Stellar schoolmasters

Taking on a hotshot schoolmaster is the opportunity of a lifetime for many, but it doesn’t come without its pressures, finds Andrea Oakes

- Andrea Oakes

NOTHING beats a “been there, done that” schoolmaster for giving you the real feel – a horse who knows his stuffand, as Olympic eventer Andrew Nicholson explains, can step in if necessary to say: “You’ve pushed the wrong buttons! I’ll take over.”

Among the former equine stars who have since joined forces with younger or less experienced jockeys are two of Andrew’s international rides – Mr Cruise Control and Calico Joe.

“Horses go on for so much longer nowadays and there are more competitions for them to step down to,” says Andrew, explaining that the idea of a schoolmaster is relatively new in the eventing world. “These two obviously loved their jobs, competing for so long at top level, but it was nice for them to come down a bit. I’ve enjoyed seeing them go on with new riders; I’m proud of them.”

For Thomas Hawke, taking the reins of Mr Cruise Control in 2015 was an opportunity too good to miss. The Cruising gelding, known as “Tez”, proved a sizeable challenge, however, for his new teenage partner.

“He was physically massive and took quite a lot of riding,” says Thomas of the 17hh Irish Sport Horse, a winner two years previously at both Chatsworth CCI4*-S and Luhmühlen CCI5*-L. “Andrew could pick up a horse like Tez and wrap his legs round him, but it was a bit different when you put a weedy 15-year-old on him.

“Tez needed that strength from his rider but he was very forgiving of me,” adds Thomas. “He wasn’t by any means push-button and there were a few sticky moments, but we never had a fault cross-country.”