While Eventing Nation covers the AEC’s at Chattahoochee Hills in Georgia, the Sydney Three Day Event in Australia, and the Blenheim Palace International Three Day Event in Oxfordshire, England, I was hoping for a last minute deployment to sunny Portugal to cover the Junior European Eventing Championships to make our global domination complete, and because there’s one combination in particular that’s caught my interest. No such luck, but you can rely on the trusty British Eventing website for all the latest news.
Mary King on her way to a 3rd place finish at this year’s Land Rover Burghley CCI****
It’s a truth almost universally acknowledged that once your daughter turns into a teenager you may as well give up any hope of a normal life/conversation/pleasant meal/enjoyable vacation/insert what you will here…! or so I’m told, I have a few years of dread to go before Lily turns into a monster 13.
However, as you’d expect, Mary King has not only bucked the trend, but done so in spectacular fashion! Mary’s daughter Emily competes at JOIT level, is delightful and beautiful, and they both support each other at events as much as their busy schedules allow.
Mary grooming for Emily this summer at Wilton before her own rides
Mary told me after her dressage at Burghley this year, that Emily would be arriving later that weekend to walk the course and help, as she was preparing to represent Great Britain in the Junior European Championships in Portugal, taking place this weekend. (at the time of writing Emily leads after the dressage, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!). Mary told me she believed that this is the first instance that a mother and daughter combination have both been to their respective European Championships in their age groups in the same year, and she laughed and said that after her poor showing, (a nasty fall) Emily will be looking to improve on her mother’s performance.
Emily watching her mother trot-up at Badminton 2011
Mary currently leads the HSBC FEI classics rankings after her one-two at the Rolex Kentucky and third placings at Burghley and Badminton. Wishing her a safe and successful finale to the 2011 season, and a fabulous European Championships to Emily on Mr HiHo.
