Emily King said she is ‘feeling absolutely normal’ now after a difficult start to the year which saw her fracture a rib and tear a lung.
The British event rider, who is competing at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials this week with Valmy Biats, incurred the injuries when she fell in the showjumping warm-up at Thoresby in April.
“I’m feeling absolutely normal now, thank God. It hasn’t been the smoothest start to the year. I’ve had a few little hiccups along the way, but feeling good, feeling strong, healed up, so it shouldn’t hold me back tomorrow,” said Emily.
Balancing act
Emily piloted Valmy Biats, with whom she was fifth at Badminton last year and fourth the year before, to a first phase score of 30.3.
“He always goes a little bit anxious with the crowds in there so it’s always a balance of keeping him relaxed but still showing him off enough,” explained Emily.
“In the past I’ve really shown him off and then had some bigger mistakes, and then gone a bit underpowered and had a little bit of a lower score so I was trying to get that balance with him.
“Today, he did feel really good. In the general work he felt amazing. He always finds his walk hard. He just wants to just get in gallop – I say you can in a minute, but you’ve just got to work for a little bit longer first – but no, generally, I’m really pleased.”
Sam’s double duty
A different dynamic at Badminton this year for Emily is that her partner, Sam Ecroyd, is also competing. Sam is riding the 11-year-old, 18hh, Boleybawn Lecrae who is known at home as Patrick.
“Sammy always comes to the big ones and helps me with everything, but especially the cross country so he’s got his work cut out [tomorrow]. He has to train me and then do his own thing, which might I say, Sam, I take priority,” joked Emily.
“We’ll walk it [the cross-country course] lots. We’ll walk it as many times as we can and speak through the course with as many riders and trainers as possible, just to get their take on it.
“Sammy goes out pretty early on tomorrow so he can give it a good suss out. But they are very different horses. His horse is huge, but has got a quite a small, very quick stride. Mine’s small, but he’s got a massive, a little bit of a slower stride. Valmy rides much bigger than Patrick but he’ll get a feel for the lines and then we’ll just have to adjust the specifics of the ride for my one.”
Image © Tim Wilkinson.
