars (Chrisstenson, Irish team Performance Manager) came down to the hold point and it was good to have them around. When we did re-start after about 35 minutes it was a big relief that we didn’t miss our stride at the huge oxer, our first fence. The cheering from the crowds from then on was unbelievable. I don’t know if people realise how much it lifts your spirits!”

There were still twists in the tale to come. A loose dog took off after them as they turned towards the Vicarage Vee, the crowds again alerting Jonty. As they jumped the first part of the bounce into the Colt Pond Jasper spotted the dog, and a momentary loss of concentration resulted in him popping in a short stride – and landing very steeply into the pond.

“That was the final straw! He had landed a bit steep from the Vee, I think because he was aware of something behind him, and from then on I couldn’t use my left leg

at all. It was Jasper who got us home – and clear. When he jumped into the lake, I remember thinking ‘sit up’ because it’s such a big drop, but I physically couldn’t. Jasper scooped me up and carried on. I always knew he had a big heart, but he was awesome.” Anyone watching the BBC coverage will have seen Jonty helped off his horse, unable to walk unaided.

“I woke up on Sunday morning genuinely concerned that I wouldn’t be able to ride. The Toogood’s had already said that if I wanted to withdraw that was fine with them – but I wasn’t having it!

I was gutted not to be able to trot my horse up for the second time, but running wasn’t an option and Lars did the job for me.”

A quick check with the medics as to exactly which (and how many) pain killers he could legally take and the end was in sight. “By then I was beyond physio! Warming up, Jasper was great – but I couldn’t jump two fences in succession. I was initially disappointed to have four down in the arena, but all credit to Jasper, I don’t know how he got me round at all.

“He absolutely loved the Parade – and so deserved it! There were massive screams and cheers from one corner of the arena in particular, and he knew they were for him.

I do regret how my fall at Withington held us back – we had a better preparation than I could have hoped for, and could perhaps have made it into the top 15. Having said that, I am incredibly proud of my horse, and hugely grateful to so many people, from owners, trainers and Alice to everyone who cheered us round the cross country and kept us going.”

Luck of the Irish? With everything packed, and Jasper loaded ready to go home….a flat battery on the lorry was the final hurdle to overcome. Glad I’m English!

Words Hilary Manners - Photos Robin Irish & Tony Meredith

This article was originally published on www.eventingworldwide.com