“TWO hearts” was the iconic campaign in the run-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, to illustrate the interdependence of horse and rider. The bond between the two athletes is as important as each individual’s innate talent, but if there’s only one horse in your life, is it enough to get to the top?
Completing Badminton, representing your country down the centre line, or jumping an international track can be tough, even for the seasoned professional with a string of horses. For an amateur, striving for success with one horse can undoubtedly bring more challenges as they balance a career with nurturing a partnership, securing qualification, and not to mention keeping their horse (and themselves) in peak physical condition.
Equine vet Katie Preston bought her event horse Templar Justice, known as TJ, as a four-year-old while she was still at university. Together they made their five-star debut (formerly four-star) at Luhmühlen, Germany, in 2018 – before completing their first Burghley Horse Trials the same year.
Katie has to balance attending out-of-hours emergencies with training while keeping herself and TJ at the top of their game.
“Time is definitely at a premium,” says Katie. “It’s about finding that horse you want to ride, then it’s not a chore.
“You’ve got to want to ride late at night – or be happy to have a 6.30 am dressage lesson.”
ASIDE from getting that one horse up to five-star level, the pressure then comes to preserve them.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 16, 2020 من Horse & Hound.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 16, 2020 من Horse & Hound.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
'He's barely out of the county...'
Minutes into a trip abroad, Adam’s superstitions are realised when things go awry on the farm. It’s all hands to the grindstone, proving that there's never a dull moment for Tessa Waugh
The last Edwardian sportsman
Sporting paintings by Raoul Millais, whose life spanned the 20th century, are hanging in hunting homes all over the country. Liam Clancytells us about the artist and his life well travelled
Gangster steals the show
The area trial is won by a combination on their first attempt at this level anda daughter of clone Murka’s Gem shines bright
Charlotte's clean sweep
Olympic hopefuls in action while Natasha Baker makes a winning return and Carl debuts his latest superstar
Woodward is a class act
A complex character rewards his rider’s patience with a third international win, while a 17-year-old makes her mark
Student has the Upper hand
A former showjumper and an osteopath take top spots, while a corner question causes cross-country problems
All change
The leaderboard tips upside down, as the top two plummet and Caroline Powell rises to triumph
A super day
Eric Winter’s track provides a brilliant cross-country day, with Irish first-timer Lucy Latta delivering the outstanding performance
Spooky 'Isaac' holds it together
The defending champion pilots a rising star to lead the first phase
'We all hate doing anything badly'
As part of H€SH’s 140th anniversary this year, we are celebrating Britain’s great horsey families with a series of interviews. In our third instalment, we speak to the multi-garlanded showing dynasty of David Tatlow, his daughter Loraine Homer and her daughter Alice