Silver celebration
Above: The Princess Royal
THERE are special congratulations due this year to one of the Cotswolds’ most prestigious events. For Gatcombe Park Horse Trials are 25 years old.
The official title for this highlight of the equestrian calendar is, of course, the Festival of British Eventing; but formality is far from being its hallmark. The 40,000-odd visitors who flock through the gates each year come to watch their favourite riders in action: but there’s no doubt they also come knowing they’ll see famous faces at their most relaxed, including the Princess Royal herself.
Those who know the green valley which runs through the Gatcombe Estate will testify to its innate tranquillity. The grass that grows here is the same as any other grass; the slopes up which it climbs are typically Cotswold; and the green of the leaves is much like any other green. But the sum is more than its parts; for there’s a different feel to Gatcombe Park; something indefinable that sets it apart.
Tim Henson, director of the Festival of British Eventing, has said in the past, “The odd thing is, Gatcombe has an aura created by its natural geography; and even at its most frantic, that feeling of peacefulness and calm persists.”
Perhaps that’s why it’s no surprise to meet the Princess in her office, at the back of Gatcombe House, looking natural and at ease; happy to talk about the landmark anniversary of the horse trials.
Indeed, the serenity of the place (surely a relief from the public side of life in the limelight) makes it all the more extraordinary that, in 1982, the Princess and Captain Mark Phillips decided to open up the grounds to stage their own horse trials. The reason was simple: it was a way of giving something back to a sport that meant so much to them.
“I can hardly believe it is 25 years since the horse trials began,” the Princess says, with a wry smile. “It sounds even worse if you say a quarter of a century!
“Oddly enough, it wasn’t a big decision to open up the grounds. The debate we had was how much we should use Gatcombe as an advertising tool. In the end, we decided not to sell the trials on the basis of the house at all, which is slightly six and two threes; but I think in retrospect that probably hasn’t made a huge amount of difference: people who come here know what they’re looking at.”
Undoubtedly they do. For visitors get to enjoy an uninterrupted view of the Bath-stone edifice of Gatcombe House, the Princess Royal’s private residence. Its fine symmetry is a tribute to an 18th century architect. The natural amphitheatre behind which it stands (a perfect setting for horse trials) is a tribute to nature alone.
“There are those who, I suspect, always come out of sheer curiosity; there are those who now come because they think it’s a reasonable venue and they like being able to watch the sport; and maybe some might come just to do their shopping!
“Hopefully, though, you’re always bringing in a few extra new people to appreciate the sport. Funnily enough, whenever I manage to get time to go to our small merchandising operation, I find three quarters of the people there have never been to a horse trials before, which is quite fun.”
Whether first-timers or old hands, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of watching top competitors in action – riders who, over the years, have included Mark Todd, Ginny Leng, Lucinda Green, Pippa Funnell, Andrew Hoy, Mary King, William Fox-Pitt, the Princess’s own daughter, Zara Phillips, and many more.
Read this article in full in the August issue of Cotswold Life, on sale from July 26, or go to the fantastic subscription offer on our home page.