“He can be sharp and spooky — and just as you think you’re getting somewhere, suddenly you’re halfway across the school facing the other direction!”
These were the words of British rider Tom Jackson after his dressage test at Mars Badminton Horse Trials aboard United 36, who held the lead when the first phase paused for a break on day one.
Tom said the 10-year-old gelding, who is owned by Mike Stenning, can be sharp and spooky, and so he is very happy with the work he produced between the white boards.
“I was really pleased with how he coped in there, because it’s a lot for any horse, especially one that’s not the most experienced.”
“He’s only 10 and it’s his first five star. He’s quite a spooky horse so to go in and do a solid test like that is really pleasing,” said Tom. “Hopefully there’s plenty of time to build on that in the next few years.”
‘His brain is difficult’
A lot of riders choose to take horses abroad for their first five-star — either Luhmuhlen in Germany and Pau in France — but Tom felt confident Badminton is the place for United 36 to make his top-level debut.
“He’s always been and felt a very good cross-country horse. Sometimes the ground can be variable at Luhmuhlen and wouldn’t necessarily suit this horse, so we thought, why not give it a crack?
“He’s so talented. He’s probably one of the most talented horses I’ve sat on in terms of his athleticism and his ability, but his brain is quite difficult.”
Main image by Tim Wilkinson
