from stuff.co.nz (dated 15mar11)

Canterbury eventer Alice Montgomery is hoping a season off with some inspiring experiences will help give her the push needed in the three-star eventing class at the 2011 New Zealand Horse of the Year Show in Hastings this week.

The 24-year-old groomed for New Zealand team bronze medallist Clarke Johnstone at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky which was an "unforgettable" experience for the budding young architect. She also groomed for him twice at events in Australia, and says she learned as much as she could at all three.

"It's a great way to learn about these top events without having the pressure of your own horse there."

After the February 22 earthquake Montgomery, who was recently awarded a Prime Minister's Scholarship, headed north with three horses – her star Gordon, along with two younger ones.

In her sights are the main eventing classes for New Zealand – Horse of the Year and the Kihikihi World Cup.

"There's some talk the trans-Tasman will be run at Taupo in May and if that happens I'll hopefully make the team for that too."

Another option though is that if Gordon is on song, Montgomery says she might look at taking him to the Sydney World Cup, also in May.

Montgomery has had her 14-year-old warm blood cross horse Gordon since he was six, bringing him through to the three-star level. When she headed to university, he went to stay with top eventer Matthew Grayling with the Beijing Olympics in mind. However, injury put paid to that and he headed home to recoup.

Luck hasn't been on Montgomery's side in recent years. She also had a lovely horse, Tanqueray, whom she was hoping to take to the London Olympics, but he died in January 2010 in a tragic accident.

"He'd had chronic staggers so I was just lunging him and a dog walked into the arena. He reared up, broke his neck and died in front of me."

Gordon also went out with injury in June and came back into work only at the end of the year. It meant Montgomery slipped off the 2016 NZ squad she had worked so hard to make.

"Now I have a paddock full of youngsters with Gordon. He's come back into work really well though and I showjumped him for a couple of months and I think he feels better than he did at the end of last season."

After the world championships, Montgomery broke the same finger twice but she says it's healed now. As well as Gordon, she has brought north seven-year-old thoroughbred Citadelle and five-year-old Latitude South, but will not enter them this week.

This will be the third time Montgomery has competed at Horse of the Year. The first time she had to withdraw her horse after he stepped on a piece of metal piping and went lame. Last year she was leading going into the showjumping but "choked" and ended up fifth.

"I am a bit of a nerve girl really," she admits. "There will be some seriously polished performances at HoY so I will need to be on my game."

But she's notched good results in the past – her best probably fourth at the Kihikihi World Cup in 2010 aboard Gordon.

Montgomery is one of more than 2600 combinations – including a number from Canterbury – at the week-long show, starting today.