‘It was my first event on them…'

Andrew Nicholson reflects on memories of his rides at Kentucky

- Andrew Nicholson

IN usual circumstances, the only extended period of time I spend at home riding in the winter, when it’s cold and wet. This lovely weather means some aspects of “lockdown” are hardly a hardship, but I know how privileged we are.

Normally the end of April and the beginning of May is one of the most intense periods of the season, with two five-stars – Kentucky and Badminton – to aim for.

The first time I went to Kentucky was in 2001, which was a foot-and-mouth year. I took two horses, Lord Killinghurst and Mallards Treat, and as well as being their first event of the year, it was also the first time I had ridden either horse in a competition.

Both horses had come to me a couple of months earlier; Lord Killinghurst had jumped clear round Burghley with Owen Moore, albeit with a fair few time-faults, and although Mallards Treat hadn’t done a five-star, he had won both Blenheim and Punchestown with Franck Bourne.