Eventing legend makes rare appearance for charity
Olympic gold medallist Jane Holderness-Roddam CBE completed her first one-day event for 13 years on veteran horse Tiger’s Eye II to raise money for equine charities Brooke and World Horse Welfare. The event took place on 18 August 2015 at West Wilts Equestrian Centre.
Jane was the first woman to represent Britain in Olympic three-day eventing, winning team gold in Mexico in1968. She went on to build a highly successful career in equestrianism. Nicknamed the ‘galloping nurse’ because she managed to study nursing at the same time, Jane won at the Badminton Horse Trials in 1968 and 1978, and Burghley Horse Trials in 1976. Tiger’s Eye II (stable name Bill) has had an illustrious career himself, competing in over 120 events, 31 of them international.
Jane has dedicated her life to helping horses, becoming trustee for World Horse Welfare for two terms, seeing first-hand how they have improved the lives of so many horses in the UK and worldwide. She is now trustee for the Brooke, and visited their work in Senegal in 2014. Here she saw how the Brooke teams are providing training, community engagement and emergency veterinary care to improve welfare for horses, donkeys and mules.
“Horses have been a part of my life since childhood, and caring for them properly is really important to me. Bill is still able to compete at the age of 20 in part because of the excellent care he’s had from a dedicated team. Sadly, some equine animals working around the world are lucky to reach a quarter of his age.
"People living in these communities don’t have the same access to veterinary medicines and training that we have in the UK. The Brooke and World Horse Welfare are working tirelessly to change this."
Jane and Bill jumped double clear in the BE100open, adding 12.8 cross-country time faults to their leading dressage score of 23.8. they finished in 17th place. To date, Jane has raised £10,000 for the Brooke and World Horse Welfare. After the event Jane said:
“I was a little nervous beforehand, but it felt great to be competing. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think Bill did too. I’m really pleased with how much we’ve raised and it’s wonderful to be able to give something back to these animals by supporting the Brooke and World Horse Welfare, two charities that I am so proud to be involved with.”
Petra Ingram, Chief Executive for Brooke, went to watch Jane compete on the day.
“I was honoured to watch Jane participate in this event, she is a truly inspirational lady, coming back to compete after a retirement of more than 13 years. Together with Bill they made it look easy and her love for horses was so evident as she guided him through each phase. She has managed to raise a considerable amount of money for the Brooke and World Horse Welfare. Her hard work will mean we can help even more working horses, donkeys and mules, and benefit the people whose lives depend on them. Thank you, Jane!”
World Horse Welfare Deputy Chief Executive Tony Tyler said:
“Jane is already renowned for her many extraordinary contributions to the horse world, but yesterday she exceeded herself to demonstrate her support for improving horse welfare in the UK and around the world. We cheered on Jane and her veteran horse Tiger's Eye II (aka Bill) throughout their impressive performance which showed that they both still have what it takes to take on the competition. We are immensely grateful to Jane and Bill for taking on this challenge for World Horse Welfare and the Brooke, and to all who so generously donated in support."
To support Jane, Brooke and World Horse Welfare, visit Jane's fundraising page.
17 July 2015