Izzy Taylor embarks on her lap of honour with Monkeying Around (after a bit of customary spooking, of course!). Photo by Tilly Berendt.

If someone wanted to approach the British spring season so far in the manner of, say, a literary critic, they wouldn’t have too hard a time in finding the central themes of the narrative: at Bramham, as at Badminton, we’ve seen horses who had to do their tumultuous ‘teenage’ phase in the harsh glare of the spotlight, who have faltered — fairly, you could argue — and been loudly doubted, and who have reached their zenith over the toughest, boldest, most influential of courses.

In many ways, Izzy Taylor‘s Monkeying Around delivers much the same flavour of fairytale as Laura Collett’s London 52: both horses overachieved enormously at the start of their international careers, making themselves darlings of the sport before hitting the ups and downs and wobbly bits that come part and parcel of finding their feet at the upper levels. For most horses, this bit goes under the radar: nobody really notices them until they’ve worked their way through the event horse’s equivalent of a robust undergraduate degree, and by the time they enjoy their first high-profile success, they’re much more secure in their work and have got the green run-outs and naughty moments largely out of the way. For a flashy horse who becomes the Six-Year-Old World Champion with one of the world’s most successful riders aboard, though, the public’s expectations are often almost unattainably high — and so although Monkey has had plenty of success, including tenth place at last year’s European Championships, a win in the Burnham Market CCI4*-L in 2020, which replaced Blenheim that year, and in the CCI4*-S at Burgham last season, it’s often been his little whoopsies (like that 20 and subsequent retirement in his CCI4*-S run at Burnham Market this spring) that have commanded the most attention.

Monkeying Around establishes himself as a serious campaigner for Izzy Taylor. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The antidote to it all, as is so often the case with precocious horses, has been time, patience — and a sense of humour. We saw that pay off over the first two phases this week; the pair were second after the first phase on a customarily excellent 24, this time without any of the occasional practical jokes that the gelding can throw into the mix, and on cross-country yesterday he looked at his absolute best, adding just 1.2 time penalties to step into the lead.

Today’s showjumping round, though, was a bit of a different story. Jumping for the win comes with an extraordinary amount of pressure in its own right, but Bramham’s arena is particularly atmospheric to boot: it’s surrounded by slopes, creating a natural amphitheatre effect that’s reliably packed to the gills with spectators, screaming babies, barking dogs, and popping champagne bottles. In addition to that, today’s weather forecast brought with it a sharp, forceful wind that had flags whipping in the wind, flower pots toppling — and, in the round before Izzy’s, an entire fence sent flying.

That meant that Izzy’s best-laid plans to warm up and then head straight into the ring in attacking fashion were turned on their head, and as a result, their round wasn’t quite the easiest looking clear of the day, though it was, crucially, clear: the inordinately scopey gelding was sticky off the ground at each fence, but could use his natural ability as a crutch.

“He felt like I was going to have to do as much work as him!” laughs Izzy. “After the wall blew down I waited, and I waited, and I waited, and I thought, ‘oh, they’ll be done [rebuilding] by now’. Normally, I go into a ring and off we go, but I went in and we had a little trot round, and a little canter round, and then off we went — and it was fine, but he was a bit spooky and a bit like, ‘oh, are we actually doing this right now?’ Yes, we are doing this right now!”

Let’s hear it for the girls! Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Izzy went into the ring with 2.8 penalties in hand over Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel, who had delivered an excellent clear round in tricky conditions to finish on their dressage score of 28 — the only pair in the class to do so. That didn’t give Izzy any rails in hand, but it did give her seven seconds to play with — a buffer she’d make best use of while carefully placing the gelding at each fence.

“It’s always nice to know what you’ve got [in hand], and the way it was, I needed to use them,” she says. “But I’m thrilled with him — he’s won his four-star long before at Burnham Market, and then to come here, which is a whole different competition in many respects, just proves to me that he’s a proper horse. He’s a real one, and I’m really thrilled for everyone that’s involved with him. There’s a lot of work behind them all, as we all know, so I’m delighted.”

Now, Izzy’s considering a brief foray back in the hunt field with the gelding, who she hunted extensively as a youngster: “We might go to a hound exercise and then in the winter he’s allowed to go to a meet — maybe not with me riding him though; he’s quite athletic!”

Ros Canter’s Pencos Crown Jewel stays laser-focused despite a chaotic moment in the ring to take second place. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel delivered a round that was well-placed to put the pressure on the leaders, it certainly wasn’t without its drama: in the latter third of their round, the wind blew down fence six, an ostentatious green wall in the centre of the ring. Not only was it fully visible and in reasonably close proximity to the mare, it also landed with a loud crash.

“It’s Jasmine’s worst nightmare, something like that happening,” says Ros. “She’s not a huge fan of people or of poles, and when we broke her in, she was terrified of poles. So we have to be quite careful in warm-ups that things aren’t anywhere near her when she jumps — so that really was her worst nightmare.”

But despite’s Jasmine’s tendencies, her reaction was conspicuous only by its absence: she didn’t so much as flick an ear towards the offending fence, and finished her round in fine style.

“Bless her, she just carried on and she’s such a little warrior — she just keeps on fighting,” says Ros, who has produced the thirteen-year-old from the start of her career and is delighting in her hitting her peak this season. “She’s been on fab form this year. I always think of her as a little horse, but she’s just pulled it out of the bag in every phase. I think this year, particularly, our relationship is stronger than ever, and I think with a mare that’s really important.”

Part of strengthening that relationship has been learning to compromise in training — an ethos that has carried through a lot of what Ros is doing with her horses this year, including her World Champion Allstar B, who no longer schools at all but hacks extensively instead.

“I’ve learned she doesn’t really like going on the bit, so why do it very often? Probably, the last few years, I’ve potentially tried to over-train her and make her something she isn’t, and actually today we just bombed around like I would on a pony and had a bit of fun, and she went in there and absolutely loved it. So that’s definitely the way with her!”

Now, Ros is happy to let ‘Jasmine’, who was fourth in her five-star debut at Bicton last autumn, enjoy her moment in the spotlight.

“She’s an absolutely fantastic horse, and when you look at her record over the years, it’s phenomenal. But she’s always had that one horse [overshadowing her] that’s gone to a championships or something like that, so nobody’s really recognised her. She’s been my kind of second string for a long time, so it’s really great for her to get this result, and for her owners, too.”

Kirsty Chabert takes a podium spot with Opposition Loire. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“She was absolutely mega — I have no words,” says an emotional Kirsty Chabert, who secured herself a podium position after delivering a classy round for 1.6 time penalties aboard Opposition Loire, pushing them up a spot from the fourth place position they’ve held throughout the week. The eleven-year-old British-bred mare, who was running in just her second-ever CCI4*-L, didn’t look at all tired by yesterday’s exertions.

“She was really fresh — she effectively napped into the arena to get going, so you just go with it,” says Kirsty. “She’s a phenomenal jumper, and she always has been on the last day, but she can have a pole through exuberance in the short formats. I can’t fault her today; she was amazing.”

Kirsty had originally considered a Luhmühlen CCI5* run for the mare, who had just missed out on a spot on the Badminton start list, but decided to come to this instead as it’s her own favourite event: “It’s still my favourite event,” she laughs. “It was definitely the right decision!”

