The proprietor of a cob who was bred “by mistake” and is now excelling at prix st georges (PSG) dressage, on the searching discipline and team-chasing has paid tribute to his final all-round potential.
Sarah Vousden is succeeding with two “exceptionally versatile” horses; 12-year-old Harley, a cob with no recorded breeding, and 15-year-old pure Connemara George, who additionally competes at PSG and inter I stage dressage.
Sarah advised H&H she misplaced her cob Medwyn this week aged 29.
“It began with him,” she mentioned. “I’ve had horses most of my life, tried eventing in my early 20s and ended up over-horsed, and I bought Meddie on load to get my confidence again. I purchased him 18 months later and owned him for 21 years.”
Sarah showjumped Meddie to 1.10m, however as he was “14.3hh on a great day”, the distances proved a problem, so she turned to dressage.
“Having been an eventer, dressage wasn’t my factor!” she mentioned. “However we began doing fairly properly at unaffiliated, and that began my love of dressage. He hunted too and was a correct all-rounder, and I realised I liked natives, and the range. However he bought me into dressage.”
Sarah and Meddie competed as much as elementary, then she purchased Harley as a five-year-old.
“His breeding’s unknown; the woman I purchased him from, who’s a pal, bought him at six months outdated, he was a mistake within the discipline,” she mentioned. “She bought him to maintain her kids firm however later backed him, and she or he mentioned ‘I’ve bought a cob who could be good for you’. He was going to be my searching cob however due to Meddie, I began education him and we’ve simply saved going.”
Sarah had already purchased George, as a just-backed four-year-old who had his very difficult moments, however he has additionally turned out to be versatile, she mentioned, and what she discovered from him and Meddie has helped Harley’s progress.
Sarah and Harley did their first crew chase final spring – “I used to be going to sit down at three or 4 however the others had been a bit sticky so we ended up main for half the course!” – and she or he is a Bicester subscriber. “He loves a hedge,” she mentioned.
Additionally they do seashore rides, in addition to not too long ago coming fourth at superior medium stage dressage, and tenth within the PSG Addington Space Pageant qualifier.
“He adores his searching and I’m more than happy we do dressage as I believe that provides me the management I may not have in any other case!” she mentioned. “I believe he enjoys dressage too; he simply loves life and no matter he’s doing, he’s bought his ears pricked. He at all times needs to do his greatest for you and he loves a crowd.
“I really like nation music so my PSG freestyle music with him is a rustic combine together with Take me House, Nation Roads, and once we did a demo to that, the gang was clapping and laughing, and he liked it.”
Sarah mentioned Harley is an advocate for “being the underdog and doing it anyway”.
“We don’t have a medium trot, and I believe some folks get caught at novice for that cause however I’ve bought to PSG with out it, it’s just one motion,” she mentioned. “I simply go to get a qualifying rating and some extent or two, and if I do, I’m thrilled.”
Sarah believes the phrase is spreading about how a lot cobs are able to and the way versatile they’re.
“However at PSG you don’t see many cobs within the courses,” she mentioned. “I believe individuals are involved about competing towards warmbloods, however don’t fear about what they’re doing, simply attempt to higher your final rating, or enhance that motion. I needed to change my mindset, or I used to be always evaluating myself to the big-moving warmbloods, which you’ll be able to’t do. To me, he’s value his weight in gold.”
George was the primary horse Sarah competed at PSG; she mentioned she turned despondent having scored 63% on him at novice however coach Tom Graham inspired her to attempt the upper strikes, so she moved up, and is now scoring the identical at PSG stage.
“We discovered he might do the actions, and 63% at PSG is one thing to be pleased with!” she mentioned. “I’m so pleased with producing these kind of horses to this stage; they’re my life.”
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