Bramham Horse Trials: The heart-warming stories of Yorkshire riders overcoming the odds at Bramham

Take Christopher Whittle, from Stamford Bridge, who partnered Tremadon to 66th place in the four-star short section.

It was an achievement just to be competing after the adversity the 11-year-old had overcome to reach this, his four-star debut.

Whittle, showing me the massive scar on in the inside of Tremadon’s leg, explained: “He had an accident in which he staked a fence pole.

“It caused serious damage to the muscle, and I was not able to compete him for two years.”

“I was really pleased. I knew he was a little green, but he finished the cross country [the last phase of the short section] stronger than he started,” said Whittle on their completion.

Whittle, who is coached by Northallerton’s former Olympian Nicola Wilson, has been eventing for 20 years and Tremadon is the fourth horse he has produced to four-star level.

Another such story involved Leeds-born Laura Birley who finished in 63rd place on Bob Cotton Bandit.

Birley, who used to live in Wharfedale, now operates from a livery in Belfast with just one horse, the 17-year-old veteran.

The pair have been together for 10 years and last year competed at five-star for the first time competing overseas at Luhmuhlen, Germany, and Pau, France.

Olympic gold medallist Tom McEwen and Quintos, a horse owned by Middleham’s Deirdrie Johnston, wife of renowned racehorse trainer Mark, and which he inherited from Nicola Wilson after her career-ending fall at Badminton in 2022, were 10th.

Catterick-raised Katie Magee, after her triumphant debut at Badminton where he finished 11th, and her rising star Agadir Gano finished 29th.

There were also completions for the following Yorkshire riders in the short section: 29th, Lucy Sugden (Zorro B); 46th, Sara Bowe (Rinwood MJ) and 63rd, Lizzie Walker (KEC Landstriker).

Incorporated into the short section was the U25 championship, which was won by Tom Woodward and Low Moor Lucky, bred in North Yorkshire by Richard Dennis, which was placed 11th overall.

The short section was won by Cheshire-based Yasmin Ingham and the French bred nine-year-old gelding Gypsie Du Loir as she completed a double after previously being crowned U25 champion at Bramham.

It was the most thrilling of victories as Ingham triumphed by just 0.1 point from France’s AstlierNicolas and Alertamalib’or. And a further 0.5 point behind in third place was France’s Sebastian Cavaillon and Elipso De La Vigne.

At 3,860 metres (6min 47 sec), the short course cross country is a test to see if horses are ready to tackle the long format which at Bramham was 5,725m (10min 3sec).

The long format was won by Suffolk-based Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time who galloped off with the £6,000 first prize.

It was a triumph for Upton, 26, who in August 2023 had a potentially career-ending fall while schooling a horse.

Upton broke several vertebrae in her back which required a seven-hour operation, and was told there was a chance she may never walk again.

The overnight leader, Upton and Its Cooley Time were last in the showjumping and could afford to knock one fence down, but had an imperious clear with their victory never in any doubt.

There was a British 1-2-3 as runner-up was Caroline Harris (Cooley Mosstown) while third place went to Tom Jackson (Hawk Eye).

Richmond’s Holly Richardson and Ballyneety Silver Service were the highest-placed Yorkshire pair in 20th.

It was a disappointing finish as they were placed eighth after the cross country, but they had two showjumping fences down which proved costly.

Huddersfield-raised Oliver Townend and his new catch Dromgurrihy Gold were 25th. The nine-year-old was previously ridden by New Zealand husband-and-wife Tim and Jonelle Price.

Townend was placed 39 th after the dressage but was clear over cross country to climb to 21st only to slip back again and having three showjumping fences down and 1.2-time penalties.

McEwen and Cecelia Cobra, another of Nicola Wilson’s former horses and owned by Yorkshire’s James and Jo Lambert, was placed 33rd.

And Casallia S, ridden by Australia’s Sarah Clark into 36th place is a horse previously by Yorkshire’s Nicola Wilson and Kristina Hall-Jackson.