Here in the UK the sport of horse
racing is often referred to as the “sport of kings”. However, after
Zara Phillips stunning victory in the World Equestrian
Games in Aachen, Germany, perhaps equestrian
events should be called the “sport of princesses.”
That’s because
the new three-day event world champion, Zara Phillips, is Queen
Elizabeth’s niece and 11th in line to the throne.
With her horse, Toytown, she won the three-day event
competition in Germany, adding the world title to the European
crown
she won last year.
The three-day event tests competitors’
horsemanship in three different disciplines:
dressage, in which the rider must manoeuvre the horse through a
sequence of movements in an enclosed arena;
cross-country which is a timed race over
obstacles such as fences, ponds and
ditches; and finally show-jumping
which
tests the technical jumping skills of horse and rider.
Zara is following in the footsteps of her mother, Princess Anne, and father,
Captain Mark Phillips, both of whom represented Great Britain in equestrian
events. However, neither of her parents managed to achieve world champion
status.
Naturally, she was delighted to win the title, telling
the BBC, “It’s incredible; it’s beyond my wildest dreams.”
However, the joy of victory was tempered with sadness as she
dedicated her triumph to her friend Sherelle Duke, another
equestrian rider who was killed when her horse fell, crushing
her while
competing a week before the World Championships.
Zara has now set her sights firmly on
the 2008 Beijing Olympics, especially since an injury
to her horse prevented her from qualifying for the 2004 Olympics
in Athens.
She told us, “Obviously winning the Olympics has been a massive dream but you
have to get everything right leading up to it, and have the horse power, so it's
still a long way away."
