Minor injury puts record-breaking trip on hold

Alice Dunsdon’s quest to complete all the world’s four-star events on the same horse has been put back due to a minor injury to Fernhill Present (pictured top).

Alice had intended to take the 12-year-old to Adelaide this year to tackle the Australian four-star, but has had to change her plans.

“Fernhill Present is in controlled work as he has a slight strain behind his knee, which has meant a setback in his four-star programme,” explained Alice. “There is not enough time [to complete his fitness work] before quarantine — he would have had to go into quarantine on 25 September.”

The 28-year-old British rider, who is based in Surrey, is aiming to become the first person to finish all six four-stars on one horse.

American rider Colleen Rutledge has completed the five northern hemisphere four-stars on Shiraz, but has not done Adelaide. Before her, Mary King started at the same five events on Apache Sauce, but they did not finish at Pau.

So far, Alice and Fernhill Present have completed Pau (2011, 43rd), Burghley (2012, 48th), Luhmühlen (2013, 25th) and Kentucky (2014, 32nd), so they still have to finish at Badminton and Adelaide to collect the full set.

She will now aim the horse at the Dutch CCI3* at Boekelo this autumn and then Badminton 2015. A tilt at Adelaide is on the cards for next autumn.

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.