17/08/2026
While it seemed most of Australia were heading to Aachen, I went away to the NAF Hartpury international horse trials in Gloucestershire. In scenes far more reminiscent of an Australian summer I spent 10 days working on the ground with a great team to make the going as good as possible. 12-16 hour days were normal, including overnight to try and over come a desperately dry summer spell in England which included temperatures reaching into the high 30’s only 48 hours before the cross country ran. With 4 massive bowsers and 4 dedicated drivers, an agrivator, an aerovator, a lake with significant pumping rights and the full support of Hartpury College and University to basically do whatever it took to make the ground as good as we could, I think it’s fair to say we exceeded expectations and produced going that was as good as there has been in the UK in the last 2-3 months. We didn’t quite make it green as well, it should be looking amazing in a weeks time! Thankyou everyone who was part of the team to make it happen so the horses could compete at their best.
