UK-based eventers are back out competing and they couldn’t be happier.

World no.2 Tim Price said it was like a “blast from the past” to have a weekend eventing. “It was good to be out.”

There was a clutch of Kiwi events competing at Barbury Castle and Tweseldon at the weekend with some solid podium finishes and personal bests to boot.

Team Price had 26 horses competing across the two events, with almost everything going to plan. “All the young horses learnt a lot and the older horses got a trip out. It is a bit surreal to be out eventing again. The spatial awareness thing is sort of there in the background, but it is just good to be out again and going through the throes of the different aspects of eventing. The going was good and I think what is going to be really nice is having horses who have actually had a proper hit out and now will be a little bit more relaxed and settled some this week and beyond. We are just pleased to have got going.”

His sentiments were reiterated by Samantha Lissington. “It is great to be out competing,” she said. “We had a blast – the horses were all super. It was so nice to feel the progress made and to be able to have some real purpose again. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of the showjumping buzzer going off or the friendly cross country starter counting you down in the start box.”

She notched her first UK win, taking out the BE 100 class aboard her homebred Ricker Ridge Ricochet who won the Young Event Horse class at Taupo last year. Sam also scored a personal best with her 20.7 penalty point effort on Zazu in the IN class.

RESULTS:

TWESELDON
BE100 – Section Q
Dan Jocelyn – OSH Dougie 10.

BE90 – Section T
Hollie Swain – DSL Mermaid 2.

BE90 – Section V
Hollie Swain – Unicorn By Uniqhors 2.

Open Intermediate – Section G
Dan Jocelyn – Florencina R (owned by Philip Hunt, Jo Preston-Hunt and Dan Jocelyn) 9.

Novice – Section C
Bruce Haskell – Ex Cavaliers Law (Owned by Tammy Lake & Bruce Haskell) 7.

Open Novice
Tim Price – Kincooley Cruising (owned by Susan Lamb and Tim Price) 10.

BARBURY CASTLE
BE100 – Section H
Tim Price – CHIO 20 2.

BE100 – Section I
Samantha Lissington – Johnnie Walker Van De Suydersee 5.

BE100 – Section J
1st Samantha Lissington – Ricker Ridge Ricochet (owned by Samantha Lissington) 1.

Novice – Section A
Tayla Mason – Gino Gingerino (owned by Anona and Jeremy Young) 10.

Novice – Section B
Tim Price – Kroon Freddie (owned by Joanne Pullan) 8
Jonelle Price – Curly Girl (owned by Kate Amin, Lucy Sangster, Kate Holmes and Jackie Oliver) 10.

Novice – Section C
Tim Rusbridge – Inception (owned by Tim Rusbridge) 9.

Novice – Section N
Jesse Campbell – Global Candy Boy (owned by Fiona and Jessica Acheson) 1.

Novice – Section O
James Avery – Walaadli 2.

Open Intermediate – Section L
Tim Price – Spartaco (owned by Tim Price) 3.

By Diana Dobson – HP Media Liaison
Photos by Peter Nixon