EVENTING
Alex Holman
ALEX HOLMAN hit the headlines when he and Carrick Diamond Bard led the dressage in the under-25 class at Bramham last summer, his first CCI4*-L, finishing fifth.
“That was a really good confidence boost,” says the 25-year-old.
Aside from a “pathetic fall” at Blenheim, the pair have converted confidence from Bramham into good results since. They were 10th at Burgham CCI4*-S and 11th at Lignières CCI4*-L and are qualified for a fivestar debut at Badminton.
“It’s crazy thinking about such big things,” says Alex. “I train with Caroline Moore and she thinks we’d be ready and ‘Jerry’ would be well suited to Badminton, so one or two British five-stars are next year’s aim, plus some Nations Cups. I’ve always wanted a British flag since I got into horses.”
The 10-year-old Carrick Diamond Bard was Alex’s “first business project, but I didn’t do a very good job at selling him”. The horse had 90 faults in the showjumping at his first unaffiliated event, but “correct work over time has brought out his talent”.
Alex rents a 10-box barn in Dorset.
“I have some young horses to bring on and I teach. My family are not horsey so I’m going it alone, with my supportive head girl Martha Halion,” he says.
NEW YEAR Special
Charlotte Agnew
SINCE her last five-star run in 2015, Charlotte Agnew, 35, has been juggling building a business, Glenfinnan Sport Horses, and climbing back to the upper echelons of the sport.
The mare who has brought her back to four-star is Cooley Carnival Lady, one of the horses she bought through the Small
