The Story of the Caspian Horse at HOYS 2017

Well – we did it! Here’s how the year of HOYS unfolded!

At the AGM of 2016, our Vice President Liz Mansfield- Parnell made a suggestion which seemed so unlikely to happen that it was hard at first to take it seriously. As a long-time friend of the Horse of the Year Show’s owner, she would suggest to him that he should invite the Caspian Horse Society to stage a display at the 2017 Show. With so few Caspians being ridden at the time, it was hard to imagine that we could possibly get there, especially as at first the intention was to put together two teams of polo ponies and stage a match in the international arena to demonstrate how suitable the Caspian could be for Children’s Polo. The idea of Mounted Archery was also bandied around. Both were prospects guaranteed to cause us many sleepless nights and they duly did so over the next few months!

The Presentation

Yet the idea didn’t go away. Liz M-P and Farokh Khorooshi, our film-maker council member, met the HOYS chieftains soon afterwards with a convincing presentation based on the beautiful photographs taken by Colin Barker for the 50th Anniversary Calendar. HOYS were impressed. Luckily they remained keen even when the polo and archery ideas were dropped due to the logistics and expense of training enough Caspians and riders to do them well. At this stage, our President, Jane Holderness-Roddam, was asked if she would be willing to select and train enough pure and part-bred Caspians to give an interesting display in the eighteen months available. She kindly agreed to do it, while Farokh was tasked with designing a display which would rely on Jane’s assessment of the horses and riders available and their capabilities. My role was to be ‘timekeeper’, making sure they arrived in the arena on time. The HOYS show committee was being formed – Liz M-P, Jane H-R, Farokh,Janet Dedicoat and me. In addition to the arena displays, to be staged daily during HOYS week and twice a day at the weekend, we were also expected to plan and staff two stands, one displaying a live Caspian. Ruth Staines and I were given responsibility for this.

The First Selection

It was decided to stage a series of ‘vignettes’ demonstrating the Caspian’s wide range of abilities. First selections took place at Solihull Riding Club on a cold, rainy day last November – when the potential team huddling together forwarmth and moral support in one corner had to be largely imagined! Liz M-P and Jane made a preliminary choice of 12 horses and riders, who were asked to improve their riding and school-work during the winter. Addington was booked the following May, to see what the chosen riders and horses could do and to check timings and reactions to loud recorded crowd noise. There was no reaction at all, which was reassuring!

Rehearsal and Approval by HOYS

A group rehearsal was next, held at Farokh’s Buckinghamshire home on 24th July in front of senior members of the HOYS committee, to check that the display would meet HOYS’ standards. By this time other horses had been added to the team. The display was starting to gel and confidence was building. Luckily the visitors thought the show was ‘absolutely charming’, so the HOYS display was definitely on!

Throughout the summer, Jane, Liz M-P and Farokh visited all owners, watching horses and riders in training and suggesting ways to adapt their schooling to Farokh’s ideas for the display. Since our ‘players’ would come from several parts of the country, mass rehearsals would be expensive, so these visits were essential. A last rehearsal of some of the horses and riders and Team Khoja was held with Jane and Farokh at Badminton in mid-September. The music and all-important timing of entries was finalised three weeks before the show and sent to all participants to practice their entrances and moves until they knew them by heart.

Security Requirements

During all this horsy action, I was dealing with the administrative and security implications of sending a deputation of more than fifty people and a now enlarged team of 18 horses to such a vast and important event.

Helped by Farokh and Jane, stabling and hotel accommodation were confirmed and families and friends grouped for shared rooms. Details of all personnel and vehicles had to be notified to HOYS for security accreditation and (most of) the required security passes were obtained and posted on to performers and stand personnel in the nick of time. Hotel accommodation did not prove to be a problem, but because the team had expanded from the original number agreed with HOYS, our quotas of wristlet passes, meal vouchers and complimentary tickets proved to be strictly limited and had to be shared between everybody.

Sponsors

Sponsors had to be found - and we were extremely grateful to the members who did so. Our sponsors were thanked in a Display Programme written by Farokh and I. This was typeset and beautifully produced by the company who printed the Anniversary Calendar and Programmes were given out by the hundred at the CHS stands to ensure plenty of ‘bums on seats’! Printed sweatshirts for performers, display and stand helpers were organised and collected. As the day fast approached and the pressure built, I had to pass responsibility for the design and staffing of the stands to Ruth, so that I could concentrate on the display – but not before I had wrestled for weeks with the stand staffing rotas! By the time the wretched things had been redrafted six times, I was only too glad see the back of them!

