“Quite amazingly, I remember jumping the last fence and feeling all sorts of emotions, but one certainly was relief,” Scott Brash recalls about the day he won the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping at Spruce Meadows in 2015. “However, in a weird sense, one emotion I felt was sadness – my team and I had worked towards the goal of achieving the Rolex Grand Slam for such an extensive period, for it to suddenly be completed, it was emotional. The question I was thinking was – ‘What now? What next?’” 

With the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping celebrating its 10-year anniversary since its creation, Great Britain’s Olympic team champion and former world number one Scott Brash met the media at the Spruce Meadows 'Masters' to share what the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping has done for the sport as a competition and how it has affected Brash and his fellow Testimonees as well as other riders. 

“It has been a great opportunity for all the riders, and I think it has really improved our sport,” Brash began. “The creation of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping has given us all major goals to aim for during the year. It brings out the best horse-and-rider combinations, those that are at the top of their game want to be at these Majors. It is amazing what it is has done for our sport and we are all very thankful of it.”

“All four Majors have an amazing audience that are just brilliant – they create a fantastic atmosphere in these arenas, it is so great to experience as a rider. CHI Geneva occurs just before Christmas and is a very big indoor show, so big in fact, it nearly feels like an outdoor show – which makes it fantastic to ride there. The Dutch Masters is a little bit smaller so it’s a more compact indoor show. These two events are run over two jumping rounds and so are very different to the two outdoor shows CHIO Aachen and CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament. The jumping at Aachen is tough, with a lot of jumping challenges like the water jump, and even in the third round, one is against the top three or four rider and horse combinations in the world normally, and then finally, Spruce Meadows is regarded as one of the hardest Grand Prix’s in the world to win. You could even say that it is the hardest Grand Prix as there has only ever been one or two double clears, which shows how challenging it is, and it is probably the highest selection of jumps a rider will come across. I remember when they were allowed to raise it to 1.70m, I spoke to the course designer and he said there were three verticals that were 1.70m and of those three verticals, only one fell down once – which just shows the standard of horse and riders that attend these events.”

Looking back on this 10-year anniversary of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, Brash is the only rider ever to have won the title. “I remember that the day before, I had a lot of media duties, so I was pretty tired – which meant I went to bed at a reasonable time and had a really good night's sleep,” he said about the day of his third win at Spruce Meadows. “I arrived at the show ground early about 7:30am on the morning of the Grand Prix, and I remember walking down to see what the course was going to be – to see as many elements as I could with no one else around – I was just very focused. Then I went back to ride Hello Sanctos, as I always would before a big competition, to ensure his muscles are warm.”

“I remember working him in and just knowing that he felt really good. I think he was probably the fittest I've ever had in him in his life. I would say that here and in London (2012) were the two shows that I really peaked his fitness for, so he felt really good working him in and we both remained focused on the competition ahead. We then jumped and went on to win and I remember it so clearly; as an example of just how fit he was, even when we were walking out of the ring, I noticed he had not even broken a sweat – he was in that great a shape. We have some incredible photographs of that day, as you can imagine, and he looked a million dollars. It was an amazing day in my career.”

“I tried to keep the same routine for Hello Sanctos,” Brash continued. “Naturally, it was probably slightly different as I was more focused on the day. One of the great aspects of my riding style is that the more important the competition is, the more focused I become. I was certainly very focused on that day and totally focused on what was right for Hello Sanctos. I therefore kept his same routine to ensure that everything remained the same for him. At the end of the day, he didn’t know that he was jumping for the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping; to him, it was just another day and another course, so we just focused on beating the course.”

“There was certainly something different about the atmosphere – I remember all the riders standing at the end gate whilst I was entering. Although I was very focused, you could see it and sense it. When I rode in, I remember you could hear a pin drop – it was that silent. I don’t think there was much difference in the way my fellow competitors acted, perhaps it was just a matter of respect such as providing me with more space in the warm-up ring – no one wanted to be in the way which was appreciated. Quite amazingly, I remember jumping the last fence and feeling all sorts of emotions, but one certainly was relief. However, in a weird sense, one emotion I felt was sadness – my team and I had worked towards the goal of achieving the Rolex Grand Slam for such an extensive period, for it to suddenly be completed, it was emotional. The question I was thinking was – 'What now? What next?' But yes, on top of this, I definitely felt excitement, jubilation, the joy, the excitement – my owners were here as well, my father, my family. It was amazing to have them there to share this great achievement with. I think when you are having a down day, or when things are not going very well, you can always think back to that day, and it makes you feel positive.”

“Just because I have won it, it does not take any of my determination away to try and achieve that feat again. I am still determined to do so. It can definitely be won again – anything is possible, but everything has to go right on the day for the rider. In our sport, we are working with a living animal, and sometimes things can go wrong that can be out of our control. The year after winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, Ursula XII was very close. She was second in CHIO Aachen, we won at CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters' and came third in CHI Geneva. I remember thinking that we should have won Geneva – it is still one of the rounds that still haunts me from losing by such as small margin. I was last to go with four tenths of a second too slow – I have never been so disappointed coming home from a show.” 

“I think you can only win a Grand Prix through having a good partnership,” Brash concluded. “A great partnership is only forged through working with your horse every day. It is vital to understand what they like, and this is done by learning how to read them. When I walk a course, I try to visualize it through Hello Jefferson’s mind; I think that he will jump a touch to the right a double, and that he may land a bit short there and so on. I know him really well and vice versa, he knows me, he knows the pressure that I give. You only get that from working with them every day and from doing the groundwork and looking after him in the stable. You wouldn’t see him lie down; he always has to remain active. A great and solid partnership is created through working closely with them every day and knowing them extremely well.”

• Rolex has been a committed partner of equestrianism for over 65 years, dating back to 1957 when pioneering British show jumper Pat Smythe became the sport’s first Testimonee

• Launched in 2013, and supported by Rolex from the outset, the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping rewards the outstanding rider who wins three consecutive Majors at four of the world’s most historic shows – The Dutch Masters, CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament, CHIO Aachen and CHI Geneva