Lead photo: Credit Rachel Good
A bit of a long weekend for Tim with just Gloire de Marchenval (Louis) to compete over two days with one phase a day but what a lovely horse to do it with. Louis has fought his own little battle to come back to competition having had most of 2023 off after he somewhat inexplicably went over backwards in a rubber floored stable at night and fractured his wither last year. He has impressed all season with his ‘can do’ attitude and his love for the game and finding himself Tim’s sole ride at Cornbury this weekend has been right up his street.
Lying second after dressage was short lived after he tipped a single rail in the showjumping on Saturday which dropped him to 5th spot. Which just showed how good his test was as usually a rail in a 2 star means a drop of about 20 places!
Cross country time finally came around on Sunday at 3pm and Louis was super happy to be jumping around his first International. He showed his class by stepping up to the level with ease, adding a huge jump into the water over the Otter just because he could and comfortably making the time. He would have won without the rail but hey ho, how many times have we said that over the years! Finishing in 4th on 30.4 when the section was won on 29 was still an amazing effort for a horse that had just the one competition in 2023 and didn’t get to start until Larkhill this year due to all the spring cancellations.
Happy Holidays beckon for Louis and Tim and Tom McEwen fought it to the line for the leading rider prize at Cornbury which had a £2,500 of its own. Tom won the 7 year old BE Championship so pipped Tim into 2nd place but it was a cracking Cornbury for the team over the whole, well, 5 days.
That’s nearly it for the one days, just a few left as it’s just the 4 and 5 star horses left now and an exodus of the younger ones for the holiday paddocks. Wrapping up the season in good weather ( the first for the year ) on a great finish is just one of the best things to happen.
And we roll onto Blenheim net week….
Photo credit Rachel Good
