Services Team Jumping (from HCMR)
Royal Windsor Horse Show (RWHS) across the services is the highlight of our equestrian competitive calendar, with a large field made up of all of the services, both national and in recent years international with the addition of the Bahrain Defence Force show jumping team.
The competition kicked off on the Saturday morning of RWHS with an early morning course walk in the Castle Arena. As riders where programming the course of fences into their grey matter Tom Tom sat navs, normal pleasantry’s were being exchanged between fences with fellow equestrian enthusiasts from the other services.
The first horse blazed through the start gates 0700hrs and the competition was underway. With all levels of competitive experience taking part in the class, there where highs and lows for all teams involved. As quickly as the clear rounds accumulated for some teams, so for other teams did the rolled poles and faults. With the collecting ring stewards as always trying to rattle through the large amount of entries to stay on schedule, the collecting ring was like the approach to the first fence at Aintree in the Grand National, with everyone trying to get the best line and position to the 2 practice fences. With a 4 fault round from one rolled pole by CoH Lacey and his young horse Nudger, followed by a clear round from LCpl Watkins and an 8 fault round from Tpr Martin leaving the team on a total of 12 faults. This left the LG team sitting in 3rd place moving into the jump off in the afternoon.
After what seemed like a long mornings competition that had passed almost in the blink of an eye, the rankings where set in stone in preparation for the jump off between the 12 tops teams in the afternoon. Within those now was the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment Life Guard (HCMR LG) team, comprising of CoH Carl Lacey riding his competition horse Nudger, LCpl Owen Watkins riding Hagrid and Tpr Daniel Martin riding Indigo.
After a brief team chat it was decided that LCpl Watkins would jump off for the HCMR LG team having the most experienced horse. As the parade of teams went off with its normal slick organisation form the RWHS stewarding team, the time was upon the chosen member of the top 12 teams to jump off against the clock. After a brief course walk there was time for a couple of practice fences then onto the meat of the afternoon’s competition. With an unfortunate elimination for LCpl Watkins at the 4th fence, it saw the HCMR LG team move swiftly from 3rd place in the ranking to 12th place, all was far from lost at this point however, as LCpl Watkins exited the arena slightly dejected the team captain CoH Lacey was delivered some outstanding news from the RWHS stewards, and the HCMR LG team had still despite the LCpl Watkins’ early exit from the jump off, been awarded the honour of being the highest placed mounted unit team in The Land Rover Services Team Jumping.
The day ended with a personal introduction for the HCMR LG team men and horses to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with large congratulations for them, and of course the silver ware in the shape of 3 silver plates and the perpetual Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. The highlight of the teams day was rounded off with 2 laps of honour around the Castle arena in front of HRH and by then a large crowd in the grandstands.
Tent Pegging and SLR
Tent pegging and Sword, Lance and Revolver is historically one of the most challenging equine sports which derives its background from days when horse power was the militaries primary transport method. It couples together masterful horsemanship and unnerving accuracy with a lance at full gallop. To undergo this test of steadiness of man and horse, 2 teams were put forward from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) made up of a range of ranks and experience.
The competition was fierce with both military teams and civilian team from the British Tent Pegging Association. With the civilian teams comprising of the current British Champion Sara King, the odds where partially stacked against the HCMR team.
With our daunting and robust Cavalry mounts and a limited time of practice prior to the show, it took courage and bravado which the members of the HCMR team hold in bucket loads to enter the arena and challenge the British Champion. With each run many a peg fell to the lance, from strikes and carries. With precise and slick drills both of the HCMR teams held there own showing true muster and skill.
Such was the grandeur and shear determination of the HCMR teams efforts that both teams placed 5th and 6th consecutively, thus over taking in points difference some of the more experienced and practiced civilian and military teams.
LCpl Harvey was placed 4th individually in the competition; this also nudged him clearly into the place of the highest ranking military competitor. The teams tenuous abilities where well reward from what had been little practice and time to perfect their skills and drills with a bountiful quantity of rosettes, and that feeling of pride and accomplishment as military competitors in an historically military discipline.
The success of the teams has given a renewed boost and lease of life to tent pegging and SLR within the regiment, which should bring us to the next competition better prepared and skills and drills honed to perfection.
