An unexpected win for a UK Junior rider made up for a somewhat disappointing experience abroad for Senior Brits at Kapellen CDI3*, 8 – 11 August.
17 year old Jessica Gale won the Individual Junior test on a score of 67.658% and came third in the Junior team test behind two European youth riders with her ten year old gelding Rebellski (pictured here with Jess and her dad at Kapellen), who she has produced from Preliminary to Inter II level herself since early 2010.
Jess’s mum Lynn said ‘It was all a bit of a whirl wind. Originally we were taking Jess’s main ride, Umbro S, but he needed treatment for a sore shoulder at the last minute and we didn’t want to take any chances.
‘We decided not to waste the opportunity and to see if we could change the entry and take Rebel instead, so at six o clock Karen in the BD office was organising the change of horse and by six the next morning we were on our way to Kapellen. This win has surpassed all of our wildest dreams.’
Jess travelled to the show with her trainer Matt Hicks who was to compete at the small tour classes on his ride Talent III, alongside Lesley Peyton-Gilbert with Woodcroft Garuda K and Kay Maxted on Privaldi, who was there for the big tour.
But the senior riders accompanying Jess were not to have such a great time.
Matt and Talent made 21st out of a class of 35 in the PSG which would normally have been enough to secure them a place for the Inter 1 Freestyle, but a last minute change of format left them without a ticket - despite two lower placed combinations from the qualifying PSG having made it through to the Inter I.
Lesley Peyton-Gilbert and her ride Woodcroft Garuda K didn’t even make it to the PSG after the 12 year old chestnut stallion developed an allergic cough after being on site for 24 hours. Lesley made the difficult decision to withdraw, despite a long journey to the venue, as Garuda ‘was uncomfortable, and just not happy.’
In the big tour classes, Kay Maxted and her 16 year old gelding Privaldi made it through to the Grand Prix Special to finish eighth on 63.083%.
All four combinations are now home and Jess is busy looking to a future with her eyes firmly set on the Grand Prix circuit.
For her the win must have been somewhat bittersweet, as since returning Rebel has been sold and is due to make his way to a new life in the next couple of days.
‘He’s going to be a schoolmaster with a lovely family, said Lynn ‘it was a difficult decision but Jess had to look to the future. She only has another year left in Juniors and so she will have to look for a young horse to train all the way to Grand Prix. It wasn’t easy, they’ve made it to where they are now together, but it was the right decision, and he’s going to a lovely home where he will make a lot of people very happy.’