Goofy goes for glory
Jo Barry lands an emotional victory, while Charlotte Dujardin’s winning streak continues
SCOTLAND’S Jo Barry proved that her winter elementary freestyle title wasn’t a fluke by taking the Childéric Saddles elementary gold title with a convincing 73.5%.
The victory was all the more special to Jo, who suffered a horrific fall in December 2015 which left her with a severe brain injury. Just months after learning to walk and talk again, Jo was back in the saddle, and this win continues to show just what sheer determination and faith can achieve.
Her mount, the leggy
17.3hh gelding Goofy La Perle, floated across the arena, pulling off a masterclass clear round under Jo’s soft and sympathetic tutelage. The Belissimo M x Jazz seven-year-old has been with Jo since July last year.
“I was very lucky that a client of mine persuaded her husband, Gordon Grainger of Kingfisher Building Supplies, to buy me a horse, so Gordon and I set off to Holland and found Goofy,” Jo said. “They were very kind to buy him, and it’s lovely to be able to repay them by winning two championships in just over a year. It’s a dream come true.”
Jo, who trains with Carl
Hester, said she has been working on the horse’s submission and acceptance of the contact, which paid off in her tests — they also contested the previous day’s medium, in which they were ninth with 70.89% in a class of 34.
“He has a tendency to say ‘no’, as all horses have, so he’s not been the easiest of rides, but he’s very professional when it comes to going down the centre line,” added Jo. “All he wanted to do was passage when we first got him, so we’ve spent a lot of time working on getting his trot forward, and now it’s about collecting it to get the elevation, without him doing passage.
“That was his last elementary, so it was great to go out on a high.”
DUJARDIN DOUBLE
CONTINUING her championship domination, Charlotte Dujardin took the top three spots and fifth in the Equine Construction advanced medium.
Her first ride of the day, the chestnut Gio (Pumpkin), held onto the top spot for most of the class with 79.34%, pipping her other rides Brioso II (eventual third) and River Rise Nisa (eventual fifth) to the post, but it was her last ride and the penultimate entry of the class — Emma Blundell’s Mount St John VIP — who wowed the judges to post 81.21% and clinch the title. Fourth went to another Mount St John mare, Mount St John Valencia under Michael Eilberg (see box, above right).
The former five- and sixyear-old champion and last year’s medium champion, VIP, is fiery hot, but Charlotte’s calm, confident approach draws out the horse’s highlights, which include stunning extensions, balanced walk pirouettes and a rockinghorse-like canter.
“This level is easy for her now,” said Charlotte of the seven-yearold Vivaldi mare.
“Our test was so smooth and easy — her extensions and flying changes were super and her canter has improved so much over the past year. She shows incredible talent for grand prix.”
Hawtins San Floriana took the TopSpec medium title with 78.46%, completing Charlotte’s gold championship double.
The San Amour six-year-old showcased beautifully balanced canter-walk-canter transitions, a trot full of power and cadence, and the ability to sit and collect.
“She was amazing in the first round of her six-year-old class [second], but very hot, so I came out and worked her a little bit more and, by the time our medium test came around, she was almost on the edge of having done too much,” explained
Charlotte. “It was a clear round with no big mistakes, but there’s plenty more to come as she’s still green at medium level.
“She is one of my most special horses and absolutely spectacular to ride. She gives you the most incredible feeling and every part of her body moves. She is so loose through her body and it’s like riding a Rolls-Royce. She is a dream to ride.”
COOL DUDE
GALE-FORCE winds played a big part in Friday’s competition, with many of the younger, less-experienced horses taking a dislike to the flapping flags and banners.
One horse who kept his composure was seven-yearold chestnut gelding Glasgow MH, whose soft and beautifully balanced paces earned him 73.15% to head the Dodson & Horrell novice gold championship under Alex Hardwick.
“He is the most unbelievable, unflappable horse,” smiled Alex. “He’s such a cool dude — he may be only 16hh, but he trots like he’s 18hh and has the most incredible brain. He goes in the ring and says, ‘Whatever man, where’s my food?’”
The Uphill-bred gelding is owned by Alex’s mother Sally, who bought him from Holland last year.
“We were looking for a horse for Alex but it was my birthday and when I saw him, I bought him for me,” Sally said. “I ride him at home, but Alex is his competition rider. He’s adorable and, like Alex, very talented and laid-back.
Alex can make him a petrol engine and I can keep him a diesel engine. He’s a really good boy.”
Alex put her success down to a “fine-tune” with her trainer Carl Hester before the show.
“Mum trains me everyday and Carl tunes me up. Mum says he’s like a little bit of fairy dust sprinkled on top – he just makes it so easy.”
Second and third went to two Headmore Stud horses — Headmore Figaro (Dannie Morgan) and Headmore Bella Ruby (Alice Oppenheimer) respectively, the latter being out of the stud’s Elite Rubinsteena, who recently passed away.