#birmane

Boekelo 2019 - CCIO4*-L | © Tilly Berendt

Thomas Carlile and BIRMANE

« France’s Tom Carlile rounded out the top ten with the eight-year-old Birmane, whose 26.9 dressage and fault-free cross-country round was good enough to stop them from slipping lower when they tipped a rail and added two time penalties.

“It’s always frustrating to finish on four faults, but I’m really proud of how she ran this final in her first time at this level,” he says. “She did really well for her age – she suffered a bit with the atmosphere, and where we had to turn tight, the ground was getting quite loose. I’m not making excuses, but it wasn’t ideal. I had one down, which was a pain, because the mare was jumping really well. But it’s still top ten, so it’s really promising.” »

Boekelo 2019 - CCIO4*-L | © Tilly Berendt

Thomas Carlile and BIRMANE : 73,13%

A bizarre incident on the way to Boekelo dictated a necessary change to Tom Carlile‘s schedule – “we spent most of yesterday catching up on sleep,” he laughs, explaining that one of his lorry tyres blew on the way through Belgium after it ran over a bit, of all things, on the road. The blowout added six hours to his already twelve-hour journey from central France, and on arrival, Tom’s efforts were entirely focused on making sure his CCI4*-L debutante Birmane was comfortable and settled. As it turned out, it all paid off – the pair scored a 26.9 to sit seventh.

“We were aiming for a 28, so that’s a birdie,” he says with a laugh. “I’m very pleased with her – I’ve had her since the beginning, and we’ve always had a high estimation of her. She has quality, and she has the attitude that comes with quality, but we’ve got a good partnership. She’s really stepping up and performing all the movements quite correctly; she’s only eight and she can be quite distracted by noise, but we did a good job today to get her to concentrate.”

The exciting progression of Birmane helps to dampen the blow of a tough year for Tom, which has seen top horse Upsilon sidelined with a serious neurological condition.

Bordeaux 2019 - Indoor eventing | via Facebook

Mondial du Lion 2017 | © L’Eperon

Mondial du Lion 2017 | © L’Eperon

Mondial du Lion 2017 | © L’Eperon