Piggy French’s WEG guide

British Eventer gives us an insider's view of the FEI World Equestrian Games™...

From how to manage an Eventer’s workload in searing temperatures to stable etiquette via the vagaries of competing as a team in an individual sport, Great Britain’s Piggy French is on hand to give FEI.org an exclusive lowdown on life as a medal contender at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) Tryon 2018.

Sitting in eighth position after the Cross Country and part of the first-placed Great Britain team, Piggy French is looking good to leave Tryon with some serious hardware in her luggage. Tune into the final Jumping round of the Eventing competition on FEI TV later today to see if she can secure a medal.

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Hailing from a small village in rural England, French’s first and most pressing concern since landing in North Carolina has been the welfare of her horse, Quarrycrest Echo.

“We have been doing everything we can to bring his temperature down and cool him off as soon as possible and keep him happy,” French said of managing her mount in temperatures that regularly exceed 30 degrees Celsius.

“They (the horses) get hosed down a lot, which brings their temperature down. Then they stand in the shade under the fans, then they get walked about in the shade and they have fans in the stables as well.”

While French assumes overall responsibility for Quarrycrest Echo she lets the expert take day-to-day control. Step forward groom Amy Phillips.

“She is top-class at what she does and she needs to be left to do what she does so well and get on with her job,” the European 2009 silver medallist explained. “And it’s nice for the horse as well to not be faffed about too much. They like their space.

“It’s all day. From 6am they (the grooms) would start to see the horse and then they have to leave them by 10pm. They are attending them all day between those times but leaving them alone for an hour or so here and there so they can rest and not be bothered.”

With a heavy workload in eventing, getting feed levels right is key. French and groom Phillips are giving Quarrycrest Echo at least three to four hard feeds each day in order to maintain the 11-year-old’s energy in the often stifling heat and humidity.

Getting everything right pre and post the Cross Country test is arguably the most tricky part of caring for an eventer.

“Before, it’s just trying to keep them cool for as long as we can do, not doing unnecessary things in the sun or the heat, just getting them warmed up well enough and focused and in the groove without overdoing it,” French said.

Like all major events, the cooling systems in place for the horses once they have completed the 5,700m Cross Country course are first class but it is what comes next that is equally important for maintaining medal hopes.

“Usually after the Cross Country they are pretty settled, they have worked pretty hard so it’s a case of trying to loosen them up,” French said. “They are tired and a bit flat, so it’s getting them back in as good a shape as we can and having them bright and happy and wanting to jump the fences.”

Amid all this understandable focus on the horse, the athlete can seem like a secondary concern.

French insists that this is where Team Great Britain comes in. Despite focusing inwards – the best way to help the team, according to French – all five riders representing Great Britain are constantly looking out for each other.

“We do share everything,” said French. “We have a very good team spirit. We don’t do anything particularly exciting in the evenings - we have a gym and a pool so we sometimes go and do a bit of that – but if we win I should think there will be a fairly good party.”

It will be well deserved.

Tune into the final Jumping round of the Eventing competition on FEI TV later today to see who will win the Team and Individual competitions...

Text by Luke Norman/FEI

Images by Christophe Tanière/FEI