Now, the mare may be aimed at a Burghley run to finish her year, “but she’s such a good horse that maybe she doesn’t need to do another exertion event this year. We’ll see.”

Tom Carlile and Darmagnac de Beliard tip a rail but remain well in situ in fourth place. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

One of the most impressive performances of the week has to be that of the nine-year-old CCI4*-L debutant Darmagnac de Beliard, superbly piloted by France’s Tom Carlile. They led the first day of dressage on their score of 29.3, ultimately going into cross-country in sixth place — and after zooming seamlessly around to add just 1.6 time penalties, they stepped up into overnight third place. Though they tipped a rail today, their three-phase performance was still good enough to secure them fourth — the gelding’s seventh top-five finish out of his eight career international starts.

“I’m chuffed with him; all week he’s been a great boy,” says Tom, who has earned himself a reputation over the years as one of the sport’s best producers of young horses. “I was pleased with his dressage — if anything, I let him down a bit, and he was superb yesterday. He’s a very good jumper, a careful jumper, but he’s still a little bit inexperienced with this atmosphere, so I’d have preferred a clear round, but the horse has generally done all three phases really well.”

Now, Tom is looking ahead to the next steps — a run at Blenheim this autumn, and then a planned CCI5* debut in the spring.

“He’s one that we rate for the future — had somebody told me [before coming] that he’d be fourth, I’d have signed for that, I think! There’s a lot to come from him.”

Susie Berry and Ringwood LB show their quality ahead of a planned Burghley debut this year. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Ireland’s Susie Berry is also looking ahead to five-star with her fifth-placed mount Ringwood LB, but theirs will come around rather sooner: they’re aiming for Burghley as a debut for the gelding, who began his week in seventh place on 29.6, slipped to tenth after adding 4.8 time penalties yesterday, and then climbed up to fifth today despite knocking a single rail. Behind her, local rider Kristina Hall-Jackson made a spectacular climb with CMS Google, who moved up from 42nd place to 15th yesterday, and then onwards to a final sixth place after jumping a clear round with 0.8 time penalties.

Oliver Townend and new ride As Is, another former mount of Andrew Nicholson, took seventh place despite activating a MIMclip on yesterday’s cross-country course, which plummeted them down the order to twentieth place. But so rare were faultless rounds today — just seven of the 39 starters managed them — that their stylish effort sent them soaring back up the leaderboard. They’re followed by Ros Canter and Rehy Royal Diamond, whose steady round and 12.4 time penalties yesterday sent them down from ninth to 21st place, but whose clear round with 0.4 time allowed them to climb back up the order and finish in eighth.

“He’s come on so much in the last couple of years; he’s always wanted to be desperately careful, but his timing was out quite a lot,” says Ros. “He’s got an unusual style and he uses his neck, so it’s often caught him out. But in the last two years, he’s just jumped clear round after clear round, and it’s like he’s suddenly realised how to do it — and he’s really honest as well. He really wants to do the job, so that’s lovely.”

Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl take a top ten spot with a thirteen-place climb on the final day. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There were plenty of impressive climbs up the leaderboard today, including that of eleventh-placed Alex Whewall, who won the George Lane Fox Memorial Trophy for the biggest climb of the week after moving up from 55th place with Ellfield Voyager. But one rider who made a great leap up the leaderboard was so taken by surprise that she very nearly missed the prizegiving.

“I’d changed into my jeans and taken her plaits out, and we were about to leave,” laughs a breathless Tiana Coudray, who never quite expected that her clear inside the time today would propel her from overnight 22nd to the top ten — but such was the influence of this final phase that she was able to climb, climb, and climb some more to an eventual ninth place with the twelve-year-old Holsteiner mare Cancaras Girl. This is the horse’s first international placing after a few steady and educational seasons, and Tiana is delighted that the time has come to show off all that she’s been working on.

“She’s so lovely, and she’s just been chipping away. It feels like she might be finally showing what we’ve always thought was in there; she’s never had a big result, but she’s always shown enough promise that she’s been exciting,” she says.”She’s done one CCI2*-L, one CCI3*-L, went to Bicton CCI4*-L off the back of nothing, and so she’s still an unknown to us. At this point, this is her third CCI4*-L, so it’s becoming more clear, but it’s still really early in her upper-level career. Her mileage is incredibly low, which is why it was so important for us to come here and put this mileage on her. And obviously we were disappointed not to get into Badminton, but to have a good result this weekend has really confirmed that she was ready for that.”

They began their week in equal 31st place on 34.7, then climbed to 22nd after adding 8 time penalties over yesterday’s track. Today, they delivered one of the seven totally faultless rounds of the class to complete their climb — and confirm that a much-considered Burghley debut this autumn is the right plan for the horse.

“In hindsight, I’m so disappointed to have had the time penalties I had, because she’s a horse that must have been one of the best horses to finish yesterday,” says Tiana. “She absolutely cruised up the hill, we threw some water on her, and she looked around like, ‘shall we go around again?!’ She was unbelievably quick to recover, and now I know that about her and can be braver about how much I push her. This is by far the biggest test she’s ever had, and that’s why we came here: for me, this is a really important step for her future, so I’m absolutely thrilled. Of course I wish I’d gone faster; with the way she jumped today, I believe she could have finished on her dressage score, but having said that, she jumped a super round yesterday, she’s on amazing form, which is so exciting, and we just finished in the top ten at Bramham!”

New Zealand’s James Avery put in the work through the week to enact a quiet climb up the leaderboard, ultimately finishing in tenth place with Hazel Livesey’s One of a Kind II after beginning in seventeenth after dressage.

The final top ten in an action-packed Bramham CCI4*-L.

Bramham International: [Website] [Schedule & Orders of Go] [Live Scoring] [EN’s Coverage] [EN’s Instagram]

Izzy Taylor’s previously mercurial Monkeying Around proves his class to take the lead in the CCI4*-L. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There are a few things that can always be counted on at Bramham Horse Trials: you’ll hit your 20,000 steps by lunchtime, and by the close of play, the leaderboard will look very, very different to how it started. This, the first Bramham cross-country day since 2019, certainly lived up to those expectations throughout the course of the feature CCI4*-L class, with plenty of penalties, eliminations, and refusals, particularly in the early stages of the day — and ultimately, 32 of the 62 starters would come home sans jumping penalties, with six managing to do so inside the time.

The problems that were had are important to acknowledge: tragically, we lost two horses during the course of the day’s proceedings and the course was altered partway through the day to remove fence 7AB, but nonetheless, riders praised Ian Stark’s bold course design. Dressage leader Piggy March, who picked up an educational 20 penalties with Coolparks Sarco, was effusive in her support: “It was a really lovely track, and we’re totally behind Ian Stark and his courses,” she says. “I know it’s been a mixed day, but we’ve had a few years with Covid and things, and I don’t think a lot of places give the experience of the ditches and that sort of terrain, or that sort of decent competition and normal preparation that we get to bring ourselves up to here. But as far as course design, the track was absolutely brilliant, and there was no fence out there that shouldn’t have been there. They did all they could and made all the right decisions throughout the day.”

