Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
I’m going to be totally, wholly, and completely honest with you here: sometimes, on this funny Thursday at Pau, which is split by a morning horse inspection and an afternoon dressage session, I struggle to commit. It’s just, like, a bit weird, isn’t it, when you’re used to devoting one day’s energies to watching horses trot in a line and then maybe going and walking a course, and then devoting the whole of the next two days to the going-in-circles-and-sometimes-diagonals-too bit. It somehow makes everything feel like a Tuesday and a Wednesday and a Thursday all rolled into one, which doesn’t even make sense, because why would it feel like a Tuesday? And yet, it does. Who knows, man.
This lack of commitment is often compounded by the fact that the short afternoon session often doesn’t have a high enough competitor capacity to yield anything wildly exciting, results-wise, and so I end up watching twelve tests with a beady eye, wondering which 32.5 will end up being the leading 32.5, and thus irritating absolutely everyone, including myself, by interviewing all of them just in case nothing better comes along.
But today’s petite first day at the final five-star of the season actually gave us all plenty to sink our teeth into today, and thank the lord for that, right? October is hard enough without having to pretend to be enthusiastic about dressage when you’re not really feeling that enthusiastic about dressage. But when you begin the day with a smart sub-30 test – which we did, thanks to returning Maryland champion Oliver Townend and his five-star debutant, the Upsilon son Entaro des Vernier – it does set a bit of a merry tone. And when you finish the day with an overnight leader on a score of 25.8, which will actually give tomorrow’s competitors a seriously lofty standard to try to beat? Even better, my friend.
Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
That 25.8 was handily delivered by Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality, who, at fifteen, is well established as one of the most consistent horses on the flat in this field: in his 30 previous FEI tests, with Tom and with prior riders Piggy March or Kevin McNab, he’s stepped into the 30s in this phase just twice.
And so he was always, perhaps, going to give us the goods today, especially with two international scores in the mid-20s over the last couple of months, but for Tom, it was particularly gratifying to feel that his horse was properly rewarded for his efforts today.
“I was delighted with his test at Luhmühlen as well,” says Tom, who scored a 28.3 at the German five-star back in June, “but I felt that he was a bit harshly marked there – although I got into trouble for saying that at the time! But I’d put the two performances on a par. I actually nearly felt like the other test suited him better – this one is a bit tougher for him. It’s a bit quicker, with lots of changes of rein and changes of contact, so it requires a lot of suppleness.”
In both cases, though, Tom couldn’t fault ‘Norris’, who he took over from fellow Brookfield rider Piggy March in late 2022.
“He was amazing. He sailed through his test, and did everything really well,” he says. “I slightly lost him a little bit in the counter with the softness. But he nailed absolutely everything, and I’m really pleased with him. He’s definitely come on, and he’s getting stronger – we’re getting to know each other a bit better now.”
Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
One of the major moments that helped them get to know one another was that five-star debut at Luhmühlen earlier this year – one that ended a bit dramatically and very oddly. They were among the last pairs on course on cross-country day and had made it two-thirds of the way around the track in fine style when a patch of dangerous weather rolled in – one so bad that Tom nearly elected to pull himself up. But he didn’t need to; the officials on course quickly made the call to start a hold, and Tom and Norris hunkered down in a tunnel of trees, bracing themselves against the extraordinary wind that battered them with acorns and tree matter. When they were given the go-ahead to start again, the gelding suffered an uncharacteristic nosebleed – and a heavy one, at that – and Tom opted to retire.
“That was the weirdest weather, and it’s hard to explain to anyone what happened – you sound like you’re being on those people that are being dramatic and making something up to just formulate a bit of happiness,” he laughs. “But it was unbelievably strange. He was flying up to that point, and I was delighted with him – I had a great feeling. He’s had a great last couple of runs, and I think this is a different test again.”
