Gemma Tattersall has taken third in the Bramham Horse Trials dressage standings for the CCI4*-L competition.
Gemma – who married Gary Stevens last week – piloted Pru Dawes’ grey Flash Cooley to a score of 28.5.
“I’m absolutely over the moon with him – to go into third place, I’m really pleased,” she said.
“He went in, he was relaxed, he did everything I asked him to do. He had a bit of a trip down the last centreline and he sort of overreacted to it, but apart from that, I couldn’t be more happy with the whole test – I thought he was really good.
“He’s still only 10 this year and it’s his first four-star long so he’s a young horse at this level. There is more to come from him in terms of strength and so on.”
Gemma took over the ride on Flash Cooley last season, because his owner Pru Dawes preferred to keep him in Britain when his former rider, US competitor Liz Halliday-Sharp, decided to base herself in the USA after some years splitting her time between the two countries.
Flash Cooley was 12th in the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim Horse Trials last year with Gemma, and recently 10th in the CCI4*-S at Chatsworth Horse Trials.
Gemma followed new leader Piggy March (Coolparks Sarco) into the arena and now sits 5.2 penalties behind her, with this morning’s performance from Izzy Taylor and Monkeying Around meaning they are currently in second, sandwiched between Piggy and Gemma.
There are just five more tests to come in this CCI4*-L class and then the final Bramham Horse Trials dressage standings for the CCI4*-L will be confirmed.
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Gemma Tattersall and Gary Stevens get married – and the Jack Russells walked up the aisle too
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