From lows to highs for Gemma Stevens at Burghley
Gemma Stevens responded impressively to a "pretty low point" in her career by producing a strong opening day performance at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials.
Sussex-based Gemma coaxed a dressage score of 29.6 from Chilli Knight that set a high bar for her 47 fellow competitors and put her among the early contenders chasing Burghley's £120,000 top prize.
After winning the CCI-S 4* at Scone Palace International in Scotland last weekend, her Burghley display provided another lift after making a cross-country exit with Flash Cooley at the FEI World Championships two weeks earlier.
The combination were unfortunately eliminated early on the course following three refusals, although the Great Britain team of Gemma, Laura Collett, Ros Canter and Tom McEwen went on to win gold.
"I have absolutely no idea what happened, none of us do," Gemma said. "The horse is 100% fine, he is full of himself, he is sound, fit and happy.
"I genuinely do not know the answer to everyone's question, and we have to try and move on. It has been really hard, I am not going to lie. It has been a pretty low point in my career.
"But it was really great to get back on last weekend at Scone and have three fantastic rides and be in the top 10 on all three of those horses. It gave me a big boost - I remembered that I could actually ride."
British riders have won Burghley five times in succession - Ros Canter (twice), Oliver Townend, Piggy March and Pippa Funnell - and Gemma has put herself firmly among the title hopefuls ahead of Saturday's cross-country phase.
Reflecting on Chilli Knight's test, she added: "I was just trying to aim to get in the 20s. You know, dressage is not Chilli Knight's forte. He can't trot, we've just done our best shuffling here.
"But the one thing he makes up for the fact that he can't trot is the fact that his heart is always trying his best. He stayed in front of my leg."