RIDER GEMMA STEVENS
“I STARTED riding ‘Casper’ at the end of his eight-year-old year. He’d done plenty of three-stars with his previous rider Liz Halliday-Sharp and gone very well, but he’d had a patchy four-star start with a couple of falls.
“I felt like it was important for us to establish ourselves as a partnership before moving up to four-star, so I spent the first year being very careful, doing intermediates and three-stars and making sure he was super confident.
“He used to be a little worried about jumping a ditch, so I spent a long time gaining his confidence with that and getting to the point where he wasn’t holding his breath.
“At the end of that year we stepped up to four-star, then last season was about consolidation and he was fantastic. The only blot on his record was when I made a mistake at Bramham so I walked home as I didn’t see the point in going all the way round after I’d made an error at fence four.
Denne historien er fra June 15, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra June 15, 2023-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Gemirande provides 24-carat magic
Venetia Williams sparkles again in the December Gold Cup and jockey brothers dead-heat
‘Happy hunting, everyone'
“The season for talks, dinners and parties has finally arrived for Tessa Waugh, whose distress about the snags of middle age fades away with some rousing festive spirits
'Monaco deserved this victory
Seemingly destined always to play the bridesmaid’s role, Harrie Smolders’ great partner Monaco finally tops an incidentpacked Rolex grand prix
'It had to end sometime'
The closure of beloved Hampshire saddlery Calcutt Sons is a loss to the hunting and wider equestrian worlds, as Octavia Pollock reports
'You couldn't want for more
The Ludlow's peaceful country makes for a day in \"hunting paradise\"
The greatest gift of all
Christmas is fast approaching and while we all like a bit of tinsel, the festive season is also a perfect time for giving to a horse charity. Niki Hinman finds out some of the options
Winter him well
A horse's winter routine can differ dramatically from his summer structure but what’s the knock-on effect? Ellie Hughes asks vets how to optimise routine management for the season
Neat feet
Excellent hoof care is a year-round concern but the winter months present their own problems. Richard Stephenson MRCVS explains the seasonal challenges afoot and how to stay one step ahead
In bygone days
Modern vets have much scientific knowledge behind them, but what about their forebears? Kieran O’Brien MRCVS opens up the world of Victorian vets in London
'When I joined the Pony Club it was just two boys and 48 girls'
Pepsi Kohler on being delightfully outnumbered by girls in the Pony Club, a leg-up from a royal and the H&H advert that changed his life
