After finishing just outside the top 10 in the Badminton Horse Trials this month, the Co Meath rider, back home to chase more success this week, talks to Margie McLoone

FINISHING 11th with Kilpatrick River on her first ride at Badminton earlier this month has whetted the appetite of event rider Elizabeth Power who returned home to Co Meath this week to compete at the Tattersalls international horse trials.

“We didn’t have the greatest start to the season as the horse had an uncharacteristic fall in early April at Burnham Market, a real somersault, and I retired him the next time out. I knew he was capable of a good cross-country round at Badminton and he went clear within the time, moving up from 26th after dressage to ninth.

“Knocking the last fence on the show jumping course was frustrating, and very costly, but I was delighted with the performance and would have taken that result at the start of the week. What I want to do now is build up a string of horses so that I can compete at Badminton every year for the next 20 years,” explains Power.

In her third season eventing full-time in England, it was a move she felt had to be undertaken if she was to become a competitive, successful rider.

“The standard of competition and the variety and number of events is far greater (in the UK) than at home; you could event every day of the week during the season. The best riders in the world are here – Australians, New Zealanders, the top Europeans – all for the very same reason.”

When Power first left Ireland for the 2007 season, she was based with Mark and Sandy Phillips but, last year and this, she has been competing out of the Wiltshire yard of David Green, a member of the gold medal winning Australian team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and his wife Jacky. “I more or less live in the house with them – it suits both sides. Jackie is great, often driving my truck to events.

“I have six horses in work, including two youngsters, and while I had a girl working with me last year, this season I just have a few people helping me out on a part-time basis. I only got home for one free weekend last year, horses are all consuming, and I imagine it’ll be the same this time round. I came over on the ferry with the Cheltenham horses in March and won’t be heading back to Summerhill until the end of November,” she says.

Power was bred to be a success in the saddle. She is a daughter of former international Army show jumper Captain Con Power and younger sister of Aintree Grand National-winning jockey Robert. However, it’s from her mother, Mags, that she gets her love of eventing.

“Mum also rode in Badminton, though she can be vague about details, and she’s good at spotting horses with potential. She tricks around with the youngsters at home where we have all the facilities needed so it’s the perfect base for the winters.

“I like to ride a thoroughbred horse although that’s more the way it turned out than by design. There are lots of thoroughbreds out there that aren’t good enough for racing but are still beautiful animals and I’m lucky that, with my family contacts, I’ve had some good ones to ride.”

Dermot O’Rourke’s 11-year-old Kilpatrick River came off the track, the son of the miler Petardia starting his racing career at the Curragh in October 2000.

While Milan, the winner of that seven-furlong two-year-old maiden, went on to Group One success in the Doncaster St Leger and is now one of Coolmore’s very busy National Hunt stallions, Kilpatrick River ultimately found himself gelded and running over hurdles and fences. He had a career change in 2004, joining the Power yard during that winter.

This week at Tattersalls, the Meath rider has three horses competing in the Rookery Park Stud CCI**, a class she narrowly failed to win with Kilpatrick River in 2007 when beaten by Britain’s William Fox-Pitt. “Spring Rumba is a good yardstick, he’s a jumping machine, while the other two (Doonaveeragh O One and September Bliss) are both capable of winning if things go right,” she says.

Power’s good friends, Rhona Healy and amateur jockeys Katie Walsh and Nina Carberry travelled over to England to support the rider at Badminton and Power will have a chance this week to catch up with them and others. “It took a while to settle in over here and establish a network of friends but now I know a lot of people in eventing and things have improved.

“I do want to return to Ireland one day but I have many goals to achieve first. The next thing for me to do is get on a senior team for the first time and if that’s to be the one heading to the European championships at Fontainebleau in September I won’t mind! It’s been a long time since I was on a team – that was in juniors in Germany back in 2001 – and I’ve one junior and three pony bronze medals.

“I want to represent Ireland at as many championships as possible but, for that to happen, I’m going to have to build up a string of top-class horses – I don’t intend to be a one-horse wonder.

“I know it’s tough in these recessionary times but I hope to find owners for the horses I have so that I can retain the ride on them – so many riders have to sell their horses just to keep the show on the road.”

Eventing throughout England sees Power on the road most weekends and, if Jackie isn’t with her, she does all the driving herself. She left the Greens’ Marlborough yard at 8pm on Monday to catch the ferry across to Ireland.

“My truck, a DAF 2,500, can carry six horses and has a living area. It’s a year younger than I am but was state-of-the-art when it was built in 1985,” she laughs.

“I know I’m very lucky to be working at something I love. When the season gets under way each year I’m happy out.”