New Zealand’s Tayla Mason only found out she was off the waitlist and would be making her Mars Badminton Horse Trials debut last Tuesday (6 May), the day before the first horse inspection.
The 31-year-old has gone on to piloted her homebred gelding Centennial, who was bred by Tayla’s mother, Sonya, and born on the family farm on New Zealand’s north island, into 19th place.
“I’ve been preparing like I was coming but [not knowing] means I was probably less stressed because I didn’t actually know if I was actually going to get in,” said Tayla.
“[Riding a homebred] makes it all the more special.
“Mum and I do a lot of breeding back in New Zealand and Chase [Centennial] is one of our homebreds. Mum is here as well, so she is over the moon.
A real gentleman
The New-Zealander originally came over to the UK in 2019 to work for her compatriots Tim and Jonelle Price, and she brought Chase with her.
“My mum rode his mother and we’ve done it all from the beginning. We’ve moved over to England together and now we’re doing our third five-star,” added Tayla.
Since arriving in Europe, the pair have completed Pau CCI5* twice.
“He is cheeky. Lucy who’s looking after him this weekend keeps saying that he’s like an overgrown pet dog. He’s very well behaved, he just wants to please.
“A real gentleman, but also has this cheeky quirky side to him which makes him quite fun.”
Main image by Tim Wilkinson