Last Minute Preparations

Ruth kindly and ably took on the whole task of designing the stands. She and her husband Rod supplied laminated photographs and stand features as well as making last minute adjustments to the ever-changing rota. Ruth and I spent the Sunday before the show at Farokh’s house, where we sorted and wrapped correspondence cards and posters for sale, before loading everything into Farokh’s hired van and driving to HOYS next day. There we had to wait nearly two hours before we were allowed to park and unload everything into the Retail Hall, before using our last reserves of strength to find our hotel. (One thing you really need at HOYS is a strong pair of legs!) Poor Ruth had to set up both stands alone the following day because we were fully occupied with four rehearsals! Farokh was in charge of the technical side of the display as well as its design and he did a fine job. Despite sending HOYS technicians everything they requested, he discovered on arrival that nothing had been done, so that had to be quickly sorted out in time for the rehearsals. Our display was to start with a short video of the origins and history of the Caspian, shown on a four-sided screen above the arena, setting the scene for the display. This was voiced beforehand by the popular TV star Martin Clunes, the second time he has kindly done this for us.

Our Arrival and First Look at the Arena

On arrival at HOYS two days before the show opened, the Caspians were housed in the Display stabling, about a 10 minute walk from the Collecting Ring within its two huge marquees. Smart navy blue rugs donated by Weatherbeeta Rugs and embroidered in red with ‘Caspians at HOYS 2017’ were revealed, thanks to Olwen Law. Jo Mason had kindly donated a smart red head collar and rope to match for each horse. The horses looked a picture as we made our way down the Horse Walk at midday for the ‘Arena Familiarisation’ session in the Genting Arena. Although one or two of them boggled a little at the sight at first, there were no real objections, to our relief.

Our first rehearsal later that afternoon was a slightly rough-edged affair, but we were learning fast what would work in such highly unusual circumstances, so this was to be expected. The following day, we had no less than four rehearsals, running through the display several times before we worked out how long it took the horses to get from behind the curtain and into the arena as their music started.

The Dress Rehearsal

The all-important Dress Rehearsal on Tuesday evening went really well and an exhilarated and relieved team relaxed slightly for the first time in weeks. We were much indebted to HOYS’ display co-ordinator, Betty Peacock, a charming lady who was responsible for the finely-timed entry of each ‘act’. Assisted by Liz Webster and her stopwatch, Betty was in charge of the all-important raising of the great curtains!

All too soon it was Wednesday – our first performance before an audience. Our display team gathered once more in the Collecting Ring and lined up in the ‘Tunnel’ awaiting Betty’s ‘Stand-by!’ and then ‘GO!’ seconds later. I must also commend the HOYS commentators, who coped with no less than six redrafts as we honed the commentary and corrected mispronounced names during the week! They provided just the right tone for the display.

‘On Stage’ at Last!

Jess Lee, riding Fleur Morfoot’s stallion Henden Troy, wore a stunning costume made especially for her in the Gilan province of Northern Iran, where Louise found most of her Caspians in the 1960s. Rebecca Mann long-reined her two smart bay mares Edcombe Cassima and Edcombe Lyla, who worked very well together. She was followed by a group of children, led by Millie Bowler (6) on the stallion Bytham Justin Time, led by her mum Penny Walster, then Annie Mason (6), riding side-saddle on the part-Welsh mare Bytham Abigail and led by her mum, Jo. Then came Arijana Goff (6) on Runnymede Meteor, led by her mother Ellie.

Next was Zara Clarke (8), riding the gelding Costessa Feysul (aka ‘Monkey’). Representing Riding for the Disabled was 4 year old Anna Horsfall, riding the part-Welsh mare, Bytham Lucy Locket, led by Molly Dear and supported by Zoe Basford and Charlotte Archer-Goode.

Following these were two ‘polo ponies’ – their riders equipped with ‘Jorrocks’-sized polo mallets, helmets and polo shirts kindly loaned by Jane‘s local Pony Club Polo Team. Chloe Wheeler rode the dark bay gelding Bytham Churchill (aka ‘Casper’) and Jess Rivers rode the bay gelding Bytham Swallow. The Monach Farm Riding School, near Huntingdon, provided several of the horses and riders, thanks to Dreda and Emily Randall.

The handsome – and still distinctly young at heart - Runnymede Felfel, now 26 years old, was led in by Vicky Leggett to show the use of Caspian stallions for breeding. He should have been followed by Janet Dedicoat’s two lovely young stallions Henden Shakir and Henden Saeed, but their papers were stolen from Janet’s horsebox and the box vandalised, just before the show, (which has to be the foulest deed ever), so, very sadly, we had to do without them. Their place was taken by Millie on Justin (Felfel’s son), with Jess and Troy following. They made a lovely group, but we felt very sorry indeed for Janet and her leaders, Paul Boswell and Lloyd Cleverly, who missed out through no fault of their own.

After the stallions came Darkhorse Inshallah, a 16 year old grey gelding ridden by Lizzie Sales (12), who regularly takes part in Endurance events. With Edcombe Aladdin and Maya Clements (7), they showed the use of Caspians in this sport.

Two Newcomers wow the crowds!

