Thursday 28th of March 2024
Features

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Part 4

New for the 2017 season, we’ll be celebrating your wins in our new feature Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

Find out all about this weeks winners, their horses, their plans for the season and inspirations as well as learning what will be in their celebration ‘Chicken Dinner’.

If you have a win this week, we’ll help you shout it from the roof tops so get in touch at events@thegaitpost.com to be featured or tweet us @thegaitpost using the tag #TGPwinnerwinnerchickendinner 

All disciplines welcome.

This weeks winners

41 year old, professional event rider Louise Harwood from Herefordshire won three classes at Gatcombe Horse Trials. She won the OI with Jenga, the AI with Whitson, and the Novice with Brechfa Medrod.

Louise Harwood

What are your aims for 2017 for this horse(s)?

Whitson is aimed at Badminton or Luhmuhlen CCI****, Jenga for CIC*** at Chatsworth and Medrod for a CIC**.

Is this your first time at this event, or are you a regular? If a regular, what keeps you coming back? If a first timer, will you be back?

Regular, good event to get us going at the beginning of the year. Good ground too.

Who is the biggest influence in your eventing career to date?

Think I influence myself..

Who is the unsung hero of your team and why?

My mother Jackie, she does yard work, drives lorry and gives us lots of advice.

Describe the funniest “blooper” you have experienced eventing

When Bit of a Barneys false tail fell out in the middle of his dressage test at Chatsworth.

Which is your favourite event & why?

Burghley, it’s a huge achievement to get there and an even bigger one to manage to complete it. Riders are treated well and there is some great shopping.

What will be in your “Chicken Dinner” and what will you wash it down with?

Thai curry with glass of red wine.

What is your current favourite lorry karaoke song?

Anything that you can sing along too!

Louise Harwood

35 year old, professional event rider and BHSI riding instructor Kylie Roddy from Stokenchurch won the ON at Gatcombe on Neil and Madeline Woodford’s Europower.

Kylie Roddy

 

What are your aims for 2017 for this horse?

To create some more consistency and then step up to intermediate level.

Is this your first time at this event, or are you a regular? If a regular, what keeps you coming back? If a first timer, will you be back?

No I’m a regular! I love it at Gatcombe it has such good courses and the prizes are always very good.

Who is the biggest influence in your eventing career to date?

Too many to name but largely my mum Karen Blunstone, my Aunty Melise Blunstone. Then Leslie Law and Trina Lightwood played a massive part when I did my young rider stint (4 seasons) at theirs.

Who is the unsung hero of your team and why?

Too many but special attention is the team at home Gemma Plastow, Megan Hodgeson, Jasmine Vincent and Georgie Claydon. We have amazing owners that are so supportive of what we do and without them the sport wouldn’t run. Vets, farrier’s, physio’s, dentists are all heros to us with out them we would not be able to keep the horses in such fine fettle!!

What is the one thing you wish you’d known before you started eventing?

How expensive it is.

Describe the funniest “blooper” you have experienced eventing

People who know me well will say these bloopers happen a lot. I still think that getting ejected in the dressage warm up at Munstead horse trials then chasing after said naughty horse while he ran through the six lovely people doing their best precise accurate tests whilst I was half plastered in mud is high on the blooper list, to add insult to injury I had to catch the horse get on it and go straight down the centreline covered in that lovely red colour soil that they have there. And no it never came out of the breeches either.

Which is your favourite event & why?

Millstreet in Ireland. It’s a fantasy venue with a beautiful back drop. The courses are beautifully presented and ride well for the bold rider. Over here Belton is my favourite I just love the atmosphere and it’s always beautifully done and great for the owners.

What will be in your “Chicken Dinner” and what will you wash it down with?

Anything Italian, I love Italian food and wash it down with a cup of tea!

What is your current favourite lorry karaoke song?

Amy Winehouse’s Valerie and Whitney Houston’s I wanna dance with somebody.

14 year old, Olivia Hall from Sussex won her BE80 section at Munstead on her six year old 14.1hh Connemara, Sam. She would love to become a professional event rider one day.

Olivia Hall

 

What are your aims for 2017 for this horse?

My aims on Sam are to move up to BE90 and I would love to qualify for Badminton Grassroots. I would also like to qualify for the NSEA Championships again and qualify for the Pony Club Championships.

Is this your first time at this event, or are you a regular? If a regular, what keeps you coming back? If a first timer, will you be back?

This was my fourth time at Munstead. After some bad luck there I was determined to have a good one. It’s such a lovely course and a very well run event. I will definitely be going back again, hopefully for the BE90.

Who is the biggest influence in your eventing career to date?

I’ve always had huge respect for Britain’s top event riders and would love to ride at their level one day. But particularly Pippa Funnell as she was in Eridge Pony Club (which I’m a member of) and I think she is a very good horsewoman.

Who is the unsung hero of your team and why?

