As Barbury welcomes Kauto Star, it’s competition as usual for new partner Laura Collett

Local event rider Laura Collett will be taking racing legend Kauto Star to the Barbury Horse trials this week (July 4-7) for a VIP appearance – and a display of his new skills.

Last October he was retired from racing by his owner, Clive Smith, and sent to Collett’s Membury Estate yard near Ramsbury.  There with the expert tuition of British Eventing’s World Class Performance Director, Yogi Breisner, Laura has been seeing if Kauto Star can retrain for dressage.

He certainly appears to have the temperament for it. Laura told Marlborough News Online: “He’s great.  He’s just a lovely horse.  He’s been very easy and seems to enjoy a challenge. He’s just a very intelligent horse – so he picks things up very quickly.”

French bred Kauto Star won the King George VI chase five times and the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice.  He won £2,375,883 in prize money – more than any other National Hunt horse in the sport’s history.

Laura will be riding him in the Parade of Racing Legends on Sunday, July 7 at noon.  He’ll be joined by Denman his former stable-mate at Paul Nicholls’ yard.  And if conditions are right Kauto Star will give a dressage display.  

But as Laura’s mother, Tracy Collett, says, with the cross country course clearly visible from the main ring, he may prefer to try and join in.

Laura meanwhile has a complicated schedule of competition rides to fit in.  She rides Rayef (known at the stables as Henry) and Noble Bestman in the three star eventing competition.  She has a young seven-year-old, Obos Cooley (aka Finn), in the two star class.

On top of that she has two horses in the novice class which probably means riding dressage, cross country and show jumping all in one day.

Laura’s a huge fan of the Barbury Horse Trials.  It’s fairly local for her, but such is the tight schedule, she’ll have to stay over at the course for a couple of nights.

But the main plus is Barbury’s wonderful grass cover: “Whatever the weather, the ground is just great.”

And beyond Barbury?   At the beginning of August, she’ll be competing at Gatcombe Park in the British Eventing Open Championship. Laura will be riding eleven-year-old mare Allora 3: “It is certainly one of the most prestigious titles there is and to win would be amazing. If you look down the list of former winners the very best have won – and to be among them would be incredible.””