Rose finishes 15th after a competitive leg 1 of the ERM

Shane Rose and Virgil finished 15th at the Dodson and Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials at the weekend, competing against 40 of the top horse and rider combinations representing 12  nations from around the world in the first leg of the Event Rider Masters (ERM) Series.

Following a strong dressage test placing him in 12th position, Rose had one rail down in the showjumping and had 11.6 cross country penalties. The result, some good news for Rose and team after a really tough couple of weeks for him.

Listen to Shane's interview with An Eventful Life

Sam Griffiths was in 11th position after the dressage on Saturday on his experienced mount, Happy Times, but withdrew after the show jumping. Happy was the oldest horse in the competition at 18 years old and the combination share many successful 3*** and 4**** performances.

Bill Levett and Shannondale Titan were eliminated after a fall on cross-country, sitting with 43.5 penalties after the dressage phase. The pair placed within the top 10 of last year’s ERM and are hopeful contenders for the rest of the Series.

Gemma Tattersall (UK) and Quicklook V were the overall winners of the ERMs first leg, Gemma being the first female to win since the series inauguration in 2016.

Gemma said: “Quicklook V was absolutely foot perfect in all three phases. I am so proud of her. My main aim is to win the Event Rider Masters series, and I have set out this year to do just that. I have some top classes horses to aim at it and can’t wait for the next one.”

Dubbed the ‘espresso’ of Eventing, the ERM is a CIC*** competition offering £400,000 total prize money across seven competition legs in England, Scotland, Germany and France. The Series is streamed live through the website and is covered across international TV satellite channels including Fox Sports in Australia.

The ERM aims to increase interest in Eventing to spectators and competitors alike, including live streaming for viewers through the ERM website and a large prize pool. The events are also run over two days as opposed to four, featuring dressage with music chosen by the riders and the showjumping and cross-country phases run in reverse order.

ERM work alongside SAP offering a spectator judging app, providing the chance to generate spectator scores which can then be compared with the official judge’s marks. In addition, live data will be produced through competitors with GPS tracking worn during the cross country.

The seven competitions hosting an ERM leg in 2017 are:

• The Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials 12th -14th May (13th - 14th May)
• Internationales Wiesbadener PfingstTurnier (Germany) 2nd – 5th June (2nd – 3rd June)
• The St James’s Place Barbury International Horse Trials  6th -10th July (9th – 10th July)
• Haras de Jardy (France) 14th - 17th July  (15th – 16th July)
• Festival of British Eventing, Gatcombe Park, presented by BETA 4th – 6th August (5th – 6th August)
• Blair Castle Equi-Trek International Horse Trials 24th – 27th August (26th – 27th August)
• Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials 13th – 17th September (15th – 16th September)