Speaking of Caroline Bradley

[tuscanyD]

Which I was elsewhere ...
Anyone old enough to remember her? She was my hero when I was young. So much so my mum & dad rang me from their holiday location to tell me that she'd died.
It was a sad day.

Whatever happened to Tigre after that? I saw them jump at Park Farm in Northwood [now closed but I spent many happy years there] and even my non-horsey mum thought Tigre was just fabulous.

Are there characters like Tigre and Ryans Son these days? I ought to follow more competition really.

 

[bellasmum]

I remember going to the Basingstoke Show and watching her jump and then getting her autograph, along with David Broome and Harvey Smith – very much showing my age, but I was really really young!!

 

[Rambo]

I remember her

Remember being very shocked to hear of her passing. Don't know what happenned to Tigre, but of course Milton was her good up and coming youngster at the time, and we all know how that worked out

As for characters in the sport now...well, I don't think they have the opportunity to develop these days due to the lack of coverage on TV and in the news. Many say commercial sponsorship killed the appeal, but I don't entirely agree. I think a bigger problem these days is the lack of differentiation in the horses due to breeding programmes that essentially factory farm SJ'ers

 

[Thistle]

She died on June 1st, my birthday.

 

[Bananaman]

I was at the Suffolk show where she died, thankfully not at the ring.

It was awful, Caroline seemed to be a truly great horsewoman and I remember Tigre as being truly beautiful.
I believe he was eventually sold to a young rider but was never heard of again.

 

[tuscanyD]

Yes you are right about the breeding and lack of media coverage.

Gone are the days when riders used to find a sj star being ridden round the farm or whatever .

Is it just nostalgia or were the 'stories' better then?
Red Rum being lame until he was ridden in the sea...
Harvey Smith giving two fingers to the judges ...

 

[SSM]

Caroline Bradley was one of my heriones too in my youth - along with the wonderful Ryans Son - I loved that horse, the way he bucked after a round! He is sadly dead now too, can't remember what of.

Those were the days, when showjumpers were as famous as singers!!!!!! - and showjumping was on the BBC

 

[AmyMay]

I remember seeing Caroline when I was a little girl - when she competed at Cardiff Castle on Tigre.

I have a feeling that the horse was kept by the family, but possibly ridden for a short time by someone else.

 

[AmyMay]

Ryan's son dropped dead at a show after having a bad fall in the ring. (if memory serves.)

 

[tuscanyD]

" Ryans Son dropped dead after a show.."

Oh did he! Now I'm really sad...

They were just so exciting to watch weren't they - the riders too but particularly the horses - such character and enthusiasm for the job - yes as famous as rock stars!

Anglezarke was another

 

[Mellymoo1]

Annette Lewis was one of my favourite showjumpers, always remember that flicky up thing she did with her legs!! Anyone else remember her?? She had a lovely grey called Tutein.

Used to love Milton too!!

 

[Bananaman]

Yes, at Hickstead. Was it in the Derby, I think it might have been?

I too, was very fond of him. I had a little horse at the time that had a blaze that was very similar to Ryan's Son's!

 

[Zebedee]

Didn't Paddy McMahon take over the ride on Tigre?

 

[SJFAN]

Caroline was a great horsewoman and a tremendously hard worker. There is an excellent book about her by Malcolm Severs. She was tremendously upset by the sale of Tigre in 1981 (he was owned by Donald Bannocks) two years before her untimely death. Paddy McMahon (European Champion in 1973 with Pennwood Forgemill got the rider but the partnership never really gelled.

Ryan's Son died (from internal bleeding) following a fall at the 2nd fence in the Hickstead Derby in 1987. John was with him in the stable that night. I've always thought that there might have been an internal problem before the fall because he swerved going into it, quite out of character

Though there are still plenty of characters, both human and equine, Rambo is right in that the horses are much more similar in type than used to be the case, and not many people have enough opportunities to see the horses and riders regularly. When I was growing up in the 60s, there was plenty of TV coverage of national shows as well as international, by BBC and ITV.

 

[airedale]

She was also a favourite of mine and she started Milton off. If it hadn't been in the days of Ronnie Masserella (he of the 'hate women' view) then she'd have been on far more british teams.

She basically worked herself to death and did a lot of the work herself. Hence the tragic heart attack

Tigre was fabulous.

I think perhaps Arko counts as a Tigre but the ones that seem to go on and on are the ones like Welham did.