And, he continues, “I’d say he’s fitter this time around, which meant two weeks ago, I was slightly struggling on the flat, but you just know as soon as he gets to a show, he’s awesome. He knows what he’s doing, and then you just trust him from there on out.”
Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone and his Olympic mount, the fourteen-year-old Menlo Park, sit second overnight on a 26.1 – a score that means that we already have a margin of less than a time penalty at the business end of the leaderboard.
“I’m thrilled with him – he felt beautiful,” says Clarke, who’s had the ride on the British-bred gelding since late 2021. “He was really focused, and he was really relaxed, with a nice energy. And I mean, there were a couple of small errors, but otherwise I could hardly fault him, really. He was just completely with me – mind on the job, giving me everything.”
Menlo Park is always at his best in a competition environment, Clarke tells us – a big change from the horse he is at home, where, his rider laughs, “he’s actually a pain in the neck! He’s beautiful at the shows. When you get him to a show, he works really hard and focuses really well. But at home, he sees something in the hay bales at the end of the indoor and something in the muck bin beside the outdoor, and anything that moves in the hedge is very concerning. It’s quite surprising, really, that he comes to these big shows and he just completely focuses, and he’s not spooky at all.”
This year has been a big one for Clarke and Menlo Park: they represented New Zealand at the Paris Olympics, a competition so bustling and busy that Clarke knew it would be perfect for his horse.
“The Olympics was very full on and I thought he would take it all in his stride – and he really did. He never missed a beat; he was a real professional. But I thought he would be, because that kind of stuff, people and noise doesn’t really worry him.”
It’s a great feeling to be on a horse who thrives in an atmosphere at an event like Pau, where the roping is tight and the crowds of spectators are about as enthusiastic and vocal as they come – and for Clarke, who’s making his first five-star start since 2017, it’s even nicer when factored in as one of the ingredients of his return to the top tier of the cake.
Oliver Townend and En Taro Des Vernier. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
This afternoon’s pathfinders, Oliver Townend and En Taro Des Vernier (whose name always, regrettably, makes me think of this), sit in third place on their smart score of 29.4 – very nearly the ten-year-old’s best-ever upper-level score.
“That’s the stage he’s at, and he couldn’t do much better – if he was on a 28, that’d be his peak at the minute, but he just missed one change because he’s a nervous horse,” says Oliver. “But he’s nervous in a strange way: he goes inwards, and becomes very numb, so I sometimes feel like I’m just driving him all the way through. But he’s got a nice brain, and I think he’s a good horse for the future.”
En Taro Des Vernier is yet another grey five-star horse for Oliver, whose best horses throughout his career have all required stocks in purple shampoo, but he’s also, the rider says, very much his own person.
“He’s more than a character, which Upsilon [progeny] are, I think, in general,” says Oliver. “He pretends he’s fizzy and hot, but he’s lazy and cold at the same time, so you can very easily be made to look a monkey by him! But he loves his job – he’s always got his ears pricked, and he’s a bit of a playboy. In the medium canters, if you do it without a buck, that’s a win. He’s got a great attitude, though, and he loves his cross-country, and he’s jumped to a decent level, too, as a young horse. We’ve only had him a couple of years, but we’re happy with the progression he’s made so far.”
Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
A dab of concealer under each eye didn’t quite hide the after-effects of a tough week in the office at Maryland for Boyd Martin – but, he assures us, “every day, I’m feeling better and better – I’m nearly 100% now.”
That turnaround from last week is down, he says, to plenty of help from his support team: “I was a bit battered and bruised after Maryland, but it’s a big thanks to my yoga instructor and my physio, who stretched me out. I should be all good for Saturday.”
The first of his two rides when cross-country day rolls around will be the very experienced Fedarman B, who has previously finished eighth here and at Luhmühlen, and was his partner for this summer’s Olympic Games – and that, he confesses, is a blessing.