Several top contenders were taken out of contention throughout the day, including top-ten-placed horses such as Gemma Tattersall‘s Flash Cooley, who was retired after an early mistake, Izzy Taylor‘s Ringwood Madras, who had a drive-by at fence 11, and Oliver Townend‘s new ride As Is, who activated a MIMclip for 11 penalties. Those errors, plus the demotion of Piggy and Coolparks Sarco, opened the door for anyone who could deliver a speedy clear to climb enormously — though the new leader in the clubhouse certainly surprised a few fans.

Izzy Taylor‘s Monkeying Around has never been short of talent: the eleven-year-old won the Six-Year-Old World Championship in 2017, the Blenheim replacement CCI4*-L at Burnham Market in 2020, and has scooped a number of top-five placings at CCI4*-S, too, over the last two years. But he’s also a horse who flits between either end of the spectrum — he fails to complete just as regularly as he places. Today, though, the patience Izzy has put into working through his inexperience paid off, and he set out on course looking as focused as we’ve seen him, romping home easily with just 1.2 time penalties to add to his very good first-phase score of 24.

“I’m really proud of him and pleased with him,” says Izzy. “He did have to dig deep and help me out, but that’s what cross-country is — we have to help each other out. He’s eleven now, and he’s seen a bit more of life, and I think now he kind of gets what the aim is — to go over the fences, not around them, and realise that occasionally, vaguely, I have the right idea of where we’re meant to go!”

Bramham’s toughness was no bad thing for the dressage-bred gelding, who realised quickly that he’d need to ask his rider for a bit of a helping hand in order to get the job done.

“It was good for him: it’s a big track here, and there’s a lot of ditches, and he did have to look to me a bit. That probably helped as well,” Izzy says. “He’s a phenomenal athlete; he could do anything, if he chose to. He’s scopey, he can turn himself inside out if he needs to, and there’s nothing he can’t do — and that’s possibly why, like talented children, they’ve never had to try very hard. Then, when they do have to try, they’re not sure they like it. But I think he’s realised that he can try, and he can do it, and he’s still okay.”

As he made his way around the course, Izzy found that he grew in confidence and in boldness alike — an experience that she thinks will be a real turning point for him as he makes the leap from mercurial green horse to serious competitor: “He got better and better, which was great, because they can come here and go ‘oh my god, I’m not okay with this!’ But he was like, ‘okay, if you say it’s alright, then we’re okay’. So I’m very pleased with his mentality, and that he realises he can do it if he wants to — and the thing is, now he’s going to have the belief that he can do it, basically.”

Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel make light work of Ian Stark’s track for overnight second place. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Ros Canter moved up a place into overnight second after a clear inside the time with Pencos Crown Jewel, who attacked the track with gumption: “She gets cooler as she gets older, and she loved it today,” says Ros. “I thought she’d like Bramham, because every time she sees a hill, she pricks her ears a little bit more and gallops a bit faster — so she came up here like a bat out of hell! She gets to the bottom and says, ‘I’ll take that challenge on!’, and off she goes.”

Ros left the start box intending to run competitively, which suited the thirteen-year-old’s skillset perfectly — though producing competitive rounds hasn’t always been that straightforward.

“I thought if I could make the time on anybody, I’d be close on her, because I knew she’d go the distance. She’s also just getting more and more rideable to a fence, and she’s feeling scopier than she ever did. I’ve had her since she was a three-year-old, but funnily enough, we’ve had bumps along the road in our relationship. She’s gone from being really easy to getting a bit buzzed by the atmosphere, and being a bit trickier and stronger, but I think that this year, we’ve just found the balance. We’re really enjoying each other again.”

For Pencos Crown Jewel, who finished in the top ten at Bicton’s Bramham replacement last year, and again in its Burghley replacement, it’s another major feather in her cap and sets her up as another serious British talent to keep a close eye on — even if she’s not the most obvious champion at first glance.

“She’s kind of a small, unassuming mare — she doesn’t really stand out from the crowd, but she’s a gutsy little thing,” says Ros fondly.

Tom Carlile’s exciting debutant Darmagnac de Beliard climbs back into podium position with a swift clear. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The strong French contingent here showed some serious class in each of the long-format divisions, with first-day leaders Tom Carlile and Darmagnac de Beliard stepping into provisional third place. Though this is just the nine-year-old’s first CCI4*-L — and third four-star ever — he looked mature beyond his years to add just 1.6 time penalties.

Kirsty Chabert and Opposition Loire remain well in the hunt after a tough cross-country day. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Kirsty Chabert and Opposition Loire remain in fourth place after their laser-focused round, which saw them add 2.8 time penalties and open the door for Tom to slip in just ahead of them — they now both sit on a score of 30.9, but Tom’s slight speed advantage gives him the upper hand in the tie break. In fifth place, Japan’s Toshiyuki Tanaka bounced back after the heartbreaking loss of his first ride, Ventura de la Chaule JRA, to jump clear inside the time on Swiper JRA and remain on their first-phase score of 31.3.

Astier Nicolas brings forward another superstar in his stable in Baladin de l’Ocean La. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The fastest round of the day was that of flying Frenchman Astier Nicolas, who stopped the clock an extraordinary 23 seconds inside the time with Baladin de l’Ocean La – the first time the gelding has made the time in an FEI since doing so in his first CCI2*-L at Tartas in 2019.

The top ten after an influential day of cross-country in Bramham’s CCI4*-L.

Phoebe Locke takes over the lead on Bellagio Declyange. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Remarkably, after the tough morning’s sport in the CCI4*-L, the under-25 CCI4*-L yielded a significantly higher rate of success, despite being held over exactly the same course and contested by generally much more inexperienced competitors. Just five of the 21 starters failed to complete, while 14 of the 16 finishers went clear and, as in the much larger section before, six did so inside the time.

Dressage leaders Alex Holman and Carrick Diamond Bard made an excellent showing over the track, but so tight were the scores that their scant 2.4 time penalties dropped them down to fourth place overnight, allowing 22-year-old Phoebe Locke to step into the top spot after adding nothing to her first-phase score of 30.4 with Bellagio Declyange. Doing so took some gutsiness, though: “I had a bit of a hairy moment through the water, where I had no stirrups, but I managed to keep going for the D element and then collect them up as I went up the hill,” she says. Plus, she continues, “I’m sort of riding with one leg, as I’ve done my ACL, so Bramham has always been quite a big aim — and then I fell off at Houghton and got a concussion, so I’ve had to jump through a few hoops to get here. But this has always been my aim, to come here, and I’m really happy that hard work paid off.”

Phoebe had hoped for a bold, positive track to tackle, and got just that.

“The course rode really well, actually — I think Ian Stark always rewards attacking riding. It was a bit of a gather-and-attack-it track, which is what I wanted to do.”

Even the difficulty of the morning’s viewing didn’t throw her off her game: “It was a long wait,” she says. “But I had my plan, and I tried to watch a few good people and then stick to my guns, know my horse, and ride what was underneath me. I was really happy with how he finished, actually, because he found Bicton quite hard and I probably didn’t get him quite fit enough, but this year he’s a lot fitter and he finished really nicely.”

