Click on archive news to the left to see news items before October 2009.
Big Safety Improvement Needed
We need to aim for a 20 per cent decrease in falls during eventing at four-star level in the next three years.
That's the bottom line of a new eventing risk-management policy and action plan, revealed by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).Event riders, officials, designers and organisers from 22 nations convened in Malmö, Sweden, last weekend (16-17 January) for the third annual FEI eventing safety meeting.
Clayton, who is the riders' representative on the eventing committee, told 'Horse and Hound' he had been interested in the developments in "deformable" — or breakable — jumps. "We can't stop riders falling off, but we need to be able to avoid a catastrophe when it all goes wrong," he added. For the full story, see the latest Horse and Hound or click here for the online version.
Lucinda is Sports Star of the Year
A packed house at Perth, Western Australia heard Lucinda was Awarded Equestrian Western Australia’s Sports Star of the Year for 2009.More than 300 people - including Clayton's Mum Pauline - were at the annual awards night held at the Golden Nugget Room at Perth's Gloster Park.
Lucinda, at home in the UK, could not attend, but family members accepted the award , a shield, clock and certificate , on her behalf. Said Pauline: "it was great to see so many old friends - we couldn’t believe it!". Frozen disaster averted thanks to treadmill...
Eventing has been counting the cost of the recent cold snap, but Team Fredericks, despite being based on chilly Salisbury Plain, have coped fine — thanks to an equine 'Victory' treadmill sponsored by Mitavite Asia acquired in December.
"It would have been a complete disaster without it," said Clayton. "It's especially useful for the four I'm taking to Barroca ino Portugal in March"From Aussie Sun to Blizzards!
Their trip included clinics in Western Australia but gave the family the chance to take a well-earned break in the warm sunshine - and as this picture shows, horses were never too far away, even on the beach.
Riding has not been possible every day since they got home, so the Team Fredericks champion horses have taken to the treadmill to get vital exercise.
Said Clayton: "What a godsend the treadmill is in this weather as it has meant that the horses have not missed out on work and fitness - although they have missed the schooling as we haven't been able to use the school in the last week because of the weather.
"Surprisingly I thought they would all be fresh etc but obviously the treadmill has worked them well because they felt relaxed and well worked and were not excitable at all" he added.
A Clinic Down Under...
Lucinda and Clayton were in in the heart of Western Australia's Swan Valley before Christmas when they led a riding clinic at the prestigious Brookleigh Equestrian Centre near Perth.
W.A.Y.E.R (West Australian Young Event Riders) is the brainchild of recognised eventing and dressage coach Pollyann Huntington. WAYER provides organised top-level coaching and clinic opportunities for committed competitors, mostly competing at Intro through Pre-Novice levels. Given the high level of intensive instruction, FEI riders and higher level horses also frequently take advantage of the clinics.
WAYER clinics are run over several days, the first two including flatwork and arena jumping and the third day an extended cross country session. Sessions also feature event preparation and craft, such as training for the ‘trot up’ at 3-Day events.
Brookleigh Equestrian Centre is owned by Nikki Brookes who also owns 'Brookleigh' - a horse Clayton competes (pictured left). The venue was described by Andrew Hoy, three times Gold Medallist for Australia, as "the finest equestrian training centre in the Southern Hemisphere"
Team Fredericks enjoy the Stuttgart Masters indoor cross country event.
18-22 November 2009
Clayton and Lucinda along with MLCM productions went to the Stuttgart Masters http://stuttgart-german-masters.de where they competed in the cross country event as well as filming for the forthcoming series two of Team Fredericks.
Speed was the order of the day. Clayton and Lucinda were very happy with their rounds as they were riding unfamiliar horses.
Fandango ridden by Clayton had a great ride to finish 7th, but a glance off at fence 8 put Lucinda out of the placings - "The course was a great testing, but not crazy big, it flowed and was thrilling for the sell out crowd," said Lucinda.
Speed was the order of the day. Clayton and Lucinda were very happy with their rounds as they were riding unfamiliar horses.
Fandango ridden by Clayton had a great ride to finish 7th, but a glance off at fence 8 put Lucinda out of the placings - "The course was a great testing, but not crazy big, it flowed and was thrilling for the sell out crowd," said Lucinda.
Edwin and Peta McAuley with Bendigo III win the prestigous Shearwater Owner Award
27 October 2009
Members of the Event Horse Owners’ Association (EHOA) gathered in central London to mark the end of the eventing season at its annual awards and dinner evening.
The Shearwater Award goes to the owner of the horse that is registered at the beginning of the season as Grade 3 or 4 (0-21 points) and gains the most points in the season.
Bendigo III had a remarkable season gaining 102 points. Ridden by Clayton (who collected the award), and owned by Edwin and Peta McAuley.
