Will Faudree did two Combined Tests at Gatcombe, just last weekend, jumping a beautiful clear on Andromaque, (Missy) above, and having just the first fence down on Pawlow (Ernie). I was sorry not to catch up with him while I was there, but thanks to Annie, we were able to chat yesterday after Will’s dressage lessons with Sandy Phillips, and before he set off to Hartpury Horse Trials for his final runs before Burghley and Blenheim. In fact, one of the biggest differences Will has noticed about eventing in England to the US, he told me, was the convenience,
“The relaxed, workmanlike side of it has been quite a pleasant surprise; for instance we’re going to a CIC 3* tomorrow, and at home everything’s so far away that it’s such a process to organise the shipping, the accommodation, you’ve got to leave in the middle of the night and get there a day or two early to let the horses relax and settle in… Here we’re just going to drive over in the morning and do our test!”
Will also told me that competing consistently against the best in the world, who bring their “A” game every weekend has also been an eye-opener,
“When you’re going around the warm-up and you’ve got Mark Todd, Pippa Funnell, Piggy French, Andrew Nicholson and William Fox-Pitt, the medium trot that you had just minutes ago that felt like an 8, suddenly feels like a 4! It’s not to take anything away from what we have at home, and not to say that we don’t have unbelievable horses and unbelievable riders in the US, but the quality, not of the horse, but the quality of the step that the horse takes – the quality of every step that the horse takes over here, that’s just one of my own personal things that I’m taking away with me from the summer – I’m getting some really good steps, but I’m only getting six or seven, I’m not getting all ten! That’s why half the Kiwis and half the Australians are here, there’s a reason why people are over here.”
Away from competitions though, he’s been enjoying the English countryside, and the facilities at Jacky Green’s Maisey Manor,
“It’s got great turn out, a huge arena, unbelievable gallops – probably one of the best gallops I’ve even been on in my life, it’s just awesome. Every time we go up on the hill we look back and it looks like a post card, it just looks like someone has painted it, it’s amazing. I’ve really enjoyed every minute of it here, it’s been great, and being able to be based here at the farm – Jacky Green has got fantastic stories, and I really trust her as a horsewoman, there’s just such a wealth of knowledge here, I feel like a sponge for new information.”
He’s also been capitalising on having Sandy Phillips, his dressage trainer, close by,
“My lessons today were very good. I’ve been working a lot with Sandy this summer, and it’s been really good. It’s really bringing my knowledge of the dressage up to another level, and I made the comment today to Nat that sometimes I’m afraid to go there a little bit with MIssy, and we were working on this one exercise just getting her to work more uphill, and I said that I’ve been afraid to go there on my own but it’s just a whole different level now, which I’m really excited about.”
Mark Phillips helps him with his jumping, as well as fellow riders Bobby Costello and Philip Dutton, and Will says he’d be lost without his head girl Nat Varcoe-Cocks,
“Nat is unbelievable eyes on the ground. She’s at every single one of my lessons that I take, so when I jumped the young horses this morning she notices every little thing, for example she told me to keep them just a bit straighter through the turn, things like that….I’m very, very fortunate to have someone like Nat who I have so much respect for as a horsewoman, as eyes on the ground and as a friend, so I’m very lucky with her, and of course she’s also a very good dancer and great comedic relief!”
Based at Maisey Manor, Will is lucky enough to be able to watch some of the best riders in the world training daily, but he said it’s important to have confidence in his own programme, and not be tempted to switch it up this late in the game,
“There’s a whole group of us here: Elizabeth Power from Ireland, Andrew Hoy’s based here, all the Canadians are going to be coming here, so it’s a huge mecca. I’ve been over to England before and I feel very confident in my own fitness programme, and I feel very confident in the decisions I’ve made in who I train with and who I work with, because that’s where I used to get swayed, thinking I should go and work with whoever everyone else was working with. I’ve been very adamant about what I do with my horses, their fitness and all that, but at the same time I watch all these guys to see what they do differently, and see how I can tweak my programme to perhaps benefit it. You have to have confidence in your own progamme though, because at the end of the day, you’re the one who’s getting on and going in the ring,or leaving that start box.”