I also remember seeing Darco at Olympia a couple of years running and - as we all do - thought "I'd like to take that one home" never realising then that he'd become such an important SJ sire

 

[sammys ma]

sorry, I don't mean to be morbid, but was just wondering how she died and if it was horse related?

 

[lordflynn]

she was my heroine as a kid and Tigre was beautiful. so many characters horsewise-Boomerang, Deister, Ryan's Son. Was always a Smith fan as well, and Joe Turi (a little bit later).

 

[mandy4727]

Yep I remember Caroline Bradley. I have a book by her at home. Ryans son was my favourite too. Used to like Jungle Bunny too. Loved the name.

 

[SJFAN]

She collapsed in the collecting ring shortly after jumping a round on Trimoco Rubber Ball. It wasn't a conventional heart attack - post-mortem was inconclusive. She was only 37. However her body had taken a lot of punishment over the years and she was suffering from arthritis (as of course did Pat Smythe).

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
Annette Lewis was one of my favourite showjumpers, always remember that flicky up thing she did with her legs!! Anyone else remember her?? She had a lovely grey called Tutein.

Used to love Milton too!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Annette is still around...she's an accredited coach these days I think. Her farm was renamed 'Tutein Farm' in memory of the little grey showman

ETS: But what happenned to her sister...Michelle

Anyone remember her ?

 

[K9Wendy]

Brings back memories... She came over to Northern Ireland (during the time not many people came!) when I was about 15 to do a jumping clinic, I can remember she was so down to earth and a really lovely person. She gave me her autograph afterwards and I remember she had the most enormous 'hard working' hands I had ever seen on a woman!! Very tragic death..

 

[tuscanyD]

Was she only 37!! I was so young she would have seemed a lot older.
Blimey

 

[lisaward]

lorna who owns north herts trained with her ,till lorna had a car accident which made her legs weak.
doctors said she would't walk again but she proved them wrong.that is why she had john adams ride as she couldn't risk her back

 

[dieseldog]

Tutien jumped off the top of the derby bank.

I think Locarno has a chance to become really famous not just because he's lovely to look at and talented but because he's ridden by as the media would put it 'an attractive young girl' If he gets to the Olympics he might become a household name - would be easier if he was grey though.

 

[lisaward]

i'm on about caroline bradley not annette it was too late to edit though

 

[Bananaman]

Don't know what happened to Michelle but the Lewis sisters were in my branch of the Pony Club along with the Heffer brothers, Mark and ???????????? crikey, what was his name? Whatever happened to them?

All this was in the days when, if you'd been good, you were allowed to stay up and watch showjumping from HOYS, RIHS and Olympia on the telly at 9.25pm after the news on BBC1!

Yeah, Ryan's Son, Deister, Jungle Bunny, Penwood Forge Mill, Buttevant Boy, Philco, ......
Does anyone remember little Hugo Simon who always seemed to ride enormous horses and used to puff like a steam train when he rode them?

 

[SJFAN]

Michelle Lewis still goes to shows with Annette (both with young children).

Philip was the younger Heffer brother. Think he carried on working in the family business (butchery wholesalers). Mark married Sally Mapleson and last I knew they were running a hotel/restuarant in the west country.

Hugo Simon is still competing internationally.

 

[lordflynn]

[ QUOTE ]

Does anyone remember little Hugo Simon who always seemed to ride enormous horses and used to puff like a steam train when he rode them?

[/ QUOTE ]

didnt he ride Gladstone and The Freak? loved those horses, wasnt sure if they were huge or if he were diddy

had forgoten about the Heffers, why did they give up?

 

[lisaward]

philip heffer ,i worked there part time for a while.

he rode saucy brown & i think another one was viewpoint.
philip married a girl called jane ??
they had two girls but have split up and now both have new partners.

 

[SJFAN]

I think The Freak may have been a bit bigger than Gladstone. Gladstone (previously ridden by the late Hartwig Steenken) was not enormous but was very powerful. Hugo is very short but the only small horse I can remember him riding was a bay called Flipper who did well at Hickstead, and ET was I guess an average size. He had a lot of success in the earlier part of his career with the big grey Lavendel.

The Heffers were never full-time show jumpers, and it's hard to combine competing at top level with other non equine/farm jobs. Mark ran Harwood Hall (Upminster) for a while before its closure and conversion I believe to a nursing home.