Congleton equestrian star returns from Olympics and looks ahead to horse trials
By Flo Clifford, Sportsbeat
EXPERIENCED Andrew Heffernan hopes 'proper 5* horse' Harthill Phantom can banish his injury demons at this year's Defender Burghley Horse Trials, in Lincolnshire.
After a busy summer including coaching the Dutch Olympic equestrian squad in Paris, Congleton-based Heffernan is back to riding and will enter the competition at Stamford on 14-year-old gelding Harthill Phantom.
The pair have not competed much this year after Harthill Phantom suffered an injury earlier this year, but Heffernan, 49, is confident the horse is back to his best.
"I'm very excited. I do a lot of other things nowadays, I do a lot of course designing, I'm the coach of the Dutch team, so to do an event like Burghley is really exciting for me and I can't wait to get going," he said.
"The horse had a minor injury in the spring so he hasn't done that much this year, but he had a good run at Hartpury a few weeks ago and felt good.
"For me, he's a proper 5* horse so I thought I'd enter him for Burghley. He made me feel like he was quite ready to compete at an event of that level.
"He's a fantastic cross-country horse, he's keen, he's quite strong. It doesn't make him the easiest to ride sometimes!"
Heffernan, who is based at Somerford Park Farm on Holmes Chapel Road, Brereton Heath, explained that his goals for this year were very different from their last appearance at the famous five-star competition.
"Last year I was probably trying to be too competitive," he said.
"The whole atmosphere at the start winds this horse up quite a lot, and I came out of the box trying to be up on my first two or three minute marks, and I ended up making him feel quite strong, stronger than normal. He had a run-out and I called it a day.
"I don't think I'm going to come out with that attitude this year. Don't get me wrong, I'd still like to give it a go, but my plan would be to build on my run a bit more rather than come out all guns blazing.
"I'm looking forward to it. He's not going to win, I doubt, but he's a nice horse and he's certainly a brave horse."
Heffernan also added that the experience of coaching at the Olympics - and riding, as he did at London 2012 - has provided a different perspective on competition.
"I think they're two completely different sports, if I'm honest. The five stars are quite removed from the types of courses that you find in the Olympics [but] it certainly makes you want to be competitive and gets you into that mindset."
The Hong Kong-born Dutchman competed in the Individual eventing and team eventing at London 2012. He also won bronze at the 2014 Normandy world equestian games.
Following the London 2012 Olympics, he would live in Nantwich. He has since moved to Congleton, and now runs runs a horse livery on Somferford Park Farm on Holmes Chapel Road, Brereton Heath.
Defender Burghley Horse Trials (5-8 September 2024) has been a major international sporting and social event for over 50 years. It attracts the world's top equestrians and is attended by vast and enthusiastic crowds. For more information, please visit this link.
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