Laura Tomlinson: ‘I couldn't have been prouder – although I did make a faux pas’

Laura Tomlinson on her terrific end to the season, the stewarding at the national championships – and making a HOYS faux pas

Since my last column, I’ve had a fabulous time at the National Championships with success on my two home-bred eight-year-olds and my 10-year-old upcoming grand prix horse. I also had a third home-bred there for one of my masterclass days. It felt wonderful to showcase horses that have been raised in our system from the start.

The youngest, in the Saturday masterclass, impressed me the most. Having never been in a situation like that before, he was so honest and focused.

The nationals at Somerford Park were well organised and a pleasure to compete at. It was clear that the stewards had been tasked with managing the warm-up and general exercise arenas with far keener eyes than riders are accustomed to.

There will always be some grey areas where a rider may be reprimanded when attempting to deal with a tricky, tense horse. Still, at the end of the day, we have to start somewhere and if the dialogue remains respectful, surely it is worth having to allow for a better future in the sport. I felt this was well achieved at the nationals with stewards who were dedicated to doing a good job.

I was one of the riders who was interviewed by a journalist from The Times ahead of his recent piece on the state of the sport. It was lovely to hear him say that over the course of his time at the championship he had not seen one thing that had concerned him. Indeed, he had seen only positive images and examples of lovely partnerships and riders who clearly cared a lot for their steeds, regardless of whether they’d had a good or disappointing round.

HOYS delight

After the nationals it was time for a bit of bedding back into term time. With three children returning to school and one going back to nursery, I can say that life has started to feel a little more my own again – at least between the hours of 9am to 3pm.

I then skived off last Thursday, breaking my 10-year-old daughter Annalisa out of school to accompany me to Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). I haven’t been for a good few years and Annalisa has never been. She was delighted to watch so many very smart ponies of different shapes and sizes with an array of hairstyles.

Her highlight was watching the mounted games and the speed at which the children can bounce on and off while the crowd cheers. However, my highlight was winning the Dressage Future Elite Championship on our home-bred Forest Hill.

Although Full Moon was furious to be left behind, we had decided that Forest was the man for the job. His temperament better suits the need to go straight into a freestyle in such an atmosphere with little chance to familiarise, and a very tricky warm-up arena.

He took it all in his stride, including the prize-giving and I could not have been prouder of him. My good friend Jay Halim did alert me to the fact that I made a major HOYS faux pas when in my final lap of honour I didn’t go down the centre line through the pillars for the iconic spotlight moment! Oops, who knew that was a thing!?

Moony needn’t fear though, he and Bon Royal are now en route to a CDI in the Netherlands for Bonnie’s first international and hopefully one of Full Moon’s last small tour appearances.

It has been a slow season for me but the past couple of months have made the work and the wait start to feel worthwhile. With the winter to consolidate, maybe 2025 will bring more excitement for our yard.

● Have you noticed a shift in warm-up arena stewarding? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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