Day one leader Morgane Euriat steps up to second place after a committed round with Baccarat d’Argonne. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The French riders continued to impress in this class, too, though one — Julie Simonet and Sursumcord’or, who were fourth after dressage — dropped out of contention after a tumble on course. But day one leaders Morgane Euriat and Baccarat d’Argonne proved exactly why they were victorious in their only previous CCI4*-L start, sailing home just one second over the optimum time to put the pressure on Phoebe. They go into tomorrow’s showjumping just 1.2 penalties, or three seconds, behind her, closely followed by fellow French entrants Heloïse le Guern and Canakine du Sudre Z, who are less than a second behind them on 31.9.

The under-25 CCI4*-L top ten after cross-country.

Ros Canter’s Izilot DHI takes CCI4*-S victory after a team effort to steer his training. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The CCI4*-S competitors were put through their paces in both jumping phases today, and Ros Canter capped off an excellent day with a wire-to-wire victory aboard the quirky nine-year-old Izilot DHI, who added just 0.4 time in showjumping and 1.2 across the country. This is a first four-star victory for the gelding, who has won twice at CCI3*-L and twice at two-star, but hasn’t always been the easiest horse in Ros’s enviable string, with a smattering of problems on his record.

“Isaac can sometimes go in different directions to where the course is supposed to lead you,” she says with a laugh. “He can win, like he has done today, but he can also lose — so it was a relief to come through the finish and to know he’d gone so well, and enjoyed the experience as well. He is a nervous horse — brave as a lion at the jumps, and there’s never any doubt about him jumping a ditch, or his scope, but there’s a lot going on in his brain. He’s been nervous all the way through his life, so it’s important that when I do go fast, he comes away from it having had a nice experience. I think he did today.”

With Isaac’s focus firmly in situ, Ros found that he felt more capable than he ever has: “I think he would have gone around the long format today — he’s such a brave jumper that the ditches and things don’t bother him at all. It’s more if there’s a decoration we’ve got to go around or something that takes his concentration or makes him a bit spooky. That’s when we tend to have our problems.”

Getting to the bottom of the sharp, sensitive horse hasn’t been a one-woman job, and Ros was quick to praise her army of coaches and supporters for helping her to get him on side.

“We’ve had help from all sorts of people,” she says. “Chris Bartle has been massively influential in getting me to ride him slightly different, and Caroline Moore, Ian Woodhead, Amy Woodhead — everyone’s put hours into helping me. I’ve had people help me ride him on the flat when he’s been naughty, so it’s been a real team effort. It’s nice he’s done it in Yorkshire, too, because a lot of those people are Yorkshire-based.”

Now, Izilot DHI is on the cusp of big things — he could go to CHIO Aachen CCIO4*-S for the British team next month, but if not, he’ll step up this season.

“I think it’s likely that Allstar B will go to Aachen, but he is reserve horse so we’ll have a think about which one’s the best one to go. Basically, we want to try to build him up and give him lots more experiences, really, and find a long-format for him later in the year.”

Oliver Townend’s Cooley Rosalent makes the grade on her third start at the level. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The third time certainly was a charm for Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent, who has been exceptional throughout her short career but has had problems in both her four-star starts previously this spring. At just eight years old, though, she’s been able to learn from those experiences, and Oliver was delighted to see his enormous faith in her pay off today as she finished on her dressage score of 26.6 — making her one of just two horses in the class to do so.

“She’s top class, and she’s probably as good as we’ve got, if not as good as we’ve had,” says Oliver. “She’s still a baby with the flags and the people and even the trees blowing next to the combinations, but if you get the fence in front of her and you show her the way, she will jump it. It’s been an unbelievable experience for her; she’ll have come on for the run and I couldn’t be happier with the way she’s gone.”

Piggy March and Brookfield Quality get the job done with a major change on the horizon. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Piggy March took third place after an excellent pair of performances with the thirteen-year-old Brookfield Quality, who bounced back from a tricky run at Houghton to add just 4.4 time penalties across the phases today.

“I had a few bridle issues at Houghton two weeks ago, so I dropped him from the long to the short here and all was fine today,” says Piggy. “We didn’t have any moments at all — he was beautiful.”

Now, though, the gelding — who’s known at home as ‘Nervous Norris’ — will try a new rider on for size because Piggy, despite a swathe of wins and good results with the horse, doesn’t quite think she’s doing him justice.

“I’ve never found him the easiest to go really fast on — I’ve found him really slow to adjust,” she says. “Tom McEwen and I share owners, and he might even try him. He’s a brilliant horse, and I think he’s a five-star horse, but I’m a girl — and while I don’t think he particularly needs a strong man, I do find I’m just not quick enough with him. I think Tom has a little bit more strength, and maybe a tiny bit more bravery that would suit him. He’s thirteen years old, and I don’t want him missing the chance of being a five-star horse just because I swing off him too much or I don’t quite have the buttons for the speed with him yet. He’s been totally genuine, and he’s never done a thing wrong with me, but I don’t want him missing the chance of being in the top few and taking those twenty seconds off. I think Tommy could do it, but if he doesn’t, or he can’t, or he doesn’t want to, then he’ll come back to me and just stay at the level that I’m happy with. I’ll be interested to see where the journey goes with him.”

Whichever way Norris goes, Piggy holds the same level of excitement about, and fondness for, the horse: “We’re a team at Brookfield — it’s not Tom vs me, or who’s got what horses; we work as a team and that’s very important to us. So if he takes him on and gets him to be quicker and better then I’ll be very excited, and proud that I played such a good part in his career as well, because he’s been a very, very good horse for me.”

Franky Reid-Warrilow’s delectable Dolley Phantom takes fourth. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Fourth place went to Franky Reid-Warrilow and Dolley Phantom, who were the only other pair to finish on their dressage score in this class, while Aachen-bound Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ put in an excellent prep run for the event to add just 0.8 time penalties and finish fifth.

The final top ten in Bramham’s CCI4*-S.

Tomorrow takes us into the final horse inspection at 8.30 a.m., followed by showjumping from 10.00 a.m. There won’t be a live-stream of tomorrow’s action, but we’ll be back with two full reports — so keep it locked onto EN!

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Piggy March and Coolparks Sarco dance their way to the first-phase lead in Bramham’s CCI4*-L. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Every year at Bramham, the biggest crowds form — and the biggest cheers are heard — for local superstar Nicola Wilson, who has long said that winning the CCI4*-L here is one of her greatest career aims. But her absence, as she continues to work through her recovery after her crashing fall at Badminton, means that Bramham has a rather different feel to it; this year, it’s a competition that feels almost defined by someone who isn’t here.

But what sport does serendipity better than ours? Though she’s not on the leaderboard herself Nicola is, in a way, winning Bramham: her up-and-coming star Coolparks Sarco has stepped into the top spot on the CCI4*-L leaderboard, delivering a 23.3 that nearly brought the house down with Nicola’s great friend Piggy March in the irons.

“I’ve had him for two weeks, and I was going through the whole thing not having a bloody clue what I was doing, to be honest,” says an emotional Piggy, whose aim for the week is simply to give the horse, her friend, and everyone involved with them a nice experience and a glimmer of hope.

“We want to enjoy him, and I just want to make sure he’s okay. I got given this last-minute opportunity, which is wonderful, but obviously it came with a lot of mixed emotions,” she says. “It was from Nic that I heard, and she basically told me that yes, this is what I was doing. And so I agreed and it’s with pride and honour that I did, because she’s amazing — she’s been a wonderful teammate and just a friend in general. I ride him this week with honour, but I just want to get him back, so it won’t be with my usual ‘right, come on, I can win this’ [attitude]. Every little bit I do, I’m wanting to figure him out and hopefully just do the best we can for her team, and her owners, and her family who are here. This is a big week and we want it to be a happy one.”

