Sally Parkyn

KICKING off in sunshine and ending in a rain soaked hurricane, the elements did their utmost to mar the international event fixture at Camphire House last weekend. Fortunately however, and due to no small amount of determination and goodwill, the showcase event was completed fully as planned, and amazingly closed on schedule on Sunday evening.

The four day fixture had opened smoothly, and carrying a world class field, it was no surprise to see a bumper crowd of spectators stream through the gates for the first day of cross-country on Saturday. Prospects for the final day were looking equally rosy, before an overnight storm swept through the picturesque venue leaving it akin to a war zone.

Gale force winds and lashing rain had flattened not only the entire show jumping arena, but had left many trade stands and their contents reduced to piles of crumpled metal and canvas.

“When I arrived on the site in the early hours of Sunday morning, I was met by a scene of total devastation,” reflected organiser Paul Brady.

“I was dumbfounded. It was just as though a tsunami had swept through. I knew we had to run if possible – there were so many people here. Several FEI members considered cancellation, and although it was challenging, we have a good and experienced team here and in the end it all came right. Henry Symington was wonderful in Control, and it’s amazing to think that we eventually started almost on time. Sometimes, it’s good for competitors to cope with this sort of ground. It is after all an outside sport, and as we have seen before, this can often happen at a major championship.”

TOUGH ON THE RIDERS

As the rain continued to fall throughout Sunday’s final phases, the conditions in the show jumping arena progressively worsened. Much to the appreciation of riders, course designer Ann Waistell and her team tirelessly moved the fences onto better ground, while out on the cross-country, fellow designers Mike Etherington-Smith and Paul Brady tweaked the times and the distances, to allow the use of fresh terrain. “There’s no doubt, it was certainly tough on the riders,” commented Etherington-Smith afterwards. “However after the rain, we re-measured the tracks on Sunday morning and luckily we were able to add quite a bit of distance, as well as move some combinations to allow for extra strides.”

Weather aside, the event continues to raise the bar in terms of presentation and professionalism. The sun even shone for Friday’s ever popular welcome party on the lawns of Camphire House, and once again overseas visitors marvelled at the scenic setting.

As ever, the Wilks family are generous hosts in all respects, and it is hoped that their lovely park recovers in the very near future.

The immaculate cross-country track deservedly received the usual plaudits, and both Brady and Etherington-Smith revealed that they are already drawing plans to upgrade and improve for 2016.