Cornbury House Horse Trials founder and president David Howden’s week came to the perfect climax when his daughter Jemima won the final CCI2*-S class of the event, which has run from 11-15 September at the Howden family home in Oxfordshire.
Jemima, 20, rode Monbeg Whisper, owned by her father, to victory, and also took third place on his Van Kaunitz.
An emotional David Howden said: “I was bursting into tears. It’s much worse watching than it is actually being on a horse! I followed Jemima’s cross-country round on my bicycle – that is why I asked our course-designer David Evans to lay the cross-country course out as it is, so that you could see as much of it as possible as a spectator – but I get really nervous watching her.
“I’m passionate about eventing, and to see Jemima riding so well and coping with being under a huge amount of pressure at her home event is amazing. I am so proud of her.”
Jemima said: “I’ve had Whisper for two seasons now, and it has been a real confidence-building journey with him. I’m so happy that it has all come together at Cornbury, because I just knew he had it in him all this time. He was mega, and he flew round today.”
She added: “Last year we had a stop across country and three fences down in the showjumping, so this is a real improvement. My amazing trainers, Laura Collett, Jay Halim and Gareth Hughes, have just all been fantastic. Laura was in the warm-up with me, walking the course with me and just really training me and helping me get that relationship with him because then horses start to trust you, you really start to build that bond and that’s when the magic happens.”
Cornbury House Horse Trials 2024 concluded with the presentation of the Leading Rider trophy – with its accompanying specially designed Pragnell pin, a magnum of Pol Roger and a cheque for £2,500 – to dual British Olympic team gold medallist Tom McEwen. Tom won three classes at Cornbury – the British Eventing Young Horse Championship for seven-year-olds, a CCI3*-S section and a national intermediate section, giving him enough points to hold off New Zealand Olympians Tim Price and Clarke Johnstone.
As well as a feast of equestrian sport, featuring many of the world’s most famous riders, Cornbury Horse Horse Trials is an innovative and exciting blend of local, sustainable food and drink from our neighbouring farms, premium hospitality, and interactive children’s activities in the stunning setting of Cornbury Park.