Nicola Wilson’s signature Yorkshire Rose quarter marks are firmly in situ as Piggy pilots Coolparks Sarco in her stead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Piggy, who was buoyed out of the ring by an extraordinary roar from the crowd, honoured Nicola further by ensuring ‘Jeremy’ wore her trademark Yorkshire Rose quartermarks:  “That was a very emotional moment, and I have to say, I’ve never had a cheer that big. It’s just for the love of Nicola, which is so wonderful. I just hope it’s a week that we can just do her proud. I have to keep quite strong because we miss her; this result is a credit to her through and through. He’s got her stamp on his bum, the rose, and that’ll stay there always, as far as I’m concerned, as long as I ride him.”

Piggy and owner James Lambert celebrate after the leading test. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Coolparks Sarco was a relatively new ride for Nicola, who took the ride on the now-ten-year-old over from Andrew Nicholson early last year for longtime supporters Jo and James Lambert.

“Nic hasn’t had him that long — he’s quite an Andrew horse, and Nic’s done a lot in a year,” says Piggy. “So bless him, he’s probably not got a clue what’s going on. I had a run at Rockingham, but Rockingham’s not Bramham — but I did have a competitive run and sort of try to kick on. He’s a very sweet horse, and I’ve spoken to Nic two or three times, which has really helped. He’s a different horse to mine; he’s strong looking, and I was like, ‘are we fit enough?’ But Nic’s horses always are, so we discussed what he’s done and he feels great; he’s obviously just a different horse and used to different work. It’s been an interesting last couple of weeks, and the weekend will tell. But all credit to her — he’s a lovely horse. This will be a big week for him anyway, with where he’s at in his life and what he’s done and physically, too, with the terrain and the hills and his age. He’s done Boekelo, and that was flat. So we’re taking each day as it comes, each bit as it comes.”

Nicola’s longtime head girl, Ruth Asquith, with Coolparks Sarco. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Whether Piggy and Coolparks Sarco remain in the top spot through the week or cruise their way to an educational, steady finish, they’ve already accomplished something extraordinary: they’ve made those closest to Nicola remember that even in the very toughest of times, there’s a little bit of magic in eventing that can’t be underestimated — and the story isn’t over until the book has been closed.

Izzy Taylor and Monkeying Around produce the goods for second place going into cross-country. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Though Izzy Taylor‘s relatively inexperienced Monkeying Around can still be something of a wildcard across the country, he’s enormously reliable on the flat — unsurprisingly, perhaps, when you consider his dressage-heavy breeding. He sits second in the CCI4*-L class at the end of the first phase after producing a polished, sparkling test for a 24, which puts the pair just seven tenths of a penalty – or less than two seconds – behind the leaders.

“He was fabulous,” says Izzy, who also sits seventh with Ringwood Madras, who she describes as having a ‘delightful brain’. “[Monkeying Around] is beautiful, and he can do beautiful dressage, and he felt very, very good here today.”

Though we’ve seen many horses shrink away from the huge atmosphere and busy crowds around the main arena, Monkeying Around drew evident inspiration from it: “He enjoyed having a crowd, and he hasn’t had one for a very long time, so he was like, ‘this is fun!’ He has fun in the arena, whereas Ringwood Madras is very serious, so they’re very different, but they both put such a smile on my face.”

Ros Canter’s Pencos Crown Jewel sparkles in the first phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Third place is held overnight by Ros Canter and the smart Pencos Crown Jewel, who finished third in Chatsworth’s tough CCI4*-S last month. They posted a 28, putting themselves in a competitive position as they head into tomorrow’s cross-country challenge.

“She knows her job now,” says Ros of the British-bred thirteen-year-old. “She’s always Little Miss Consistent; she’s not the biggest or flashiest in the world, but she’s secure in all her work. I wasn’t expecting to top the leaderboard after the first day, but to be there or thereabouts is good enough.”

Though ‘Jasmine’ hasn’t previously competed at Bramham, she certainly has experience over tough terrain: she was ninth in the Bramham replacement CCI4*-L at Bicton last June, and returned to the venue to take fourth in its Burghley replacement CCI5* in September, adding 7.6 time penalties in each run over the Devon hills.

“We’re just having a bit of fun with her, really,” says Ros. “She’s got all the stamina in the world, so that’s never a problem with her, but it’s just about trying to get it right on the day and giving her a good ride.”

Kirsty Chabert and Opposition Loire round out the top five. Photo by Nico Morgan.

Kirsty Chabert stepped smartly into a close fourth place after delivering a 28.1 aboard Opposition Loire who, like Pencos Crown Jewel above her, is an ambassador for British breeding in this class. Though the eleven-year-old has previously posted a couple of very impressive mid-20s marks, she’s much more consistently spotted in the low-to-mid 30s, and so Kirsty was particularly pleased to eke one of her best-ever marks out of her on Bramham’s big stage.

“It’s quite an atmosphere for her to go into, and she actually went in the arena and went ‘ooh, mum, what would you like me to do?’, so I’m chuffed,” says Kirsty, who narrowly missed out on a Badminton run with the mare, who was a waitlisted entry. “I think she would have been the next one to get in, so she was fit for Badminton and she’s had kind of a stop-start spring with prep. We ummed and ahhed about going to Luhmühlen, but Bramham is my most favourite event of all places and I didn’t have anything to bring, so we’ve done that instead.”

Gemma Tattersall’s Flash Cooley steps up to the plate. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Newly married Gemma Tattersalls — who will soon be appearing on leaderboards as Gemma Stevens — rounds out the new-look top five with the former Liz Halliday-Sharp ride, ten-year-old Flash Cooley, who posted an excellent 28.5.

“I think the judges are pretty hard to get marks from [this week],” laughs Gemma, “but I’m really pleased with him — he went in and did everything I asked him to do, and apart from a little trip down the last centreline that he sort of overreacted to, I couldn’t be more happy with the whole test. He’s only ten, and this is his first four long, so he’s a young horse at this level — there’s more to come, and more strength, so we’re really happy with him.”

Yesterday’s leaders, Tom Carlile and Darmagnac de Beliard, are one of just two Thursday competitors to remain in the top ten after today’s tests; they sit in sixth place on their 29.3 ahead of tomorrow’s pivotal cross-country phase.

The top ten after dressage in Bramham’s CCI4*-L.

Alex Holman and Carrick Diamond Bard take an emotional lead in the under-25 class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“It’s a lot to pull off — it doesn’t happen to people like me,” says a tearful Alex Holman, who leads the under-25 CCI4*-L going into cross-country with the expressive Carrick Diamond Bard on a score of 30. At just ten years old, the gelding has a mere nine FEI competitions under his belt already, but young professional Alex — who makes his Bramham debut in the week of his 25th birthday — has produced an exceptionally timed peak. This is the horse’s second-best score and well eclipses the mid-to-high 30s he’s earned in his last couple of events.

