Aimee Penny got her Defender Burghley debut underway this morning with PSH Encore, a quirky mare who dislikes large crowds and refuses to have any flatwork lessons.
“I always describe her as a child that thinks they can cross the road by themselves, but as soon as you get to the road, then you just hold their hand because they don’t actually know how, especially in the dressage,” said Aimee.
“Cross-country I’m just a passenger and she jumps her way around, but in the dressage, she thinks ‘I can do that’ and if you’re not there for her all hell breaks loose.
“I can’t have lessons with her because she will just stand in the corner for hours and not move. Whatever I learn on the other horses, I just have to put to her.”
Elimination on the flat
Aimee confessed that she has held off walking the cross-country course until after the dressage, due to being eliminated in the first phase in the past.
“I’m not a very superstitious person, but I never walk the course until she’s done her dressage. She has been eliminated on the flat before, so I I never do that,” said Aimee.
“I’m going to go and walk it today quite a few times.”
The 13-year-old mare is homebred by her owner, Gary Power, and Aimee has produced her.
They finished in the top 10 at the Blair Castle CCI4*-L in 2022 and were inside the top 25 at Blenheim last season.
“Dressage is her hardest phase — she’s terrified of crowds,” added Aimee.
“I just trusted my system today. She’s done quite a few big events, and she’s been getting better and better. I’ve had a really good support team around me saying she’ll be fine, she’ll be alright. So I’m pretty pleased [with her test].”
‘She knows she’s top dog’
Aimee is based in Shropshire and works for Gary Power at Power Sport Horses, hence the mare’s prefix PSH.
“I ride all the Power Sport Horses. Gary’s bred them all and she [PSH Encore] has been very special and I’ve done it from the beginning.
“She was a bit naughty, so we didn’t start until she was eight. She’s a funny character and will do anything for me — I deal with her all the time — but she’s very opinionated.
“She knows she’s top dog, so she gets away with it.”
Aimee added that she is very excited to be riding at Burghley for the first time and has her family on site to support her.
“Gary’s got a great team at the yard, small but mighty, with a load of horses.
“There’s 25 in work, 50 young horses in the field, so there’s a lot to go around.”
Main image by Tim Wilkinson
