Tim headed out to Belgium earlier in the week with Garcon (Tibo) and The Highlander (Ivar) stepping up a level for the 4*S and new addition to the team Brookfield Future News (Matthew) for a ‘getting to know you better’ 3*S run.
It’s a great event run by Lara de Liederkerke-Meier and her husband Kai set in rolling grounds with the stunning castle as the backdrop. Dressage and showjumping are set on the plateau at the top of the hill on a huge all weather surface and the cross country rolls out across the bottom of the valley.
It’s quirky as well which just adds to its charm. The horsebox parking is pretty haphazard which means you can park beside your mates, there is little if any security so no plethora of yellow vests and no endless showing of passes. The dressage prep is three quarters of the way up the steep slope to the main arena in an indoor and it was Tibo who headed up there on Thursday with Tim.
A score of 31.8 was very impressive in a field of over 100 proper top class horses and he would have just inched into the high 20’s had he got the first change. He made no such mistake with the second change and stayed on side with Tim to do his best at just 9 years old. The legend that is fischerChipmunk (Michi Jung) leads on 21.8 so that’s a fair marker of Tibo’s performance.
Ivar got his turn on Friday and at just 8 years old he has some very smart dressage scores under his belt. Like Tibo he tried his hardest to make the most of his time in front of the judges and it was just the changes that kept him on a 33.7. Training them at home and performing them in an international arena for the first time is another challenge that only experience can help with!
Matthew is a quiet unassuming chap with no jazzy markings or diva behaviour and a very kind eye. He and Tim seem to have gelled like old pals and his test in the 3 star on Friday afternoon was mistake free for a 29.6 and 16th spot in a field of 100. It’s their first international together and it’s looking good so far!
Showjumping for Matthew on Saturday morning and cross country for Ivar and Tibo in the afternoon. NZ don’t have a Nations Cup team as it’s just Tim and Holly Field flying the flag but there are a whole host of countries aiming for the coveted top spot.