Great Britain’s youngest team rider Joe Stockdale and the 11-year-old mare Equine America Cacharel have posted a great round in Friday’s team final of the Agria FEI World Showjumping Championships, just adding four faults to the team score.
The pair looked confident as they attacked Louis Konickx’s tricky track in determined style, just succumbing to the second part of the oxer-oxer double at fence nine in an otherwise foot-perfect performance, and neatly inside the time allowed.
Joe had to bounce back from a disappointing 12-fault round on Thursday, which put him out of contention in the individual World Showjumping Championships results.
“I was laying in bed and replaying that one mistake in my head over and over. I didn’t sleep at all last night,” revealed Joe. “So yeah, it was a tough day yesterday. It was nice to come back today and sort of put it right, nearly.”
Joe said he hadn’t done much differently with the mare, but he adjusted his own preparations after yesterday.
“It was a long competition yesterday and I maybe watched a few too many horses and just started to over-analyse the course and my plan a bit,” he reflected. “So today I walked the course twice, made my plan, sat and watched first few go and then I actually didn’t watch anymore and I really stuck to that plan.
“I think yesterday I was trying so hard to make it perfect, that’s what sort of caused my mistake – this is not really the place to do that.”
Talking about Equine America Cacharel, who the Stockdale family have owned since she was a three-year-old, Joe said: “I’m so proud of her. She was all over it today. And you know, she jumped good enough yesterday – it was only my error that caused those few fences so actually the whole week she’s jumped far better than the scores will look. But certainly, I’ve learnt a lot again at this championship. It would have been nice to put in a clear today, but we weren’t far away.”
Reflecting on Friday’s course, which has provided plenty of drama, Joe said: “There have been fences falling all round the course. So I think it was one of those that snuck up on you a bit and it is maybe a little bit more difficult than you thought at the start. But it’s fantastic course-building.”
Joe has also been bolstered by his team-mates.
“The guys on the team have been amazing,” said Joe. “I was really kicking myself last night and I didn’t want to let them down. Having that result yesterday wasn’t what I came here to do. So they were very good to me – they’ve supported me all day. William Funell was here training me as well. He’s been by my side the whole time.”
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