New ride for Scottish rider Scott Brash
Tuesday 20 December 2011
Stalwart British owners Lord and Lady Harris and Lord and Lady Kirkham have purchased a new horse for Scottish rider Scott Brash, with next years Olympics in mind.
Scott, 26, based in Peebles is the number one showjumper in Scotland. He was a member of the British Team at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky last year and now has Olympic selection firmly in his sights.
The deal came about thanks in part to David Broome, who went with Scott to try the new horse.
"David has had a lot to do with it in terms of identifying the horse, and I think he has picked a very good one.” Said Scott
Sanctos Van Het Gravenhof is a nine-year-old bay gelding, acquired from the Ukraine earlier this month.
The Belgian bred gelding by Quasimodo van de Molendreet has not competed since finishing fourth in the Barcelona Grand Prix almost three months ago, having performed well at the prestigious Aachen show earlier this year with Ukranian rider Katharina Offel.
He will shortly head to America and the Florida circuit, where Brash has events lined up for him and his other main Olympic hope Intertoy Z.
"I am very excited about it," said Scott.
"The horse didn't put a foot wrong when I tried him in Germany. He hadn't jumped for a while, but he felt fantastic.
"The plan is that he will go to America and we will work away quietly, and then hopefully by the end of the tour out there he will be jumping some big classes.
"The Olympics are in everyone's thoughts at the moment, and there are a lot of good horses coming through.
"It is about continuing to work hard and hoping you are doing the right things."
The latest addition to Britain's horsepower potential for London has been welcomed by World Class Showjumping Performance Manager Rob Hoekstra.
"It is a horse that has proved himself at a very high level," said Rob.
"And it is certainly very encouraging for the team."