“He was one of the first horses I had as a sort of business project,” says Alex, who rents a yard in Somerset and trains and teaches from it to fund his riding. “I was meant to sell him and for quite a long time I did want to, actually! But after doing a bit more with him, I realised he’s actually quite good. He’s a bit quirky, a bit funny, and he was always quite difficult. He’s very sensitive – I don’t wear spurs on him and don’t normally carry a whip at all – and he was just quite a tricky young horse. He’s really scared of funny things on the ground – there’s a patch of differently coloured grass in the warm-up that I couldn’t go near because he’d jump sideways, and if the roads are wet and then drying out while we’re hacking, he’ll spook.”

Both Alex and ‘Jerry’ make their CCI4*-L debut this week, and they do so with some prior experience of serious terrain behind them: they won on their second-ever two-star together in 2019 at Devon’s Bicton International, which is known for its relentless undulations.

Phoebe Locke holds second place with Bellagio Declyange. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phoebe Locke, who has been on British medal-winning teams at the Pony, Junior, and Young Rider European Championships, helped Alex wrestle this class back from the impressive French continent with her smart test aboard Bellagio Declyange, putting them just one second behind the leaders on 30.4. But though her efforts did help to push this prestigious class back into the clutches of the home nation, she does have a connection to one of the French competitors: “[Fourth-placed] Julia Simonet‘s mother Karine used to ride him, so it’s quite a nice story because they haven’t seen him since I brought him over four years ago,” says Phoebe.

The eleven-year-old gelding achieved one of his best FEI scores today; previously, his marks have been slightly marred by wobbles in the changes, which are much more established now.

“The changes have been a little bit difficult to get, but today we managed to get both of them,” Phoebe says. “It’s quite a big atmosphere in there, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders, and I’m really happy with how he dealt with it. I just don’t know if maybe [the judges] could have eked a couple more marks out for him; I thought that was better than his test at Houghton a couple of weeks ago [where he got a 29.3].”

Though this is the pair’s first time tackling Bramham, they did compete in Bicton’s replacement for the class last year, finishing fifth.

The rest of the top five is a French whitewash, with yesterday’s first- and second-placed riders, Morgane Euriat and Heloïse Le Guern, sitting third and fifth respectively. Between them, 20-year-old Julie Simonet makes her CCI4*-L debut with sixteen-year-old Sursumcord’Or, who was also previously ridden by her mother, Karine: “I broke my leg and she took the horse and never gave it back,” laughs Karine. The pair have since had considerable success at Junior and Young Rider level, competing at five European Championships, winning five medals and never finishing outside of the top ten. They start their Bramham with a competitive 31.9.

“The horse was a bit more tense than he usually is; there’s a lot of people and he was a bit stressed,” says Julie. “But I’m very happy, because all three French engaged in this class are [in the top five], so I’m very happy with my friends.”

The top ten after dressage in the under-25 CCI4*-L.

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI hold top spot in the CCI4*-S. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

There was plenty of change in the CCI4*-S class, too, with yesterday’s leaders Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent slipping down to third at the culmination of the phase. Taking over their spot at the top is Ros Canter, whose nine-year-old Izilot DHI proved his consistency on the flat with a very good 23.5.

“He’s still young and green, and he’s a very spooky horse — he’s a sharp lad,” laughs Ros. “So I’m never quite sure how he’s going to cope with things, but he’s actually level-headed, so I know he’s not going to blow up. It’s just whether he can cope with the flags, the atmosphere, and with people moving about; that can make him quite nervous.”

But, says Ros, “he’s by far the most talented horse I’ve ever had to ride on the flat. He’s beautiful to ride, so it’s all about me really learning to press the right buttons that I’ve never had to press before with other horses, so that’s very exciting.”

Izilot DHI is still inexperienced at this level, having stepped up at the end of last year at Blenheim’s eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S. Though they picked up a 20 on course there, it was an educational one: he returned to four-star at last month’s tough Chatsworth revival, jumping a classy clear and finishing just outside the top ten. But results aren’t the goal for now because, as Ros tells us, he’s a very different horse to Lordships Graffalo, the rising ten-year-old with whom she finished second at Badminton: “We’re still at the stage where I wouldn’t necessarily go for the time, and it’s a bit tricky with him, because he often tops a leaderboard [in dressage]. But he’s a horse for the big time in the future, and he’s a horse that needs time; he’s not going to go around Badminton next year like Lordships Graffalo. He’ll build up and we really hope that there are really big things to come in the future.”

Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne van Bareelhof dance to the top three. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

One of the most consistent first-phase performers at this level is Alex Hua Tian‘s exquisite Jilsonne van Bareelhof, who once again delivered the goods to sit second on 26.5 after the first phase.

“I’m very happy with him, because he doesn’t come out that often, so when he does, he can be a bit fresh,” says Alex. “He’s either boom or bust, but he’s a very, very talented horse that just physically can’t run that very often. I’ve spent quite a few years looking after him and then he’s hit four-star and he’s been like, ‘holy shit, this is good fun!’ I’ve never sat on something that’s as talented as he is in all three phases.”

Alex goes into tomorrow’s jumping phases with two horses in the top ten: ‘Chocs’ is joined by his Olympic ride Don Geniro, who sits sixth on 28.6 after a smart test yesterday with an expensive sat-nav error in the walk work.

Piggy March and Brookfield Quality make their move in the CCI4*-S. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Piggy March‘s very good day was bolstered by a lovely effort from Brookfield Quality, who sits fourth ahead of yesterday’s runners-up Tom McEwen and MHS Brown Jack on a score of 26.9, despite a mistake in one of the changes.

“I missed a change, which was expensive, and I probably went in the warm-up for ten minutes too long,” laments Piggy. “I’ve not done masses with him; he’s felt like he’s been doing a 20 dressage the two times I’ve sat on him for half an hour, and I thought we might get up here and just be a little bit brighter. So I gave him forty minutes [of warm-up] before we went in and actually, he felt like he needed ten. It just went a little bit flatter, and a little bit back end out — it was fine, and it was a nice test, but I prepared him to do a 22, and then when you make a mistake it doesn’t quite happen.”

The top ten in Bramham’s CCI4*-S ahead of the jumping phases.

Tomorrow takes us into an eye-wateringly busy day of action, with the CCI4*-S competitors heading into showjumping from 8.30 in the morning and cross-country from 2.35 p.m. The CCI4*-L cross-country will begin at 9.30 a.m., followed by the under-25 cross-country at 1.05 p.m. You can follow along with all the action is it happens on Horse&Country TV, and take a good look at Ian Stark‘s seriously big and beefy track here. Until next time: Go Eventing!

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Tom Carlile debuts Darmagnac de Beliard at CCI4*-L. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We always see a formidable French contingent at Bramham International Horse Trials, and this year’s renewal is no different: not only have we got some heavy hitters from across the Channel in each class, we’ve also started the week with an impressive tricolour leader in the feature CCI4*-L.

Though it’s the nine-year-old Darmagnac de Beliard‘s CCI4*-L debut, the Selle Français (Canturo*Bois Margot x Palme de Moyon, by Barbarian) made a striking impression in this morning’s first batch of competitors, partnering Tom Carlile to a class-leading 29.3 on day one despite breaking to canter in both the trot half-passes.

