On Sunday 19th May, I headed to Rockingham International Horse Trials. I’d gone with the intention of supporting my friend Jo and her horse Jack in the Riding Clubs Showjumping competition, and I’ll be honest – I didn’t really know anything about the rest of the Rockingham event before I went. But when Jo ended up getting a riding time of 9am (typical!), it meant I had the whole rest of the day to hang around and check out the rest of the show – and I’m so glad I did.
Held on the grounds of the Rockingham Castle Estate, the event hosts competitions including Intermediate, Advanced Intermediate, CIC 1* and CIC 2* classes over the three days. Sunday was the turn of the Intermediate, Open Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate, featuring the Loomes Championship – a really exciting extra prize awarded to the Advanced Intermediate competitor closest to the optimum time in the cross country. Jonty Evans won this prize last year, and he was at Rockingham this year to present the prize to 2019’s winner – really special when you consider everything Jonty’s been through in the last year following his head injury.
Some of the biggest names around were entered for the Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate classes, which I just hadn’t been expecting. So, here’s five reasons why I think Rockingham *might* be my new Badminton:
- It’s got a big event feeling, but you’re up close to all the action…
Sunday’s classes were all One Day Events. That means you can follow your favourite riders through the whole day – from warming up for their dressage tests, being ringside for their show jumping rounds and watching the delight on their faces as they cross the finish line of the cross country. It’s a fascinating experience that you don’t get at the three day events without being there for the whole thing, and it puts into perspective how intense professional eventing must be when you realise that while you’ve been mooching round eating ice cream, they’ve completed three different classes on five different horses in one day.
In the Loomes Championship in the Advanced Intermediate on Sunday, I was at the XC finish line to see both Piggy French and Austin O’Connor, who were battling it out to stop their watch nearest to the XC optimum time. They were practically the last two riders of the day, and you could see how much it meant to both of them. Piggy French soared over the line on Cooley Monsoon, punching the air and giving the horse the biggest pat, and it looked like she’d clinched it, stopping the clock at just one second under the time. But then we saw Austin O’Connor come over to post EXACTLY the same time as Piggy, and give an unsure wobble of his hand towards Jonty Evans in the commentators’ box. Being there right in the middle of the action was really tense, and we could see the commentators rushing around to try and find out how to call it in the event of a tie. Following a nail-biting few minutes, there was confirmation that Austin’s show jumping time had been quicker than Piggy’s, and he triumphed as the winner of the Loomes Championship. And we’d been front row that entire time. What an experience!
2. It’s a bit like having a backstage pass…
I wandered round the lorry park at different points of the day, and saw Imogen Murray getting ready for cross country on I’ve Dun Talking, Mark Todd being congratulated by his team following his round, and Emily King’s gorgeous bull terrier pup chilling out by her lorry. I tried my hardest not to walk round gawking but you can’t help but feel a little bit like you’re backstage somewhere! But it also makes you think that actually, the elite level of this sport is fundamentally the same as the grassroots levels – you recognise their expressions of anticipation as they’re getting ready and see their supporters unpacking the mandatory post-event picnic!
3. You might actually learn something…
At Rockingham, you can get up close and personal with some of your favourite stars, and feel like you really learn something from them. I watched Piggy French multiple times throughout the day, and for her XC round on Cooley Monsoon, I was able to see her warm up, go into the start box, head over the first fences and it was easy to cross over to watch her finish the run too. You could see how Piggy practiced approaching from different angles over the warm-up fences, but how she didn’t overdo it. A couple of straightforward attempts and a couple of combinations, and she was ready to go.
We also spent a bit of time at the dressage warm-up, and you could see how focused all the professionals were, and how they incorporated all the movements into their warm-up routine. Emily King did a couple of halt transitions – something I realise I never do during my warm-up, and just expect to get a perfect square halt at the end.
We also saw Mr Cool himself, Andrew Nicholson, on his way back from the show jumping ring on one of his very exuberant youngsters, who was leaping around all over the place. Andrew just sat there, calm as anything, and let him make his way back to the lorry park exactly as he pleased. A true masterclass in the “sitting quietly” approach!
4. You can walk the whole cross country course and not feel like you’re going to die at the end of it…
Come on, own up. I can’t be the only one that can’t hack the 6,700m walk round the Badminton XC course. Rockingham, on the other hand, was easy to stroll round without needing a lengthy sit down halfway AND you don’t have to waste extra energy pushing your way through the crowds to get a good view of the fences. Win win.
5. It’s a much cheaper, easier day out!
The ticket prices are absolutely amazing when you consider how much action you get to see. It’s easy to get to and you don’t have to battle the same legendary queues to get into Badminton. The lack of crowds meant it was easier for small dogs to come along and enjoy the day without the fear of getting trodden on by any number of people. The shopping was good and again, it was easier to pop onto your favourite stands . And you could get a drink from the bar in seconds. What’s not to love?
So, if you’re considering adding an extra spectating fixture onto your eventing calendar next year, give Rockingham a go. And an extra point for me was, of course, getting to support Solihull Riding Club in the BRC Showjumping. It was a fantastic experience for the team to have the opportunity to compete at such a prestigious BE event, with the mega atmosphere that comes with it. And to be able to ride alongside your heroes – could there be anything better?
Maybe we’ll enter next year!
Sarah and Belle x
Totally Amateur Eventing 