The lovely Caspian x 3⁄4 Arabian half-brothers, geldings Darkhorse Danzig and D.El Azar, were ridden by Lauren Firth and Charley Thornton, who dashingly demonstrated Mounted Games by flag collecting, bending and re-mounting at a gallop. Both horses are getting on in years but are as lively as ever and it was good to make the acquaintance of their riders and families, now new CHS members. Charley’s father, Geoff Thornton, hilariously took Zar’s place on Thursday when Charley had to dash back to Leeds University to take an exam. What a good sport he is! Geoff, Phil and Jackie Kinsey were in charge of polo balls and mounted games props, and did a very good job.

To finish our display with true élan, we had the little chestnut star, Kineton Khoja and his team, to represent Horse Driving Trials. He was driven by 19 year old Amelia Waddicor, with her loyal backstepper, Morag Patrick. Amelia’s mother Nichola usually can’t bear to watch them but forced herself one afternoon and still lived to tell the tale! Khoja did an amazing job weaving in and out of the pillars in the huge arena and even managing to trot in exact time with the music! Like the rest of the team, he remained cool and calm despite the unprecedented noise and lights – to everyone’s considerable relief. It had been this aspect which had worried us most, but their amazing temperament was particularly evident during the Grand Finale, when the pop concert atmosphere involving the Red Hot Chilli Peppers at full blast produced such deafening noise in the arena. This and the startling strobe lighting terrified all the horses in the arena except the three Caspians! Liz M-P’s groom Amy Mahon had made ear muffles for all the horses, but these were hardly used.

Our exhibition stands

Notwithstanding the display, two CHS exhibition stands in the Retail Village had to be staffed at all times. Here our members really came up trumps. Following the duty rota, members and friends came from far and wide to help us to man the stands and look after the exhibit horse. Bytham Swallow usually took the morning slot here before becoming a ‘polo pony’, while Edcombe Amethyst took the afternoon and evening shifts. Swallow in particular was happy to receive hugs and pats from an adoring young public.

How did we get so lucky?

Our Vice-President Liz Mansfield-Parnell, who first thought of the idea which seemed so unlikely to happen, deserves huge praise for her unwavering faith in us, her constant support and the many practical ways in which she helped us to stage the display. Jane Holderness Roddam earned our admiration for the tactful way she trained and managed the team, both before and during our time at HOYS and her reassuring manner whenever things grew a bit pressured. Both Liz and Jane took their turn on the stands as well. We could not want a finer President or Vice President than these two ladies.

How did we get so lucky?

Whilst the plaudits are being handed out, I should mention Farokh, whose creative side must have been truly challenged by the raw materials he was originally expected to work with. We congratulate both him and the owners and riders for going on from this low point to produce such a charming and well-received display. However, we couldn’t have managed even half of it without the parents and grooms who came to support the team, nor the people who found sponsors or helped on the stands. As well as the rugs and head collars supplied by Olwen Law and Jo Mason, the attractive sweatshirts for all who took part were supplied by Harry Hall Ltd. and Wainwrights of Dorchester. All rugs and shirts were overprinted or embroidered with ‘CASPIANS AT HOYS 2017’. In memory of my late mother Jaffa and her love of Caspians, I was happy to sponsor the ten columns featuredin the arena. As I watched the display, I thought how much Jaffa would have loved the whole experience. Farokhs’s friends Mr and Mrs Balyusi, kindly sponsored the hire of Solihull and Addington ECs for rehearsals. Liz M-P’s friend Mrs Sarah Basile sponsored the glorious costume from Gilan and Liz gave special CHS rosettes to all horses. HOYS also presented everybody with a coveted HOYS 2017 rosette with which to further impress their friends!

Caspians to the front again!

To add more glitter to the Caspians’ reputation, it was good to see the Caspian x Arabian geldings Darkhorse ‘Barney and Fred’, driven by Gareth Roberts, win their heat with a sparkling round in the Osborne Refrigerators Double Harness Scurry, eventually finishing a fast 3rd in the Finals. In a thrilling, high-speed competition. This combination has a well-deserved reputation for speed and provides yet more evidence of the Caspian’s amazing agility! By the end of the week we had given seven more or less immaculate displays and manned two stands for twelve hours a day. We had attracted much favourable comment on Facebook and inspired several magazine articles. We had impressed the record crowds that attend this hugely prestigious show and appeared several times on the HOYS Live stream on British Equestrian Sport TV. One of our young people had been interviewed for TV about her Facebook blog from HOYS and we had gained several new members. Afterwards we received the warmest congratulations and appreciation of the HOYS chiefs and several others who had enjoyed the display and wrote to say so. What more could we have done to showcase the Caspian?

Thank you HOYS for this marvellous opportunity and well done everybody concerned – especially our incredible Caspians!

Top Left - Costessa Feysul with rider Zara Clarke, Bottom Left - Bytham Justin Time, lead by Penny Walster and ridden by Millie Bowler

Right - collage of photos of Runnymede Felfel, lead by Vicky Leggett

Behind the scenes photos

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