“The horse was quite tense at Chatsworth [last month], and he’s coming back here to an atmosphere — but it’s done him good [to experience it at Chatsworth],” says Tom. “He was much more relaxed in his work and not fazed by the atmosphere, though him being more relaxed probably got me a bit nervous, because I felt like I was missing a bit of sharpness, so I pushed him into a mistake, which I’m kicking myself for, but for the rest of the test, he was very serious. The aids [for half-pass and canter] are the same, so it was a misunderstanding; there wasn’t any tension.”

Darmagnac de Beliard has been impressive in his short international career so far, with six top-five finishes from seven FEI starts to his credit.

“I think a lot of him,” says Tom, who has produced him throughout his career for owners S.C.E.A. Beliard and Jean Jacques Montagne. “He’s a real introvert and very shy, but he’s very polite. He internalises a lot of his emotions and he wouldn’t be the most self-confident, but he’s a real trier and he has a lot about him and a lot of spark: if he can get out of his bubble, he’s got a lot to show. I’ve just got to get his confidence.”

Ros Canter and Rehy Royal Diamond. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Ros Canter sits second overnight with Christopher and Jane Makin’s eleven-year-old Rehy Royal Diamond, who delivered a smart 29.8 despite some uncharacteristic head shaking in the ring. The sizeable gelding’s test was just the second of the day, but he impressed the ground jury — made up of Polly Ann Huntington, Annabel Scrimgeour and Xavier le Sauce — sufficiently to hold onto a competitive spot throughout the course of the day’s action. Though we’re seeing a number of talented debutants come forward in this year’s field, Rehy Royal Diamond is relatively experienced at the level: this will be his third CCI4*-L after debuting at Bicton’s Bramham replacement last year, where he was ultimately retired, and then finishing thirteenth at Blenheim in September.

Toshiyuki Tanaka and Ventura de la Chaule JRA take a top five spot on day one. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Japan’s Toshiyuki Tanaka sits third overnight with Ventura de la Chaule JRA, a new ride that he inherited this year from fellow Japanese squad member Atsushi Negishi.  They made their FEI debut together in Ballindenisk’s CCI4*-L in April, followed by Houghton CCIO4*-S last month — and though both runs proved more educational than competitive, they find themselves in an enviable position at this early stage on a 31.9, close to the gelding’s career-best four-star score of 31.3 at Ballindenisk. They’re closely followed by New Zealand’s James Avery and One Of A Kind II on 32.

Allie Knowles and Ms. Poppins take a top five spot on day one at Bramham. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though Allie Knowles had hoped for a lower first-phase mark with the elegant Ms. Poppins, their 33.2 was still competitive enough to see them hold fifth place overnight at the halfway stage of the 62-strong CCI4*-L.

“As always, she gave me exactly what I asked for, so I can’t be disappointed with that,” says Allie of the eleven-year-old Westfalian, who produced three stylish phases at Houghton two weeks ago for a top fifteen finish. “You always want the marks higher, but in a new ring and a new space, she was a lady as always, so I can’t be disappointed with her.”

Since Houghton, where Allie and Ms. Poppins were part of the second-placed US team, the pair have been based with J.P. Sheffield, from whom Allie sourced the mare for owner Katherine O’Brien.

“[The horse is] so good, so I just want to keep her happy and keep her wanting to do this for me, so there hasn’t been a tonne of training [since Houghton] — we’ve done a few schools, and a few jump schools to keep her sharp, but we haven’t done anything differently.”

The top ten at the end of the first day of Bramham’s CCI4*-L.

The French domination continues on apace in the under-25 CCI4*-L, which saw the first half of the 21-strong line-up take to the arena this afternoon. It was the last rider in the ring, Morgane Euriat, who ultimately took the top spot overnight, earning a 31.2 with the eleven-year-old Anglo-Arab mare Baccarat d’Argonne. This is a second CCI4*-L for the pair, who won on their debut at Lignières in October and have also placed at the Young Rider European Championships — and it’s also a personal best for both at four-star.

“She was a bit stressed and not fully relaxed today – normally we do better,” says Morgane, who began her own international eventing career in 2018 with the mare. “She’s ready for the cross-country now. She’s always a feisty mare; when she arrived here she was very excited and she just looked at the cross-country – she’s asking me all of the time when we’re going to do that bit!”

Heloïse Le Guern and Canaskine du Sudre Z continue to prove themselves an exciting force to be reckoned with for France. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Fellow French representative Heloïse Le Guern sits second overnight with the exciting grey Canakine du Sudre Z, with whom she finished 16th in last month’s WEG test event at Pratoni del Vivaro. Their 31.9 today is among their best scores at the level, and marks the start of a CCI4*-L debut for both the gelding and his rider, who has previously represented France on European Championship teams at Pony, Junior, and Young Rider level.

“My horse was a bit overwhelmed by the arena, and a bit stressed at the beginning of our test, so the first few movements were really difficult,” says Heloïse. “But he didn’t explode and managed to hold it together — so although it wasn’t the most comfortable, I was pleased with him.”

Harry Mutch and HD Bronze deliver their best-ever test. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“That’s the best test he’s ever given me in his life, so I’m absolutely thrilled,” says an emotional Harry Mutch, who briefly took the lead with his five-star partner HD Bronze and now sits third provisionally on 33.3. That’s a career best score for the 16-year-old gelding, and Harry cites his training with Pippa Funnell, which he’s received through the Wesko Equestrian Foundation, as making all the difference to their performance: “Pippa’s been helping me all week, and she’s just been incredible. She has really got the horse on my side and taught me how to ride him at a show. He’s normally really tricky in the dressage – we’ve been getting 48s and 38s – so to do a clear round pretty much, I couldn’t be happier. He’s so sensitive that just to be able to get the leg on to him is hard, and then there’s the atmosphere on top of that. We just got it right today, and I’m so, so happy.”

Heidi Coy’s young Russal Z takes a provisional top five spot on day one. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Heidi Coy and Russal Z are certainly among the favourites to fight for the win in this class, and though their pathfinding score of 36.3 was higher than they’ve previously scored in an international, it was competitive enough to see them take fourth place at the halfway stage of this class’s first phase: “I don’t think it’s going to be a dressage competition, that’s for sure,” says Heidi. “I know she can do a lot more, which is slightly disappointing — she didn’t blow up or anything, but there was just a fair few mistakes, which is quite disappointing after her superb test at Houghton two weeks ago.”

Isabelle Bosley and Night Quality take a top five spot on day one. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

US Emerging 25 athlete Isabelle Bosley holds fifth place overnight with Night Quality, who delivered some of his best work but lost marks for twice spooking at spectators at the A end of the arena, ultimately earning a 36.7.

“[Leslie Law] has spent the last two weeks really drilling me to get us ready,” says Isabelle. “He’s pout a lot of work in a short amount of time, and it’s made a massive difference from my test two weeks ago at Houghton to now. I feel good about riding through the test confidently and actually performing the movements properly now; I’m still quite green at the level, and I’m just getting to a full year at it, so I’m starting to now get to the point of being like, ‘let’s not just get through the test, let’s actually put in a performance.’ Minus the two disobediences, the test itself felt the best it’s ever felt, so I’m really happy — a little frustrated, too, because of the naughtiness here and there, but through all the movements, I’m just thrilled with how he felt.”

The leaderboard at the halfway point of the under-25 CCI4*-L.

