WITH the Tattersalls International Horse Trials fast looming (May 29th - June 2nd), course designer Ian Stark’s tracks are guaranteed to ask plenty of questions of the competing combinations this year.

The courses at the Co Meath venue have the same general flow as last year but with plenty of extra challenges and added distances as well.

“While we are all the time looking at safety, tweaking and improving, a proper cross-country test is what it’s all about,” the top Scottish rider, coach and course designer told The Irish Field this week.

“It’s the same general flow as last year but with added obstacles as well as longer distances. Some parts of the courses have changes in direction. We have made more tweaks to the tracks this year rather than anything majorally new. I’ve tried to keep the flow and momentum and not have the riders pulling the horses around too much. This year’s courses at Tatts pose some technical questions and require riders to be able to hold their lines,” he added.

“There’s plenty of new challenges at Tatts 2019. Many of the fences have been moved around, I’ve changed the water complexes for example with a different approach and a bounce going into the first one.

“We have also re-sited a new coffin fence slightly later on in the track for the top class competition. It’s going to call for accurate and brave riding, there’s a lot of testing in it. Also changed this year is the big mound (The Irish Field fence) where all the spectators gather. That’s been reshaped and has a different look to it. It gives them all something else to think about,” said Ian.

The main water complex is also changed this year with a big jump in to it and skinny obstacles both in and out of the water, requiring what Stark termed as “real accuracy’’ course towards the end of the bigger courses.

GROUND WORK

Praising the huge amount of work done all year by course builder Eugene O’Neill and his dedicated team of groundsmen at Tattersalls Ireland, Ian Stark continued: “I have to say that there has been a huge amount of work put into the footing at every obstacle and every area. Experts have assessed it (the grass and ground) and I feel that the grass is more established and settled than ever. There is now a very substantial root base in the grass covering at Tatts. It has not been grazed or ridden on. It’s been watered, fertilised, really cared for throughout the winter. We have spent many years improving it and are ready to reap the benefit of it now,” said Stark.

With a big contingent of Americans coming to Tattersalls this year as it’s a selection trial for the Pan American Games (eventing takes place from August 1st-4th), Stark predicted that the strong Co Meath ditches and the natural terrain of Tattersalls would contribute to making the forthcoming international horse trials even more enjoyable for spectators than usual.

“With Tatts ground not being too hilly, it allows for more technical difficulty to be added in and it all makes for a great event. This year I was coming up with new ideas and changing directions for different parts of the course. I use my riding experience to tell me how the horses will read it and understand the questions being asked.

“I always think about the shape a horse will make over a particular obstacle and how it will adjust itself and then I put it all into practice. I jot down ideas I gather during the event as it happens for the following year and I walk around with Eugene and tell him everything I want to do for the new tracks. We work back and forwards on it and all of the designs must meet with the approval of the Technical Delegate, the Ground Jury and the Riders’ Representative. And of course, safety is a huge part of it but for me, eventing is all about cross-country and these tracks reflect that,” said Stark.