Scott Brash’s charismatic “Jezza” has such a spectacular soar that Nick Skelton stated he would have been tempted out of retirement to journey him. Jennifer Donald meets a “very particular horse” who carried Nice Britain to TEAM GOLD at Paris 2024
Scott Brash praised his “wonderful” equine associate Jefferson, who jumped clear for only one time-penalty below enormous strain to safe a gold medal for Nice Britain within the staff Olympic showjumping closing at Paris 2024 on Friday (2 August).
“A gold medal doesn’t get outdated, it’s unbelievable,” stated Scott.
Right here is the story of the unbelievable Jefferson, AKA Jezz or Jeff, who now reigns as an Olympic hero himself.
Hi there Jefferson: key information
Age: 15
Breeding: BWP by Cooper VD Heffinck out of Hovis (by Irco Mena)
Rider: Scott Brash
Breeder: Bernard Mols (Belgium)
House owners: Woman Pauline Harris and Woman Pauline Kirkham
Hi there Jefferson’s best achievements: a part of Nice Britain’s Olympic gold medal-winning staff at Paris 2024; second within the World Cup qualifier on the London Worldwide (2023); gained World Cup qualifier London Worldwide (2022); gained CSI5* grand prix of Valkenswaard (July 2021), gained CSI5* LGCT grand prix of Stockholm (June 2021), runner-up in CSI5* LGCT grand prix of Madrid (Could 2021), gained two CSI4* grands prix of Saint Tropez (August and October 2020), runner-up within the Longines worldwide grand prix of Eire, Dublin (August 2019), double clear as a part of the successful staff within the Nations Cup of Dublin (August 2019).
Rider Scott Brash says:
“We have been on the lookout for a horse and I went to a few exhibits the place I simply spent the entire day watching and looking out. I noticed Jefferson at Peelbergen [with previous rider Charlotte Philippe] and actually preferred him, however they weren’t too eager to promote at the moment. However we saved in contact and some months later we purchased him.
“I might see there was lots of high quality there – he was highly effective, he was cautious, he was fast – and he gave me an excellent feeling on the soar, however he was very sharp. There was nonetheless lots of flatwork to be achieved with him – it felt like he didn’t simply perceive issues to start out with.
“After I received him dwelling he was truly actually difficult and laborious work – he has a little bit of character about him! He’s very intelligent and has such a busy mind that he all the time needs to be doing one thing. However he’s skilled on very well and we’ve grown a lot as a partnership – we perceive one another now and I believe he’s a really particular horse.
“In Dublin 2019 when he jumped double clear for the Nations Cup staff then was second within the grand prix – that’s when it began to come back collectively and I used to be proud to grasp he was undoubtedly going to slot in on the high finish of the game having coped with an environment like that.
“He’s all the time been an apparent selection for the Olympics.”
Groom David Honnet says:
“He’s a candy horse who is absolutely hooked up to folks and simply needs plenty of consideration within the secure. He likes to make tea together with his hay and he’s all the time on a mission whenever you lead him out.
“Scott calls him Jezza however my nickname for him is simply Jeff. I’ve sorted him since he arrived with Scott and it’s been fairly an extended course of to get to the place we at the moment are so it makes me very proud to see him within the ring.”
Lord Harris, husband of co-owner Woman Harris with Woman Kirkham say:
“He was very sharp originally, however we additionally knew he might soar extraordinarily properly. I’ll always remember Nick Skelton even stated to me when he noticed him: ‘When you let me journey that horse, I’ll come out of retirement!’
“We’ve taken it slowly and constructed him up. He has come on a lot due to all of the groundwork Scott has put in over time.
“The primary Olympic horse we had was Countryman [with David Broome] and it nonetheless offers us such a thrill and Scott is unbelievable – it doesn’t matter if he’s jumped a novice or a grand prix horse, inside 5 minutes of him leaping I’ve a WhatsApp video of the spherical and he telephones me and we speak it by way of.”
This characteristic initially appeared in a problem of Horse & Hound journal.
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