However, when I asked Will if he was enjoying the warm, English beer, he did tell me he’s made a few changes to his own regime!
“Well, I’ve actually given up drinking! I gave up alcohol on August 1st through Burghley and Blenheim. MIssy is a small mare – she’s 16hh with her studs in, and Burghley is going to be eleven and a half minutes long, and I want to be very thin. I work out regularly, I’ve joined a great gym here and doing all my workouts, but I’m getting on the scale and I’m still between 155 and 160lb which is not where I want to be. I want to be 10lbs lighter for Burghley, just for her benefit. Plus, I’m taking this summer very seriously, obviously, and I want to be the best I can and for me to be in my peak physical condition that’s one thing that I could cut out.”
It’s obvious that Will is making the most of his time in England, taking it seriously, and incredibly grateful to everyone who’s allowed him to be there,
“I am the first to raise my hand and say I am the luckiest person in the world to be able to come over here and do this. I’ve got the most unbelievable support in Jennifer Mosing who owns these horses, and has given me this opportunity to come over here, and I’m so grateful to her for this opportunity, because it’s upping the horses’ game, and giving me more tools in their tool box to play with. Jennifer came over to Luhmuhlen in June, and then her entire family came over for Aston le Walls and made a bit of a vacation of it, and then she’ll be back for Burghley and Blenheim. It was a lot of fun to have the kids over here, they’re just an amazing family.”
Will is thrilled that all his horses will benefit from the crowds, atmosphere, terrain and different enviroments they’re experiencing in England,
“How many times do we say, ‘I won the warm-up’?! What makes a successful competitor is someone who can ride the horse on that day, and the more situations you put yourself into where you’re going to be given surprises that as a rider you have to react to, the better. I think it’s very easy to sit back and have an excuse, it’s very easy to say if I did this or that better, but you may only get one shot to go to the Olympic Games, so I think it’s been a great experience for me, and a great experience for these horses to be able to come over here.”
We discussed the Test Event briefly, and the fact that quite a few people had compared the cross country at Greenwich to Gatcombe, and I asked him if he’d been tempted to run there instead of Hartpury?
“Hartpury is a weekend closer to both Blenheim and Burghley, but still two weeks out from Burghley and three weeks out from Blenheim. The other thing is whenever you run on the side of hills like that you’re at a higher risk of the horse doing something, so obviously with Burghley being the immediate goal I’m going to do the best lead up for that, and with the Olympics next year, if we get to go, it is very hilly, twisty and turny and we’ll be training and preparing them for that, but one of the hardest things to do is to actually get selected and get the horses there.”
I also asked Will if having made the move, and settled in now with four horses, if he couldn’t just remain in England until the Olympic Games?
“I would love to, but I do have a farm at home and I can’t just up and leave everything. It’s been a real luxury to be here for the summer. I would love to stay but at the same time I’ve got a business and horses at home that I’ve got to take care of, and a farm, and a house, and a mortgage…!”
and of course, there’s the small matter of what he misses most….
“My dogs! I’m having major dog withdrawal! There’s a lot of dogs over here so it’s not as if you can just not see dogs for a while! I do miss my farm, but mostly my dogs. I’m staying really busy most of the time, but I do miss my dogs.”
Is there something that he’ll really miss when he returns to the US, and wishes he could take with him?
“The footing! The weather! It’s been such a great place to work and train for the summer. There are definitely things I miss about home but at the same time I’ve been really fortunate to have the four horses over here to ride and train, I’ve learned a ton, and feel so blessed to have had this opportunity.”
Wishing Will the very best of luck this weekend, and next month at the big three-days. The two younger horses will run next weekend at Highclere before coming home to the States, and DHI Colour Candy is being aimed at the CCI ** at Fairhill. A huge thank you to Annie for her help, and to Will for his time as always, thank you for reading and Go the Americans in England Eventing!
