(story courtesy of our friends at the Badminton Horse Trials Press Office; photo courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors /Kit Houghton--Thanks!)
3 MAY 2006--LUCY DIAMOND is a busy lady. Not only is she one of 25 first-time riders at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials****, she is also one of just five British owner-riders, has a trade stand here with her husband, the farrier BILLY CROTHERS, and is also a working mother with a two-year-old child.
And she has achieved her life-long ambition of riding at Badminton with her first horse. “I hadn’t even been eventing when I bought him and eventing is still just a hobby,” said Lucy, from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire.
Lucy has aspired to compete at Badminton since she first came to the event as a child. “It’s been a ‘pie in the sky’ dream and it’s fantastic to be here – I have to keep pinching myself.” Her partner the big, brown, good-looking gelding Carousel was acquired as a five-year-old through Owen Moore and was originally bought out of Ireland from Goresbridge Sales by eventer and dealer Vere Phillipps. The 15-year-old Carousel known as Sooty, is believed to be by the great Irish sire Cavalier. “He is an amazing horse and really honest. How many people get to Badminton with their first horse?” says Lucy.
Lucy is married to the four-times world champion farrier Billy Crothers, winner of the prize here last year for the ‘best shod horse’. Billy and Lucy run their own company ‘HANDMADE SHOES’ selling English concave steel horse shoes.
For this weekend however Lucy will allow herself the luxury of concentrating on the job in hand. “The course lets you in nicely but there are plenty of big questions out there. I would love to produce a clear round, that would be incredible”.
HOOFCARE & LAMENESS POST SCRIPT: Lucy finished Badminton on her first try! Amazing! She ended up in 47th place; only 53 horses out of the original 97 were able to finish. Badminton is widely regarded as the world’s toughest three-day event. Just qualifying for Badminton is a great achievement but to finish is divine! Well done, Lucy!
By the way, 2005 World Champion James Blurton won the Best Shod Horse Award this year with Regulus, ridden by Polly Stockton.
To learn more about Badminton Horse Trials, visit http://www.badminton-horse.co.uk
Text and photos © 2006 Hoofcare Publishing. Text and photos posted on “The HoofBlog”, a casual news source for subscribers and friends of Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science. Learn more (and subscribe online using our secure server) at http://www.hoofcare.com or write to Hoofcare Publishing, 19 Harbor Loop, Gloucester MA 01930 USA. Tel USA 978 281 3222; Fax 978 283 8775, or email hoofblog@hoofcare.com
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