“I FEEL like I have my mojo back,” says Claire Hardwick as she ponders over the forthcoming point-to-point season.
With last season largely a write-off owing to coronavirus – Claire had five rides – the 37-year-old trainer-jockey reflects fondly on her 2018/2019 success. Her winning ride in the ladies’ open on Argot at Sedgefield in May 2019 saw her complete a century of wins in a career spanning nearly two decades.
Despite multiple successes under her belt, the experienced rider found herself handing over schooling duties at home last year.
“Schooling has always been my favourite part of training horses and something I have always been good at, but last year I was a pot of nerves and would just let the lads do all the jumping at home, while I observed from the ground,” she muses.
Claire credits visiting the knowledgeable yard of Henrietta Knight once a week to school a variety of horses for getting her “back into a better place”.
“I started out with Hen as a teenager after leaving school. I was there during the Best Mate glory days and stayed for a season and a half. I rang her to ask if she needed help with any schooling and she said ‘yes’,” says Claire. “Jumping at hers has really helped me. I guess now I am in my late 30s, it is hard to accept that the race-riding I have done for most of my life is coming to an end one day soon.
“I am happy to ride horses that I know, I can pick and choose – I wouldn’t want to ride any unknown horses anymore. I feel like I have ‘been there and done it’ and just want to enjoy it now without the added pressure.”
Denne historien er fra November 05, 2020-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra November 05, 2020-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change
