A tick off the bucket list: meet the puissance first-timers who have been practising over a shavings wall

Meet puissance first-timers Rachel Proudley and Easy Boy De Laubry Z, a 19-year-old rider and a horse who loves his hunting, is as brave as a lion – and has been showing off his scope over a wall made of shavings bales.

The pair are among the entries for the Ripon Select Foods puissance at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) this evening, and will be fourth of 10 combinations to tackle the wall.

“I’m looking forward to it; I’m really excited,” Rachel said. “It’s my first one, and the horse’s first one, so we’ll see how it goes but he’s very brave and scopey, and he’s been hunting so has jumped a few good things.”

Rachel, who has had a good summer jumping internationally in Britain and Europe, said riding in a puissance had been on her bucket list, and that she and Graham Ward, who owns “Boy”, came to a joint decision to give it a go at HOYS.

“No one knew what the horse would do so we had a practice over red shavings bales!” Rachel said. “We didn’t measure it but it was pretty big.

“He’s a lovely horse, so laid-back and a gentleman, easy to ride and so brave. It’ll just be about getting a good canter and ride as confidently as possible. I’m looking forward to it.”

Rachel has had a good HOYS, in her first year in the international classes, including coming third in today’s NAEC Stoneleigh Cup with Quality Street, owned by HK Horses.

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