Nurse’s 20-hour round trip pays off with super Hickstead win

Nurse Gillian Anderson made her week off work –and her 10-hour drive from Scotland – worth every minute as she took the Hickstead RIHS amateur championship at the Royal International Horse Show.

Gillian and Linda Anderson’s JJ’s Prince Chaccomo triumphed by half a second over Arysha Kanda and Creeveroe Cody in the two-phase competition, for Gillian’s first win in the International Arena.

Gillian said the 14-year-old Scottish-bred gelding, whom she has had since he was four, had jumped at 1.30m but had lost some confidence so she dropped him down.

“I gave him some time off, did some working hunters, and this is him having a good life and enjoying himself,” she said. “Nothing happened, I think he just didn’t want to do it as much for a bit but he’s feeling good now.”

“He’s the character at the stables,” she added. “He’s been there since he was four so he knows he’s the boss; he runs the place!”

The pair jumped a beautiful smooth round for the win.

“He lit up a bit with the atmosphere,” Gillian said. “I didn’t expect him to come back so confident but he’s obviously feeling great.”

Gillian added that she had taken a week’s annual leave from her nursing job to make the 10-hour drive to West Sussex.

“This will make the journey back much better!” she said.

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