the rider
Main photo: Sarah aged 2
Island Life - April/May 2011
1
/2
on Tweedledum
Inset: Sarah aged 18 months with mum Sue
Now she is aiming to do her first ‘One
that go with
Star’ level with both horses this year,
it. That is
and then hopefully reach intermediate
why Sarah
with Will. Although ‘novice’ may sound
is seeking
fairly moderate, in eventing terms it is
any forms of
a level many would-be eventers never
sponsorship
reach.
to help her
And with France in mind, intermediate
achieve her
is the level that Sarah has to attain to
goals. She
look for a place in Great Britain Young
explained; “It
Rider team, which goes up to the age
is difficult,
Sarah hopes she will have had a
of 25. But eventing at the level Sarah
because in February and March you
successful intermediate run with Will,
has already reached is so intense that
want to start doing a bit of cross-
and progress with Lucy, owned by
just one pole down in showjumping can
country to prepare for the season, but
Caroline Ross, which she hopes will be
mean the difference between success
we don’t have the facilities on the
her next horse to move through the
and failure. Sarah explains: “Everyone
Island.”
ranks. If she achieves six double-clears
To help offset costs she combines
at novice level on Will and Benji she
three phases – dressage, cross-country
eventing with teaching at the indoor
can apply to British Eventing, and if
and showjumping - to be successful.
riding school, and recently attained
approved she can go to One Star that
There is no margin for error.”
her British Horse Society Assistant
would enable her to represent her
Instructor’s qualification, with the help
country at under-25 level in France.
knows that you have to excel in all
Sarah and Sue agree that living on the
Island does have its disadvantages for
of Robert Pickles, a fellow of the BHS.
an eventer, simply because of the huge
The new eventing season is about to
amount of time travelling and the costs
begin, and by the end of the summer
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