When my incredibly talented former student, Rosalie Francisci, invited me to watch her competing in the FFE Grand National Dressage in Mâcon -Chaintré, France, this weekend, I couldn’t wait to go. I’ve loved horses since my days of cantering around the primary school playground on an imaginary pony, and still treasure the rosettes I won later (N.B. On a real horse). However, attending an event of this level was an entirely new experience, and I’m grateful to Rosalie, and to her sister, Biana, who showjumps, for being such lovely hosts to me despite all the pressures of the weekend, and letting me be a part of all the behind-the-scenes action.
This was the first time Rosalie was competing on her stunning Hanoverian mare, Black Pearl, and the two made a beautiful partnership. Of all the equestrian disciplines, it is dressage that most fills me with wonder: at the apparent effortlessness of the astonishingly graceful, balletic steps and movements, and in marvelling at how humans knew that horses would be capable of dancing with such delicacy - and then having the patience, understanding and skill to evoke this. It was a privilege to be able to watch such beautiful riders and their incredible horses in a truly special setting - and even better that I got to make friends with some of the horses back at the stables through the giving of some carrots! It was good to see that elegant dressage horses are just as appreciative of a tasty carrot as my old pony, Bunny, was…
A final highlight of the weekend was my before and after dinner walks along the bank of the river Saône, first at sunset, and then in the moonlight, with the lights from the buildings on the opposite bank and from the Pont Saint-Laurent (one of the few bridges in this region that was not destroyed in the Second World War) gleaming on the water.
