WHILE no horse owner likes to admit they have a favourite animal, Rosie Bell confesses to a special fondness for her current main event prospect, Glenomra Hero, despite the partnership only having been formed 12 months ago.
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| AIMING HIGH: Eventer Rosie Bell has ambitions to compete at four star level Picture: esphotography |
“Hero took part in the 2014 Junior European Championships and he has an enormous amount of potential,” explains Ms Bell.
“We have competed up to two star international level and we are aiming for Bramham International Horse Trials in June, which will be a three-star event.
“Hero is very chilled out and he tries very hard for me; we have already achieved a couple of top 20 places at two-star. But like a lot of good jumpers, his weakness is dressage, so that is something we have to work on.”
Another notable horse is the home-bred Eastwood Springtime, which stands at 15.3hh.
The dark bay is by the renowned event stallion, Jumbo, which lived to the ripe old age of 31.
“Springtime was my main horse when I returned home from university after studying event management,” she says.
“I competed with her as a four-year old and took her up to intermediate level. As she has been such a good horse, I wanted to keep her line going so this summer she will go to Chilli Morning, a British Sport Horse which was the first stallion to win Badminton Horse Trials.
“Hopefully, Springtime will produce a nice foal which will be brought into work in the future.”
My Eastwood Brightside is another bay and is also from Ireland, having been purchased as a four-year-old in 2015.
Standing at 16.1hh, he arrived recently broken.
Ms Bell says: “I have only competed at unaffiliated competitions with Brightside so far.
“He is slightly quirky and has bucked me off a few times, but I like him. I don’t mind a horse being quirky, because it gives them a bit of a spark.
“He is a good jumper and he also has nice paces, so I’m crossing my fingers that he will do well in dressage. Event horses don’t hit their peak until they reach about ten years old, so we will see how he develops.”
The 16hh Watermill Flight is yet another bay from Ireland, this time purchased unbroken.
“I was looking for a four or five-year-old and nothing caught my eye, so I ended up coming back with Flight,” Ms Bell says.
“He was sent to Wolsingham for breaking in by James Jopling, who did a very good job.
“I’ve been riding him for about six months now and we have done a few unaffiliated and local competitions. He is showing a lot of promise and is a nice person with a very trainable attitude.”
Despite the preponderance of bays in Ms Bell’s stable, she will also be partnered with a dappled grey in competitions being held over the summer.
He is Finn, a 16.3hh horse belonging to Ms Bell’s father, Steve, who is master of fox hounds of the Zetland Hunt.
“Finn is only six and we have only entered a couple of unaffiliated events competitions,” says Ms Bell.
“He is brave and an outstanding jumper in the field, but he is frightened of the coloured show jumps at the moment. He is a great horse, though; very honest and genuine.”
Since childhood, Ms Bell has followed the eventing career of Pippa Funnell, who was the first person in history to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, which is given to a competitor who has consecutive wins at the Rolex Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley.
“Pippa is passionate about eventing and is a brilliant rider,” she says.
“I admire the relationship which she achieves with her horses; it’s not just a business that’s all about winning.
“She made an appearance at an equestrian centre where I used to keep my horses when I was about 14 and I have never forgotten meeting her. I would definitely describe her as inspirational.”
Rosie has regular lessons with Christopher Bartle, the British Eventing high performance coach who is based at the Yorkshire Riding Centre.
“Christopher has given me confidence and has helped me a lot, both on the flat and with my jumping,” she explains.
“He’s always on hand to give me advice and I like his calm and simple approach. He has a strategy for how things should be done and it’s no more complicated than that.
“When I’m looking for a new horse, a careful but bold jump is my main priority.
“I also look for a nice temperament and the right stamp and I take it from there. It is a pleasure to bring on a young horse and watch it develop,” she adds.
“Cross-country is the element which I enjoy most. I have hunted for a long time and that has given me a lot of experience, especially when it comes to jumping in bad weather when the ground is very soft.
“I do sometimes ride for other people, but at present there is plenty of work to do on my own yard. I may at some point use my university education and get involved with organising events, but they would have to have some connection with horses.”
Ms Bell is happy to admit that she has not yet won any major competitions and she has a pragmatic approach to her eventing career.
However, she grew up in a competitive environment – her two brothers are car racing drivers – and it seems likely that she will realise her ambitions.
“My brothers work with machines, but they don’t hold any interest for me,” she says.
“It’s the unpredictability of eventing that attracts me, as well as the relationships that you build up with your horses.
“Eventing is a lot of hard work, though, and you can’t just put a horse away in a garage and take it out the next time you need it. It is a lifestyle and requires a lot of commitment.
“My personal goal is to compete at four-star level. But moving up from three-star to four-star is a big step; it means tackling the courses at the highest level at events like Badminton and Burghley.
“I have yet to see how Hero will cope with three-star and we will take it slowly. But we have a great partnership and it would be nice to think that we can keep on moving up the ranks,” says Rosie.
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