Annual horse trials were a success (From Salisbury Journal)

Annual horse trials were a success

2:00pm Wednesday 8th April 2009 in News By Karen Bate

STAR eventers shone at Somerley Park near Ringwood, as they took part in the two-day annual horse trials on Wednesday and Thursday.

The public had a peek at some of the potential 2012 Olympians in the premier opening round of The Mitsubishi Motors Stately Homes Challenge.

Now in its 13th year, the first International event of the season attracts top competitors from more than 14 nations, as well as amateur riders putting the next generation of eventers though their paces.

Thousands of people travelled from around the country to watch Zara Phillips' campaign to take Toytown to Badminton in a superb spectator spectacle.

The grounds of the home of the 6th Earl of Normanton buzzed as Toytown cleared the first hurdle with a trouble-free run and a runners-up performance to Pippa Funnell and Mirage D’Elle in the open intermediate class.

The horse trials combine obedience and accuracy of dressage with the daring of cross-country and the intense excitement of show jumping in a three-part test - an equine version of the pentathlon in athletics.

Five such two-day trials combine to form The Mitsubishi Motors Stately Homes Challenge, a series where riders of intermediate horses can accumulate points in an attempt to win the £5,000 cash prize.

While paparazzi lenses were on Toytown, the eventing connoisseurs continued to monitor the progress at intermediate level of Silver Lining V, a seven-year-old grey Celano whom many believe is Phillips’ principal hope for London 2012.

Organiser Suzie Cottrill said: “It has certainly been our lucky 13th year and the conditions have been perfect. The entire British team has been represented here over the last two days.

“We had about 1,000 members of the public here yesterday.”