Fast, fearless and faintly unhinged, team chasing turns sensible riders into adrenaline junkies and horses like The Sass Queen into absolute legends
All images: Tamsin Doar
It’s fair to say that anyone who enjoys horse riding as their pastime, sport or hobby (let’s be honest, it’s more of a lifestyle) is courageous. Although most of us would never admit it, riding a horse that is often ten times your weight, has a mind of its own and spooks at a newly formed pile of leaves only appeals to a certain type of person.
On top of this, some of us choose to participate in the equestrian sports which involve jumping solid obstacles at speed … perfectly safe and sensible.
Although The Sass Queen’s eventing career never amounted to much on paper (as much as she loves being the centre of attention, dressage just isn’t her thing), she does love jumping, so a few years ago we tried our hand (hoof) at team chasing. As far as The Sass Queen is concerned, this sport was made for her. Galloping across country with a group of friends, jumping to her heart’s content? What could be better? Obviously she pays no heed to her rider, whose eyes are mostly tightly shut while she says “just breathe, just breathe” constantly on repeat.
Our mutual love of the sport was born.
Team chasing
Created in 1974 by Douglas Bunn, the ‘Master of Hickstead’, team chasing involves jumping a two to three mile set course of approximately 25 natural fences in a team of four against the clock, with competitions split into a spring and autumn season. Some classes run to an ‘optimum’ time – set at a ‘good hunting pace’ –while other classes are ‘speed’: literally
‘fastest wins’! You take the whole course as a team: the timer starts when the first horse’s nose goes over the start and stops when the third horse comes over the finishing line, meaning you only need three to complete.
Classes are split into three heights: novice (100cm), intermediate (115cm) and open (120cm). These heights are for the solid timber fences: hedges are allowed approximately 10cm more. Novice and intermediate classes offer both optimum and speed classes, but open is just speed. Needless to say, these classes require courage from both horse and rider as well as accurate and forward-thinking riding to pick the best lines to cut
down on time.
There’s some fabulous venues with beautiful courses across the country, but sadly the nearest to Dorset is the Duke of Beaufort at Sopworth in Wiltshire, or the Berkeley in Gloucestershire (cue shameless plea for anyone with enough land to consider organising one further south!).
Some venues offer slightly smaller courses which are ideal for first timers. Looking at the forthcoming spring season, Bicester is a good place to start for anyone who is interested in trying this fabulous sport!
There is a very active @TeamChasingUK Facebook page, where seasoned competitors are always happy to offer advice to anyone wanting more information on courses. There’s also some fabulous ‘hatcam’ videos online, offering a peek into the ‘between the ears’ experience (although these are not for the faint-hearted or
easily offended – they frequently feature some choice language! The one playing above is family-friendly viewing).
No speed-machine required
One thing that immediately struck me with the team chasing community was how friendly and supportive everyone was. The British Team Chasing website sells the sport with the line “Yes, you need a bit of bravery but the main prerequisites are a sense of humour and team spirit.”
There’s definitely something to be said for being part of a group of riders laughing and cheering their way around a course of massive hedges! Although only three of you are required to finish, you very much ride as a team, talking to each other the whole way round and ensuring everyone is having a good ride.
No matter how much you plan beforehand, something will always go out of the window so you all have to be ready to think on your feet (hooves?).
‘Exit stage left pursued by a fence judge’.
Tamsin assures us no rider or horse was harmed in the making of this picture!
I’ve been very lucky to make some wonderful friends through team chasing, sharing the pre-ride nerves while course-walking (personally, I prefer to just admire the fences from a distance and not get so close that I get intimidated by their size. I often rely on my team to know where we’re going …) and a post-competition tipple. Or two.
I ride with the Beaglin Rascals – we have a number of teams as there are a lot of us. There are often posts on the Facebook page from people asking for teams to join – if you’re interested but can’t find enough friends who are crazy enough to give it a try with you, post on there and see who you meet!
I think it’s a common misconception that you need a big sleek speed-machine to compete. While this definitely helps with the speed classes, and you’ll often see Thoroughbreds tearing their way around the
course (many events offer RoR prizes), there are horses and ponies of all shapes and sizes participating. The Sass Queen certainly isn’t huge in size – although she makes up for this in attitude! You may be able to tell by the pictures that she’s tiny, so the jumps feel huge anyway, but she pings them with such force that you feel you’re being flung into orbit …
Whether you’re taking part or just watching, it’s a brilliant day out. Start by visiting the British Team Chasing website for details, download the app, and head to the Facebook page with any questions.
And if you see a chestnut blur whizzing past with a rider who appears to be re-assessing her life choices, you’ll know that The Sass Queen is on top form and living her best life!