“She’s a beautiful person”: Oliver Townend takes the lead with young gun Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Oliver Townend ensured that the day wasn’t entirely in the hands of the French by taking the lead in the hot CCI4*-S section with the excellent Cooley Rosalent, who makes her third start at the level after two educational runs previously this spring. Her 26.6 once again proved that the mare, who was reserve Six-Year-Old World Champion in 2020, has an enormous amount of potential — potential that Oliver continues to be hugely excited about.

“She’s very baby at the level, obviously, but she’s probably as good as I’ve ever had at this stage,” he says. “She’s very, very special, and so there’s no pressure on her — I’m just ticking along, and when she becomes competitive in all three bits on the same day, she’ll win. She’s here to learn and to get a qualifying result, and what will be will be. She’s just a beautiful person — she’s bred beautifully, and to me, she looks beautiful. The colour has been lucky for me before, so fingers crossed. I think she’s as good as we’ve had.”

Tom McEwen and MHS Brown Jack enjoy a breakthrough between the boards. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Had you asked Tom McEwen about his chances in this phase ahead of his test with the eight-year-old MHS Brown Jack, he’d probably have been quick to temper your expectations – after all, he tells us, the gelding has been “getting his knickers in a twist a bit learning the changes!” But despite his inexperience the Irish Sport Horse, who’s owned by stalwart supporters Fred and Penny Barker, delivered a clear round test to post a 27.4 and take overnight second place in his first four-star.

“He got all [the changes] today and he was brilliant; the work was excellent, and there’s a lot more to come,” says Tom, who describes the OBOS Quality son and Le Lion graduate as “really polite – he’s a lovely horse, and Penny actually use to hack him out a little bit. He adapts well to situations, and he’s loving being at a big show again, which is always great news for finding the top — and he’s worked really hard today, so I’m very happy with him.”

An error of course doesn’t stop Alex Hua Tian and Don Geniro from making a strong start in Bramham’s CCI4*-S. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It was a case of so close and yet so far for China’s Alex Hua Tian, who delivered one of the most deliciously watchable tests of the day with the extravagant Don Geniro, but walked away with a slightly disappointing 28.6 for his efforts after going wrong in the walk section of the test.

“The trot was lovely and the walk was fine, but then Nick [Burton, judge at C] beeped me,” says Alex. “I think I learnt an old version of the test, and so it’s a different walk.”

After a quick debrief with Nick, the pair were quickly back on track, and though their score doesn’t rival the low-20s marks they’ve previously produced at the level, it puts them in a hugely competitive early position in a tough-marking day of sport.

Jesse Campbell and Gambesie impress in the first phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Also sitting on a 28.6 overnight is New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell, who earned the score with the flash but under-the-radar Gambesie. Owned by Sarah Moffatt and previously piloted by Ireland’s Jonty Evans, Gambesie has always shown plenty of promise, but niggling injuries have prevented him from realising his potential.

“He’s super low mileage, so it’s great to get him in the arena, despite some little baby mistakes,” says Jesse. “Going down the centreline disunited is probably not what you want to do — it’s kind of 101! But those are baby mistakes, and he had a good attitude in there.”

Jesse, who describes the eleven-year-old Dutch Warmblood as “really cool, but a little bit quirky — like all the good ones are”, is aiming to campaign the gelding at the short-format for now as they get the measure of his management. That gives them an exciting goal on the horizon, though: all being well, Jesse plans to take the son of Zambesi TN to Germany’s CHIO Aachen in a few weeks.

Great Britain’s Dani Evans rounds out the top five overnight with Ann Butler’s ten-year-old Hollywood Dancer, who earned a 29.7 to continue her streak of sub-30 scores at the level.

The top ten in Bramham’s CCI4*-S after the first day of dressage.

Tomorrow’s packed day of competition takes us straight back into a wall-to-wall line-up of dressage, with the CCI4*-S running throughout the day and the CCI4*-L for under-25s once again following after the open CCI4*-L. There won’t be a live-stream of tomorrow’s action, but we’ll be back with a full report at the end of the day’s competition. Until then: Go Eventing!

Bramham International: [Website] [Schedule & Orders of Go] [Live Scoring] [Saturday XC Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [EN’s Instagram]

Izzy Taylor and Monkeying Around step out in style for a shot at the CCI4*-L title at Bramham. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

What a thrill it is to return to Yorkshire’s Bramham International Horse Trials and particularly, to its first horse inspection, which is held in front of the grand façade of the estate’s showpiece: the Lane Fox family’s expansive 18th-century vintage Bramham Hall. Rather fittingly, Bramham’s architecture was inspired by the traditional ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe and the French styles of architecture and landscaping at the time – nowadays, of course, we see French riders attend the event en masse, as well as competitors from further afield.

Before any of them can start the battle for the Bramham crowns in earnest, though, they need to make it through this first inspection — and even before the event gets going, there’s always a little bit of drama sprinkled throughout proceedings.

Sylvain Davesne’s Atout Coeur Theod is spun in the first horse inspection for the CCI4*-L. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Just one horse per class was held in the horse inspections, which were run consecutively: in the main CCI4*-L class, France’s Sylvain Davesne and Atout Coeur Theod ended their week early when the horse was spun upon reinspection.

Xanthe Goldsack and Hi Tech survive a tense moment in the under-25 CCI4*-L horse inspection. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

In the CCI4*-L for under-25’s, Great Britain’s Xanthe Goldsack was also sent to the box with her Hi Tech, though the 13-year-old gelding was subsequently accepted. Each of the CCI4*-L classes has the same ground jury: Polly Ann Huntington takes on the president role, ably assisted by Annabel Scrimgeour and Xavier le Sauce.

Susie Berry wins Best-Dressed Female – shown here presenting Ringwood LB, one of two rides in the CCI4*-L. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Two riders were given special nods for their trot-up outfits, too: Ireland’s Susie Berry took the Best-Dressed Female prize, and will pilot Helen Caton’s Ringwood LB and Monbeg By Design in the CCI4*-L, while Christopher Whittle, who rides Skip Mill in the same class, took the Best Dressed Male honours.

Christopher Whittle channels James Bond to win Best-Dressed Male. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Now, 62 horse-and-rider combinations will begin their week in earnest in the CCI4*-L, while 21 go forward for the under-25 CCI4*-L. Though they didn’t have to contend with a horse inspection today, there’s also a hot line-up in the Land Rover-sponsored CCI4*-S class, with 77 combinations set to start.

Allie Knowles and Ms. Poppins head an exciting US contingent at Bramham this year. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Tomorrow’s first day of competition begins at 9.30 a.m. as the first CCI4*-L horse takes to the arena, followed on by the under-25 class from 2.52 p.m. The CCI4*-S class will run in an adjacent arena, presided over by ground jury president Nick Burton and members Nikki Herbert and Faith Ponsonby.

You can find times for the CCI4*-L here, the CCI4*-L for under-25s here, and the CCI4*-S here.  Though there isn’t a live-stream running throughout the competition, you’ll be able to watch along as competitors tackle Ian Stark’s famously beefy course on Saturday via Horse&Country TV — and, as always, we’ll be bringing you bumper reports every day with all the updates and insights you need from the world’s premier CCI4*-L. Go Eventing!

Bramham International: [Website] [Schedule & Orders of Go] [Live Scoring] [Saturday XC Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [EN’s Instagram]