Gill Davison and her own Alfranco, 2005 Negro gelding, finished 3rd in Wednesday’s 3* Grand Prix at Bolesworth International Horse Show on 70.38%. Carl Hester won the class with Barolo.
Today is a very sad day for us all at Combridge. It was time to say goodbye to our wonderful mare Ballaseyr Royale. She was 27 years old and, although she looked very well, old-age had recently started to take its toll.
Royale represented Great Britain at Olympic, World and European Championships and at the World Cup Finals. She also became the British National Champion. She finished her competitive career shortly after the Athens Olympics and retired completely sound. For the following eleven years she enjoyed a happy life here on the farm overseeing everything through her big kind eyes and with her huge ears always pricked forward. She is the mother of my current grand prix ride Bubblingh (by Lingh) and she herself was related to Blue Hors Matine and Matador.
I know I am not the only one to shed tears at her passing as Royale held a special place in the hearts of all our staff both past and present. I would like to thank all of them and everyone else who contributed to Royale’s care including our travelling grooms, vets, farrier, physio, Louise Morton and all of the support team within Team GBR and the UK Sport World Class Programme.
But I will always be most indebted to Royale’s owner, our loyal supporter and friend Gwendolyn Sontheim, for granting me the privilege of riding Royale and entrusting her care to me.
Royale’s story is not only that of an extraordinary and wonderful horse, but also of an on-going journey that united so many special people. This was part of her legacy; this was her gift.
Richard
It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Davison Equestrian and Equitop Myoplast are working in partnership. We have been using the unique amino acid supplement for many years now including for Richard’s London Olympic ride, Artmemis. The blend of amino acids in Equitop Myoplast supports lean muscle growth, helping our dressage and jumping horses to respond and cope with the demands associating with training and competing from a young age right up to Olympic level.
Tino wins the Intermediare A at Top Iberian’s Oliva Nova Cdi 3star. This makes three wins out of three starts under Team Harmony rider Richard Davison.
Richard said of his test today…
“Tino and I had a couple of slight miscommunications today but they were of no consequence. These tests are very choppy to ride and don’t make sense from a training point of view – so they are quite a challenge in some respects. Tino will soon be ready to start in Grand Prix but at least these are a good opportunity for us to get know each other in the competition environment and I am very happy how it’s going.”