“I got driven into the ground last weekend twice, and so to have a horse like Bruno to go out first for me at Pau – I’m so confident in him, and he’d be one of the best cross country horses I’ve ever had,” he says. “So I’ve got my tail up, but it’s a mission out there for sure.”
Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
They’ve started their week in a competitive position, putting a 29.5 on the board for overnight fourth place with a test that really pulled the team’s collective work together.
“I’ve never, ever got through a test without fumbling his left to right flying change, so I have to say a big thank you to my wife Silva, who took him to a lot of big dressage shows between now and Paris, and he finally got the hang of them,” says Boyd. “So I had four good, clean changes in there. I think that test would have potentially scored a bit better tomorrow afternoon, but I don’t think he could have gone better.”
Tomorrow afternoon will see Boyd return to the ring with Miss Lulu Herself, who’s part of the penultimate session and will head between the boards at 16.19 (15.19 BST/10.19 a.m. EST).
Fiona Kashel and Creevagh Silver de Haar. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
The top five is rounded out on day one by Britain’s Fiona Kashel and Creevagh Silver de Haar, who posted an excellent 29.7 that provoked a little flurry of happy tears as Fiona rode out of the arena.
“He just tries so hard for me,” she says, beaming. “He’s just an absolute gem. We used to get 35s the whole time, and he’s just got better with age.”
Dressage coach Damian Hallam has been the wizard behind the serious uptick in performances, she says.
“He’s just amazing, and he’s made a massive difference. [Creevagh Silver de Haar] was just so on my side in there, and he just did a completely clear round – he did everything I asked of him. I just love him: he’s 16, and he’s just a bit of a steady Eddie. He’s always sort of done an average test; he normally has one run out cross country; and then he has a couple of show jumps down. But a good friend of mine, Marti Rudd, who runs the Monbeg Stud, said to me, ‘go and do these five stars with him, so then, when you get there on something that could be really competitive, you’ve actually got the experience’. So I thought I’d just keep going with him, but he just actually gets better and better.”
Another key to cracking the gelding’s best work has been learning how to adapt to his needs.
“The less I work him, the better he is. So I worked him yesterday, and he was a bit tight, so I did work him properly yesterday, but today I haven’t been on him. He’s just grazed – but he’s so easy, bless him, he just comes out and does his thing,” she says. “I used to have a few hot horses that I used to ride and ride and ride. And actually, it’s being brave enough not to ride them. And even when I was getting on, I’m giving it half an hour – I’m thinking, ‘don’t get on any any earlier!’”
One of the first people to meet Fiona on her way out of the ring was close friend, fellow competitor, and arguably the smiliest person in the sport, Kylie Roddy – notably, Fiona’s roadtrip partner when the pair went to Luhmühlen a couple of seasons ago and both had a successful week in the ribbons. Since then, they’ve been the paragon of brilliant, supportive, incredibly jolly female friendship at events.
“Kylie’s come out with me [to walk the course], bless her, and she’s so laid back, so she’s such a good influence. She’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s three and a half. I’ll do that on three’. She’s a good influence on me – she’s amazing, although she does say naughty words,” laughs Fiona.
Fiona Kashel and Kylie Roddy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
As she walks away down the chute to the stables, Kylie runs over to her and grabs her arm. In the hush of the dressage arena, all we can hear is a not-totally-faint, but totally unapologetic, “FUCK yes, girl!”
Tomorrow’s a jam-packed day of dressage, starting at 9.00 a.m. (8.00 a.m. BST/3.00 a.m. EST) with Germany’s Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo first in the ring. We’ll see Will Coleman and Off The Record come forward at 14.00 (13.00 BST/8.00 a.m. EST), and Boyd Martin and Miss Lulu Herself at 16.19 (15.19 BST/10.19 a.m. EST) – plus, a whole host of exciting global entries and contenders for the win. Check out the times in full here, and join us tomorrow for a recap of all the action. Until then: Go Eventing!
The top ten overnight.
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