The award was presented by Jeremy Lawton, Managing Director of Shearwater Insurance.
Clayton bought Bendigo III from Germany last year to replace Nullabor, the horse he sadly lost at Saumur in 2008.
This was the 10-year-old gelding’s first season
eventing, although he had done a little dressage and show jumping before. “I fell in love with him straight away,” says Clayton. “He seemed an ideal candidate for eventing as he was a good mover and fairly well educated. Although I’d normally look at younger horses, my long-standing owners, the McAuleys, didn’t want to start from scratch with a young horse after Nullabor, so we were looking for something up and coming."
“Bendigo is a fairly amenable horse, although cross-country really switches him on – now that he knows, at a competition that XC follows dressage, he’s a changed animal.”
Clayton describes Edwin and Peta McAuley as “The ultimate owners”, saying their approach to the sport has allowed him to flourish - “They stand back and let me get on with producing the horses in the best way I can.”
Clayton bought Bendigo III from Germany last year to replace Nullabor, the horse he sadly lost at Saumur in 2008.
This was the 10-year-old gelding’s first season
eventing, although he had done a little dressage and show jumping before. “I fell in love with him straight away,” says Clayton. “He seemed an ideal candidate for eventing as he was a good mover and fairly well educated. Although I’d normally look at younger horses, my long-standing owners, the McAuleys, didn’t want to start from scratch with a young horse after Nullabor, so we were looking for something up and coming."
“Bendigo is a fairly amenable horse, although cross-country really switches him on – now that he knows, at a competition that XC follows dressage, he’s a changed animal.”
Clayton describes Edwin and Peta McAuley as “The ultimate owners”, saying their approach to the sport has allowed him to flourish - “They stand back and let me get on with producing the horses in the best way I can.”
Clayton and MR Sydney Rocks do it again! This time at Tweseldown
16 October 2009
Clayton and Syd had another fantastic result at Tweseldown winning the novice section with a score of 35.5. MR Sydney Rocks once again performed magnificently and is becoming a real star.
It was a great day for Team Fredericks with The Navigator ridden by Lucinda taking 4th Place in the Intermediates and a score of 42.4.
Headley Britannia and Lucinda scored a respectable 51.6 giving her 9th Place. Lucinda said "she enjoyed the ride but didn't want to push Brit". Lucinda was running second after the dressage and with a double clear round, helped make it an enjoyable event.
Clayton was also riding Riviera who again managed a top tenth placing with a score of 59.2. All in all another great day for Team Fredericks.
Clayton was also riding Riviera who again managed a top tenth placing with a score of 59.2. All in all another great day for Team Fredericks.
Clayton Wins at Lignieres La Celle Conde, France
6 October 2009
Clayton and Bendigo have won the CCI** at Lignieres.
Clayton and the ten-year-old Bendigo, owned by Edwin and Peta McAuley, took first place with an amazing double clear, finishing on their dressage score of 42.4.
Clayton said "He was absolutely superb and a joy to ride, an exceptional result which I thoroughly enjoyed. Lignieres is a great venue and the organisers have done a fantastic job. This event is going to be one of the major dates in the European calendar with the amount of work they have put into it".
No less than 117 riders and 186 horses from twelve countries took part in the event. Well-known riders competing included Zara Phillips (16th) and Nicolas Touzaint of France (35th). Full results and information about the competition can be seen on the official website.Clayton and Nysa de Petra, owned by John & Elizabeth Allsop, completed the CIC* but were not in the placings.
Lucinda placed third at Dauntsey Park
2 October 2009
Lucinda and The Assassin were placed third in the event. They achieved a superb dressage penalty mark of 25.2, which put them in first place, followed by a double-clear show jumping and cross country except for a 8.4 time fault, placing them overall third.The Dauntsey Park Horse Trials, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire is organised by the Sturgis family, and was re-launched last year after the Charlton Park Horse Trials finished in October 2007, and fills what would have been a gap in the eventing calendar.
Purston Manor (2) - Results
16th September 2009
Team Fredericks had super results at Purston Manor (2). in Northamptonshire in Mid-September.
Lucinda and Jiggalong finished first in the Open Novice with a dressage mark of 26.2, SJ clear and only 1.2 time faults during XC, finishing on an unbelievable 27.4.
Clayton on MR Sidney Rocks was third in the Novice section with a dressage mark of 29.5, SJ clear and 4.0 time faults during XC, finishing on 33.5.
In the Intermediate Novice, Lucinda and The Navigator came fifth with a dressage mark of 33.2, clear SJ and clear XC, finishing on 37.2.
Click on archive news to the left to see news items before October 2009.
Team Fredericks held their first-ever Fold-A-Cart race with riders and their grooms competing against each other. The winning team took home a Fold-A-Cart. Click on the Gallery to see who won!