The season started and finished with Oasby, so off to Lincolnshire I headed with my now located towing eye (I was a Girl Guide, be prepared and all that!). Autumnal back-drops and the last chance to see the Eventing family this side of the winter solstice beckoned and as always a good time was had.
Autumnal Oasby 2 - Richard Jones & Wizards Spirit fly the cottages.com combination in the Novice class
Of course, this time last year I was frantically packing to head down to Pau but alas Pau wasn’t on the destination list this season, maybe (hopefully) next year. I always like to add in a couple of new venues each season – maybe a trip to the Emerald Isle awaits next year. Any suggestions of where an eventing-mad thirty-something needs to head next? Answers on a postcard please!
The last few weeks have been some of the best I have experienced – Beautiful Blenheim never disappoints. I fell in love with this event all over again, a wonderful relaxed atmosphere, great friends and even greater sport on offer. Sitting in The Crown enjoying my (personally I feel well-deserved) glass of vino and self-celebratory meal, I started to look back on an amazing season with so many highs, a few lows, some almost and a massive dose of gratitude.
Beautiful Blenheim - Piggy French & Brookfield Innocent on their way to victory in the CCI4*L class - one of the best backdrops in Eventing! #YearofThePig
Osberton Young Horse Championships beckoned and off to Nottinghamshire I drove in my hire car, which quite frankly was a huge disappointment. A bit of frost seemed to almost thwart our passage across the field to the car park, ‘I won’t be keeping this vehicle’ was my first thought as the wheels began to spin! Second was why on earth do hire vehicle companies remove the manuals from the cars – how am I meant to locate where the towing eye is and where on earth do I connect to this vehicle?? Maybe the next blog will be an in-depth guide to suitable vehicles for Eventing.
Wheel spins aside, the young stars of the future were definitely on display at Osberton, with the superwomen on top once again – Ros & Piggy taking two classes apiece. Mommy-power has definitely been the theme of 2019, that and #YearofThePig.
Osberton may have tried to throw everything at us, but not even a Hurricane warning couldn’t dampen the spirits. A new ‘first’ for me was working for the lovely folks at Bede Events, working as their official photographer, quite an honour. Bede pulled out all the stops to keep the show on the road, brilliant effort.
British Young Horse 6YO Champions - Ros Canter & Izilot DHI
British Young Horse 7YO Champions - Piggy French & Sportsfield Top Notch
It was so good to catch up with all photographer’s that I am very lucky to call friends. Thank you for all your wonderful company, great banter, cheery smiles, endless help and support – its been a great atmosphere on the circuit this season and you have all contributed to me enjoying my time on course so much – thank you Katie, Tim, William, Tilly, Iain, Lorraine, Vera, Deborah, Debra, Lucy, Pam, Charles, Trevor & Lorna.
Burghley moment to treasure! Image courtesy of Equuis Photography
There have been some wonderful highlights this past month. HOYS – I was very lucky indeed to have photographs in the official programme and up on the big screen during the Finale Gala in the main arena of the legend that is Sprinter Scare, arguably the best National Hunt Racehorse of all time (seriously I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise!)
And staying with majestic ex-racehorses, Horse and Hound featured my photograph of Saphir du Rheu in their RoR feature in October, along with the postman bringing me a lovely surprise in the post of Paul Nicholl’s Racing Brochure, which features the same photo of Saphir.
Sprinter Sacre parading in the RoR parade as part of the HOYS Finale Gala
I have also been lucky to have some lovely comments and encouragement for the blog, so sorry folks they will keep coming! For those of you reading these ramblings and wondering how to do give it a go yourselves… just do it, contact publications, look for vacancies and get out there. I have been very lucky to go from happy-snapper to nervous member of the press-gang in three seasons. Eventing Worldwide has been a great opportunity for me to ‘learn the ropes’, get out there and get noticed. It’s also helped me to meet amazing people who have helped and supported me along the way, the gems of advice that have been invaluable to get me on the straight and narrow.
The look back at the season has got me thinking about this sport…. And what a wonderful sport it is. No other sport directly brings professional against amateur, man against woman, a sixty something against a teenager. To compete on a truly equal playing field. Watching the lorry park at Oasby, I watched on as the current World Champion greeted her working pupil back from a great clear round across the country. Said World Champion wasn’t competing herself, she had just come to ‘cheer on’ her pupil, helped by her dedicated groom, an eventer herself. It will be a common sight next season to see all three ladies compete in the same section. What a great sport this is.
I have covered some 8,000 miles to capture the action since March, from Burgham to Luhmuhlen and almost everywhere in between. As much as I am sitting here watching the Pau livestream, sobbing into my tea cup that I am not in the sun-drenched Pyrenees - I will reluctantly admit….. Knackered! My body is definitely feeling all those miles walked in pursuit of the perfect shot.
Season Highlight: Of the thousands of images taken this season, this is right up there as my fav shot of the season - my fav horse, my fav rider, my fav owner - This little black beauty showed all the doubters what he was made of at Badminton
Alas the end of the season is nigh, all the ponies must be packed away for winter and this gives us all a chance to breathe, rest and recharge those batteries, oh and familiarise ourselves with what our non-eventing family and friends look like. For me though, I’ll miss my Eventing family – Roll on March!