ONLY IN HORSE & HOUND
Jodie Hall McAteer weighs up the pros and cons of jumping abroad
OPINION
I WAS competing at Sentower Park in Belgium last week with seven horses, but they had the World Cup Final live stream playing in the restaurant bar so between classes, people were catching up with the action.
What an amazing result for Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward, they are an unbelievable partnership.
My top horse Salt’N Peppa has been off since the middle of last year and Sentower was his first show back. He’s just getting fit again and we’re building him up for the summer. It’s so exciting to have him back, as he’s a special one. To have that partnership again and to gel so quickly is the best feeling.
I moved back home last year, having been based in the Netherlands with my trainer Ben Schröder at BWG Stables.
It’s great being back at home although I don’t know if it’s any easier – there’s more travelling and it’s a lot more expensive. It is nice
having some cooking and cleaning done and a bit more help though! I enjoy having everyone around when I’ve been on my own a lot over the past two years.
Logistically getting to the bigger shows is more difficult and I don’t have the daily training, which I miss. Ben is still supporting me and helping manage my show schedule, though.
This week I had my sister Eleanor with me at Sentower. It makes it more fun getting to go together – when we’re getting along anyway!
It’s very civilised there, with good courses. The parking is all on concrete and they provide excellent footing, where they harrow after every 25 riders. That isn’t to say British shows aren’t comparable – I’d probably have been at Chard and Chepstow if I hadn’t been going to the Global Champions Tour in Shanghai, China, next week as the horses I’m taking are being quarantined in Valkenswaard.
It’s not ideal to have to go abroad to compete – jumping in a two-star,
