Winner’s 700mile trip pays off
Alnwick Ford (2), Northumberland
EMMA COGHILL was rewarded for her eight-and-a-half-hour each-way journey from her yard near John O’Groats to Alnwick Ford with a novice win aboard her own Rainbows Little Rock (Sol).
“Living where we do, we are used to trekking long distances to compete, but Sol isn’t the best traveller so every trip has to be well planned,” explained Emma.
“We normally try to travel with someone else because Sol is better with another horse alongside – last year he reared up and kicked the window out of the lorry when we attempted to travel him on his own. But this year, lorry sharing hasn’t been possible [due to Covid], so we have had to take his Shetland pony companion, Dusty, along for the ride. Even so, on our journey to Alnwick, he managed to rear up twice and get caught up in his haynet.”
Fortunately, the eight-year-old VDL Arkansas gelding makes up for his misdemeanours in the horsebox with his talent on solid ground.
“He is super-talented and I would love to travel to England more next year when we move up to intermediate, but I really need to gain a sponsor to help with costs,” said Emma,
24, who is a PhD student at the University of Highlands and Islands in Inverness.
“I am fortunate to have flexible hours, so I can make the two-hour journey from Inverness back home twice a week to ride,” she added.
Harriet Bagley and Forestland Of Drayton (George) achieved one of the most convincing wins of the weekend at Alnwick Ford (2) when they finished on their dressage score of 17.5 to top the BE100open.
“He has always been very consistent in the dressage, but I didn’t expect a mark quite like that,” admitted Harriet, who graduated from the University of Sheffield last year with a degree in Hispanic studies and business management. “We’ve had George for seven years. He’s the king of the yard at home – and he knows it!”
“Sol is supertalented and I would love to travel to England more next year”
EMMA COGHILL