from The Press (dated 20 Nov)

Working for hours a day, week after week, year after year, equestrian eventers forge a close bond with their horses.

It is understandable then that parting with a top horse that has taken you to within grasp of the world championships and Olympics tugs at the heart.

Canterbury equestrian Annabel Wigley had to sell her top horse, Black Drum, two months ago, but she says the parting was eased by the fact the buyer, a promising English rider, Jay Halim, was a friend.

"It was really sad that I had to sell him but I know he has gone to a really good home. It doesn't really feel like I sold him. I know Jay will be looking after him so I'm happy with how the sale ended.

"Jay said to me some time ago that if I ever sold Black Drum he would be interested in buying him. He has been looking for a good horse for a while.

"Jay will keep me in touch with what he is doing."

Wigley took Black Drum to England four years ago in a bid to try to break into the New Zealand eventing team and she came agonisingly close.

She was first reserve for the Beijing Olympics and has performed well in the big four-star events in England.

Just a few weeks before she sold Black Drum the pair finished 18th at the Burghley trial and her best finish was seventh at Burghley two years ago.

"It was frustrating getting close to the Olympics and world championships."

Horses unfortunately have a limited time in the demanding sport which combines dressage, the gruelling cross-country, and showjumping.

Black Drum is 16 and has only a few years at the most left as an eventer and Wigley was forced to sell him while he still had value as an eventer.

"The plan was always to sell him at the end of the campaign to pay for the trip."

The money will enable Wigley to work with two younger horses she has back in North Canterbury which hopefully one day will follow the same route as Black Drum – to the UK – to enable Wigley to achieve her goal of riding in an Olympics or world championships.

At 26 she has plenty of years left to achieve her goal.

"Those last four years have been an amazing time. It has given me so much experience at the top level of competition."

Wigley has had good support from fellow New Zealanders in England.

"Andrew Nicholson [a long time member of the national three-day event squad] has been really supportive of me and Mark Todd has been good too," Wigley said.

Even though she does not have a top horse, Wigley has been retained as a national squad member and a carded athlete in the Sparc system.

While Black Drum was in England Wigley spent time between there and New Zealand but now she will be based solely in New Zealand as she tries to bring two two-star horses, Enzo and Brogan, through to four-star level. Both are nine.

For the next three weeks she is in the North Island competing with the pair in three meetings. The first is in Palmerston North this weekend and the others are the Richfields and Punui events next month, two of the leading competitions in the country.All going well Wigley will be back in Britain in two years with one of the horses chasing her dream of a place in the New Zealand eventing squad.