My Mum would have to be my unsung hero. She is my biggest helper, supporter and my rock. Without her I wouldn’t have been able to get through the blood, sweat and tears that bringing on a young pony gives! I wouldn’t be where I am now without her and I wouldn’t have such great opportunities.

What is the one thing you wish you’d known before you started eventing?

I wish I had known how much I would enjoy BE as I would have started it a year earlier!

Describe the funniest “blooper” you have experienced eventing.

Sam always likes to try and roll in water. The first time we went through water we nearly ended up getting rather wet!! Now I make sure we are going faster through it so he doesn’t even think about it.

Which is your favourite event & why?

My favourite event has to be Borde Hill because I love the cross country course!

What will be in your “Chicken Dinner” and what will you wash it down with?

Funnily enough we ate Roast Chicken, washed down with a Diet Coke.

What is your current favourite lorry karaoke song?

That’s a hard question but at the moment it would have to be Solo Dance.

Olivia Hall

Henrietta Meddings, from Sandhurst, Kent won BE90 section H at Munstead.

Henrietta Meddings © Spidge Photography

What are your aims for 2017 for this horse?

Well we have qualified for the Mitsubishi Motors Cup in May so I am looking forward to that (in a nervous sort of way!!) and then after that we will try the 100. He won at Tweseldown as well on his first outing this year a couple of weeks ago so he will have two chances at a regional final later in the summer to see if we can get to Badminton again next year.

Is this your first time at this event, or are you a regular? If a regular, what keeps you coming back? If a first timer, will you be back?

No we won the same event this time last year and we qualified for the grassroots here as well last September… it must be our lucky venue! It’s a lovely event and very well run by Becca Harvey and her team.

Henrietta Meddings © Spidge Photography

Who is the biggest influence in your eventing career to date?

Cindy Llewellyn, a fantastic trainer who makes me believe in myself.

Who is the unsung hero of your team and why?

Anna Levy, my friend and dressage trainer. She’s always massively supportive and encouraging and there when I need her.

What is the one thing you wish you’d known before you started eventing?

How quietly addictive it is! Nothing else is as much fun.

Henrietta Meddings © Spidge Photography

Describe the funniest “blooper” you have experienced eventing.

So far so good, nothing too bad – I very nearly jumped the wrong jump a couple of weeks ago at Tweseldown – I was belting towards the water and looking for the second jump out of the water and couldn’t see it- suddenly I realised I was about to jump the 100 jump – I had to to do a hard right turn and jump the 90 one on an angle. Luckily I have a very honest horse who loves XC.

Which is your favourite event & why?

I think it has to be Munstead! It’s well laid out, the dressage is well away from the xc (my horse gets excited when he hears the whistles) and it’s quite flat so not difficult to make the time.

What will be in your “Chicken Dinner” and what will you wash it down with?

Yum. I’d like a nice steak with sweet potato fries and a large glass of Sauvignon blanc!

What is your current favourite lorry karaoke song?

Bob seger’ old time rock and roll’ that is a belter but usually too nervous for singing until it’s all over!!

Henrietta Meddings © Spidge Photography

28 year old, full time rider Emily Young Jamieson from Wiltshire won the CIC* on Gortmore Tommy T at Great Witchingham and Shannondale Carlina was in the BE100 who also jumped a lovely double clear and picked up a top ten placing.

Emily Young Jamieson

What are your aims for 2017 for this horse(s)?

I have exciting plans for each of the horses in my team, all their plans have been tailored to suit them as individuals. They range from BYEH and young horse classes to some exciting international fixtures at one and two star level. But the main aim is to have consistent results at all levels throughout the season.

Is this your first time at this event, or are you a regular? If a regular, what keeps you coming back? If a first timer, will you be back?

This was my first time at Great Witchingham but I will definitely be back as the ground was amazing, the organisers were very friendly and the courses were educational.

Who is the biggest influence in your eventing career to date?

Andrew Fletcher and Jeremy Scott both who apply such attention to detail and have an amazing work ethic.

Who is the unsung hero of your team and why?

Josh Tasker who came to help me out for a few days last year and then worked the whole 2016 competition season. He also came back to work with me at Great Witchingham this weekend, which was just like old times and the horses looked immaculate. He is my “Good Luck Groom”!!

What is the one thing you wish you’d known before you started eventing?

How to win the lottery!!

Describe the funniest “blooper” you have experienced eventing

Falling off TWICE in the SJ at an unaffiliated intro at Tweseldown!!!

Which is your favourite event & why?

There are a few but I do love Barbury Castle, it’s just over the hill and such a fun course to ride around with an amazing viewing. Of course I love Badminton as well but I haven’t ridden there yet!!

What will be in your “Chicken Dinner” and what will you wash it down with?

It was a KFC driving home from Great Witchingham and a Diet Coke!!

What is your current favourite lorry karaoke song?

My singing is beyond terrible so I usually leave the Karaoke to Josh!! Adele and Hometown Glory does seem to come up regularly!!

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