Two of NZ’s best in town

Brooke Edgecombe and Maurice Beatson with horse Gold Locks are in town for the Equestrian Champs this weekend. They have brought through two of their younger horses for the competition.Picture by Paul Rickard

Two of New Zealand’s top showjumpers are in town for the Larsen Sawmilling Equestrian Champs, but they’ve not brought their top horses.

Instead, Olympian Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) and FEI World Cup (NZ League) Series winner Brooke Edgecombe (Waipukurau) have brought younger horses as they prepare to head to the United States in two weeks.

Both are long-time competitors at Gisborne shows and while Beatson has left Central Park at home and Edgecombe has relegated LT Host Andrea to the stable, they’re huge fans of the event.

Both horses will be on a plane taking the long route to Chicago — going by way of Sydney and Anchorage — before three days in quarantine and the 18-hour truck ride to Ocala in

Florida.

Both riders are hoping to make the New Zealand team for the top-ranked Nations Cup competition in Wellington, Florida.

Beatson is no stranger to competing in the United States but it’s been a while — 14 years to be precise. He’s taking his top horse to the States to sell.

He and partner Sally Clark, who won an individual silver medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, will be based with fellow Kiwi Olympian Sharn Wordley, with the horse across the road with Australian Michelle Lang-McMahon.

“It’s good having that experience in the States, so it is not so much unknown for us,” Beatson said. “We’ve been waiting three months to get a flight to the States, so it is exciting to finally have a date. It is going to be a lot of fun.”

While the Nations Cup is a big first-up goal, Beatson says a lot will depend on how the horses travel.

“It will be tough up there. There are a lot of top competitors, including some from Australia and Europe as well as the Americans, but it will be good to see how Central Park stacks up.”

While Central Park is missing from the Gisborne show, Beatson has Central Edition — the son of Central Park — in the ring, along with Gold Locks and a few other young ones. He and Gold Locks won the open horse 1.2m yesterday morning.

When Edgecombe won the New Zealand FEI World Cup Series, she earned the right to contest the world final in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in April, but instead she opted for the States.

“The World Cup final is held indoors, which is always tough for us Kiwis given we don’t do a lot of that here, and Andrea would have had to fly to Europe before going to Saudi and then straight back to Europe . . . all that for just one show,” Edgecombe said.

“Our trip to the States will give us some good all-round experience at different shows. There are shows most weeks within easy reach. There is good prize money to be won and it is easier to get into the big shows.”

There, she will be based with fellow Kiwi showjumper Kimberley Bird.

“This seems like the next logical step after our Australian competitions,” Edgecombe said.

“I have thought about it for a couple of years so it is exciting for it to be happening.”

Husband Oliver will hold the fort at home, helped by their young daughter Sophie, while Edgecombe is away for a couple of months.

“I want to see how she goes and am open to whatever the trip brings really,” Edgecombe said.

“We will be jumping at nice venues and I am so looking forward to different course designers and gear and experiencing those different events.”

Andrea is generally a good traveller and Edgecombe is hopeful the consistent mare will just pick up where she left off.

Edgecombe and 14-year-old Andrea will also be missing the Land Rover Horse of the Year Show in March, where they would have defended their Olympic Cup crown as Showjumper of the Year.

“It is a shame but Andrea has limited time and she has won that, so onwards to new horizons,” Edgecombe said.

She is competing on Inca NZPH and Firenze de Rouet at the Gisborne champs.

“It is quite odd being here with just the babies and not competing in the Grand Prix,” she said.

It’s been a happy hunting for Edgecombe in the past.

“It’s a great show here — we like everything about it.”