Alice Spinazzè’s impression of the Y.R./J World Championships

The gathering of the best horses and riders in the world certainly made it a fabulous experience. When we arrived at Babolna it was humid and hot until the day before the competition, then just as the opening parade was to commence the rain began to fall; Perhaps it was a shame to leave the riders under the teeming rain for half an hour risking their catching the cold.  The downpour meant that not only did some horses need to be moved but the start had to be put back one hour and the course modified. The trail was still good underfoot apart from some tracts that had become muddy. I appreciated the course highly because it winded through woods and orchards without becoming boring. The tract in the middle of a Shagya breeding farm was marvellous.  Just before the start 100 horses made a circle in a green meadow, which was a fantastic spectacle, there was a tension in the air that everybody perceived but Shampat followed my commands fully concentrated.  Then, a few seconds before the off I felt an amazing charge of energy, Shampat leapt ahead of everybody for the first 100 metres when we were caught up.The first round was rather fast, but after the elimination of Shadja at the first gate we were forced to slow down, orders which were reiterated particularly before the third round to avoid running the risk of compromising the team result notwithstanding the horses were raring to give everything.At the start of the last 24km round the horse were still full of running, so we followed our course towards the objective, respecting the team orders not to exaggerate but to maintain our position. At the finish line I must say that Shampat was in great form.The following day we witnessed a magnificent closing ceremony where the Hungarians put on a show of their wonderful equestrian tradition, for which we must thank the organisers efficiency. Without doubt it was an unforgettable experience and I came away with some points to reflect on.