“… if the footing is the same as the rest of the course.”
Which it isn’t.
Yup. Rest of course is beautiful established turf. This one hill has no grass (because of the woods) so it’s either hard packed dirt with slippery leaves or mud.
It does not serve a good xc question IMO other than highlighting which riders like to do a Man from Snowy River impersonation or are the biggest risk takers.
Last time I was there (maybe 2-3 years) they also took it off the course. Everyone still ran down a steep hill next to a fence line then through the fence to a final combination. Still a tough xc question but since you were still on the turf it rode better.
It’s worth noting that horses generally WALK down the bank’s at Spruce and Hickstead, and at Spruce there are many options to jump out at the bottom depending on how much time you want to save and straight you want to get. It is not like XC where you must jump between the flags.
3 Likes
Good lord that video - definitely looks more than steep enough to me! NO thanks.
Also, regarding the “I’ve hunted over similar” comment…I have hunted over and through terrain that I would not hack through at a walk. When you hunt, you go where the hounds go, who go where the fox goes. You have little to no choice. If you want to watch hounds work, you suck it up and go.
A course designer with that mindset these days either doesn’t stay a course designer for long, or changes their courses.
1 Like
I have walked the steep hill at Millbrook with my trainer, so I know how steep it is and yes I have fox hunted hills that steep. Anybody that has ever hunted with Rappahannock hunt has hunted hills that steep. We have a trail west of our farm that is steeper than the hill at Millbrook.
To those there is a purpose to that hill. It is a test of control and balance of your horse. Granted it is an old fashioned test that is rarely seen anymore but then XC tracks really don’t have much for terrain which is why I love Millbrook. Even without the steep hill Millbrook has such great terrain that is generally missing in eventing.
I remember that slide. They took it off the course years ago when I was there and I was happy. I made it around clean! The leaf pit at Morven looks really scary but rides well. Though it feels like you are jumping into an elevator shaft. I went clean there too!
I like the Leaf Pit. Total rider frightener (also boyfriend frightener, as I made an old boyfriend close his eyes and walked him up to the edge before letting him open his eyes :lol:). Also, there’s the great Leaf Pit at Burghley. Those ride way differently than the slide.
I normally agree with your posts but have to ask, is Millbrook the only Area 1 event you’ve been to or have you been to others? I find Area 1 has no short supply of terrain + questions.
I don’t personally see the virtue of this type of question, not when it’s posed that way.
Huntington and GMHA do a great job of incorporating terrain. Huntington used to be one of those events that you needed to be way more fit for than others of the same level - not sure if that is still true today, I haven’t gone to Huntington in years… Even Stoneleigh which is not that big of a course, does a really good job of incorporating terrain.
Anyone remember the mound at Stoneleigh? I was sad when they demo’d it - that to me was a test of rider accuracy and horse balance on terrain - but it was not going to add too much time or put you in a horrible spot. It definitely tested your ability to keep forward momentum especially when they had the hanging log on top.
FTR, I used to seriously condition my horse on the steep hill of Scarlet Hill and a few times on the big hill up by Denny’s where the cows used to be. Even then, after being 100% comfortable trotting and cantering down those hills, I did not see the benefit of Millbrook’s “slide”.
The way I see it it’s not set up well and it adds a lot of time, and you have to interrupt what was a very good flow XC. Personally, I’d rather prefer a longer but less steep alternative, like the side of Stoneleigh that the old Prelim Banks were on, or something similar - that way you are testing the balance and coordination of horse/rider without putting the horse’s body at gravity’s peril.
I’ve got no dog in this fight, I have not walked Millbrook. I was watching ERM Gatcombe and they have a similar slide, perhaps not as long, right after fence 3. You can see it here:
http://eventridermasters.tv/watch/2017/gatcombe-park/cross-country
Around 16:00 is the first rider to tackle it. The whole course is terrain, so it’s impressive to say the least. I am wondering if those who have ridden Millbrook can comment if it is harder than the slide at Gatcombe, perhaps the footing is not as forgiving as it appears to be overseas.
I wouldn’t call that a slide at Gatcombe. Hills like that are common. There are ones like that at many Area II events. The hill at Millbrook is longer and often they had a jump near the bottom.
Gotcha, thanks for the feedback!
