Young eventers Master the rest

Rising stars dominate at Kelsall while elsewhere an unusual warm-up pays dividends

- PIPPA ROOME and ELLIE HUGHES

TOM WOODWARD, 21, led a bevy of young eventers to success when he took the Sytner Land Rover Knutsford CCI3*-S on Jaeger Master.

The nine-year-old Royaldik son belongs to mother and daughter Wendy and Jenny Spiller – the Team Joey syndicate – and has been with Tom for a year after previously being ridden by Izzy Taylor.

“He’s struggled in the showjumping, but we’ve been out British Showjumping almost every week over the winter and the past few weeks it’s started to click,” said Tom.

A change of tack and improved balance, as he has strengthened up, has helped Jaeger Master in this phase.

“He jumps better in a double flap rather than mono flap saddle and in a rubber snaffle – when he had a slightly stronger bit, he didn’t want to take his neck out so much,” said Tom.

Kristina Hall-Jackson, 26, scored a one-two in the advanced intermediate, winning on her own Badmintonbound CMS Google. The rider had benefited from spending time with Pippa Funnell the week before, her mentor through the Wesko Equestrian Foundation.

“She’s not naturally built for dressage, so we were working on her balance, getting her to carry herself, brushing up on me and her,” said Kristina after scoring 24.8 in the first phase.

Kristina had never really let the handbrake off with her runner-up, former Nicola Wilson ride Hawk Eye, but owner Helen Scott suggested it was time to test the gears.

The rider praised the flow of the new layout of the cross-country track, designed for the first time by Adrian Ditcham.