Equestrian: Old faithful bounces out triumphantly

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Fun-loving, but gentle, world champion eventing horse seeks lovely old lady to while away their sunset years together.

If you are the one, Vaughn Jefferis is looking for you.

Jefferis and his beloved Bounce yesterday ended their rich and full competitive career together, winning the three-star individual eventing title at Puhinui.

But Jefferis does not want to see 18-year-old Bounce languishing in the paddocks now that his serious eventing days are over.

"He's not going to laze around - he's too good for that," he said. "I might give him to a lovely old lady who would like to hack him on a beautiful farm somewhere.

"But I think we'll stay together. I'll keep him in good shape, because he's such an amazing horse, and he deserves it."

It would not be easy to wrench Jefferis and Bounce apart after such a successful working relationship.

Among their victories, the pair won the 1994 world crown, anchored the New Zealand team to gold at the 1998 world championships and collected bronze in the teams event at the Atlanta Olympics.

After the disappointment of the Sydney Games, where the New Zealand team faltered around him, Jefferis decided to give Bounce one last outing, at the Auckland Airport Qantas three-day event before the horse retired.

During Saturday's cross-country, Bounce leapfrogged dressage leader Dunstan Inishturk, Bryce Newman's promising mount, but held a tenuous 0.8-point lead going into yesterday's showjumping.

Newman, the second-to-last rider into the arena, helped Bounce's chances of making a dramatic swansong by dropping a rail and suffering a time penalty.

Jefferis then pushed his horse quickly around the course, knocking down one fence and rattling the last in his haste to beat the clock.

He made it around inside the time to win the title he and Bounce had collected the year before.

As he punched the air in a final victory lap, Jefferis said he felt "hysterical."

"This is just so fitting. But it was so scary," he said. "I was more nervous than I've been before, just because this was such an important day, this was it for him [Bounce]. Maybe I'll feel sad tomorrow, but how could I now?"

It was definitely Jefferis' day yesterday. Riding a borrowed horse, Bakela, he was part of the New Zealand trio who won the international teams event and he also topped the individual scores.

"Double winner - choice!" Jefferis told team-mates Mark Todd and Dan Jocelyn afterwards.

While Todd pulled the blinds on his international eventing career yesterday, Jefferis is not ready to retire yet.

"I will still do a little bit - I'm not too old yet am I?" the 38-year-old said. "I've got my eye on another horse right now."

Another great New Zealand horse did not have such a happy ending to his competitive career. Blyth Tait's faithful Aspyring never made it to the cross-country course, Tait deciding not to risk hurting the horse which had corns on his hooves.

Then, on board Rongotai, Tait had to settle for second place in the two-star event. The former Olympic champion finished eight points behind Canterbury's Tim Price, on Desamoray, who also won the top young rider honour.