Monday 10th of February 2025
Eventing

Laura Collett: Le Lion & Review of 2015

Laura Collett cross LM3231

 

An impressive performance from start to finish saw British event rider Laura Collett claim the prestigious seven year old title at last weekend’s FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses in France (15 – 18 October 2015).

 

 

The Berkshire based UK Sport National Lottery funded World Class Podium Potential rider added nothing to her dressage score of 45.2 penalties to secure the win on her own, Keith Scott and Nick How’s Mr Bass.

Lying in seventh place after the dressage phase 26 year old Laura and the German-bred, Carrico sired gelding came home clear inside the time across the Pierre Michelet designed cross country course to move up to fourth place going into the final phase.

A faultless clear round from the 2015 Senior European Eventing squad member in Sunday’s showjumping test secured the young combination victory with a 1.3 penalty lead over France’s Thomas Carlile (Upsilon) in second with Vincent Martens (Eiskonig) for Belgium in third on a score of 47.6 penalties.

Laura and Maggie Sargent’s Cooley Again also took 16th place in the seven year old Championships with the six year old Championship title going to current World number one Michael Jung (GER) and Fischerincantas.

The Gaitpost caught up with Laura to hear more about the brilliant end to her season and her plans for the winter:

Tell us about Mr Bass: He has been really consistent all year. I have had him since he was 4 and I have always thought he was very special.

What were you hopes going into the weekend? I really wanted a top 10 place. He did a lovely dressage test but I was a bit disappointed with the mark. He jumped brilliantly and I knew that the showjumping can be very influential at Le Lion. I never dreamt he would win as Michael was in the lead! It still hasn’t sunk in and all seems a bit crazy!  

We are all thinking of William who sustained a head trauma at Le Lion.  It was a huge shock for us all there and having been in an induced coma for a week after my fall at Tweseldown in 2013, I know the worry his family will be going through. We are all really hoping to see him make a full recovery and be back out in 2016.

How would you describe your 2015 season? It is incredibly special to finish on a high winning at Le Lion. I have had plenty of highs and lows this year and would say, all in all, it has been a ‘very nearly’ year. A lot of the horses have gone really well but there have been little things that haven’t gone quite as well as I had hoped for or that the horses were capable of.

It has been a bit frustrating at times but nothing has gone too wrong. My team and all my owners and sponsors have been incredible this year and and I couldn’t do what I do without them.

How will you spend the winter? I am going on holiday to Mauritius on Sunday for 2 weeks and I can’t wait! Most of the horses are now turned out with their shoes off. Grand Manoeuvre and Pamero go out in the day but come in at night as they don’t like being out all night but the others are rugged up and enjoying being normal horses.  

They tend to have between 5 and 6 weeks off – less if they get too fat! I do a lot of dressage training over the winter and started training with Spencer Wilton before Barbury and it has really helped.  From January I will be out showjumping every week.

What are you looking forward to in 2016? Going into 2016, I have got the most exciting string of horses I’ve ever had. Grand Manoeuvre and Pamero might go to Badminton and Rio is always at the back of my mind but both horses have got a bit to prove to get selection. 

 

A full list of results from the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses can be found here

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