Britain’s Gemma Stevens and Chris and Lisa Stone’s 16-year-old Chilli Knight lead the way on a score of 29.6 as we head into the lunch break on day one of dressage (3 September) at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials.
It’s a welcome turn in fortune for Gemma, who is bouncing back from huge disappointment. Just a couple of weeks ago, she was eliminated across country at the eventing World Championships with Flash Cooley when the gelding inexplicably ground to a halt at the first part of a rail-ditch-rail combination.
“I think I’ve made it three days so far without crying,” said Gemma of how tough it has been since the elimination.
“I have absolutely no idea why it happened – none of us do. We’ve watched the footage back, and I genuinely have no idea. The horse is 100% – he’s actually wild and full of himself at home and he’s sound, he’s fit and happy.
“I genuinely do not know the answer to everyone’s question, other than it’s horses and it’s rubbish, and we have to try and move on. It’s really, really hard, I’m not going to lie; it has been a pretty low point in my career.”
Gemma said that bagging a strong set of results at Scone Palace Horse Trials last weekend, including a win in the CCI4*-S with Cooley Park Muze, was the confidence boost she really needed ahead of Burghley.
“It was really great to get back on at Scone and have three fantastic rides cross-country and be in the top 10 on all three horses. It gave me a big boost and I remembered that I could actually ride.
“I have to somehow put what happened at Aachen in a box and somehow carry on.”
‘He can’t trot!’
Speaking of her dressage performance with Chilli Knight today, Gemma was clearly delighted.
“I was just trying to aim to get in the 20s – dressage isn’t Chilli Knight’s forte. He can’t trot! But the one thing that makes up for it is his heart – he is always trying his best.
“Today, I really had him on side. We razzed him up a bit before he went in, which is not a normal thing for a five-star event horse, but it really worked. He stayed in front of my leg and was so much better.”
Gemma explained that Chilli Knight, who won the one-off five-star at Bicton in 2021, is a wise old campaigner now.
“He kind of knows that he just needs to go in there and only do what he’s has to do. He’s such a little cutie – he just knows the job so well.”
“He’s goey cross-country, but dressage is just dull to him. Jumping is much more fun, and galloping fast is what he loves to do.”
Gemma said that Chilli Knight will now very much be looking forward to the jumping phases.
“He absolutely loves it when we come to these big ones because he blooming well knows that I’m not going to have the handbrake on on Saturday, and that is the best thing ever to him.”
Images by Tim Wilkinson
