Text © World of Showjumping

During last weekend’s CSI4* British Speed Derby at the Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting, Great Britain’s Harriet Biddick and Silver Lift (Easy Lift x Silver Cloud) were caught in a scary situation as the gelding’s hackamore bridle broke in the middle of the penultimate line between a bank and a triple combination consisting of three planks. However, the 18-year-old Silver Lift handled the situation with incredible ease, jumping the planks unfazed and in perfect balance with his rider, and, overnight, the video of the two went viral. World of Showjumping called up Biddick to learn more about what actually happened. 

Biddick’s 18-year-old Silver Lift has won The Hickstead Speed Derby three times and this year was their attempt on a record; no lady rider has won The British Speed Derby four times, and neither has the same horse. “He is a speed derby specialist and a well-known speed horse in England because he is hard to beat against the clock, and he has always been very consistent,” Biddick tells about her incredible equine partner. “He feels really good to be 18, and absolutely loves his job, so he will tell me when he wants to retire. There are not many shows like Hickstead and The British Speed Derby where the money is so good for that level – he is a 1.35-1.45m horse – and that is why I mostly save him for this, because it rewards both him and us. He loves Hickstead, the crowd and the arena, it just builds him up and gives him a buzz and that is something he really enjoys and loves.” 

“As we took off at the third last fence, which is a type of derby bank, his hind leg slipped,” Biddick tells. “As I lost my balance for a second when he slipped, I took an unnaturally hard pull and I could feel the bridle break. When we landed, I knew it had broken, so I tried to be really soft and keep the hackamore on his nose. I thought that if I could keep it straight, it would stay on, but he threw his head up and the bridle flew off and slipped over his head.”

The bridle came off due to Silver Lift’s small slip and was not a tack-malfunction. “I had checked everything, there were new holes punched in before the class, it was basically brand new,” Biddick points out. “It was just caused by an awkward movement you normally would never do. My groom did nothing wrong, she is very experienced and I have a great team. For me as a rider, I would check anything and everything and we all work together, so there was no one to blame.”

“I was lucky to be on a horse that is so honest; he coped so well with a situation that was not normal. Actually, I am lucky that he goes in a hackamore; he is not strong, he is easy and straight forward,” Biddick says. “I think there are horses you can trust in a situation like this and there are horses that might panic. All I had to do was to make sure I kept the bridle in my hand; I did not want anything hanging around his legs. He doesn’t even wear a martingale, he has a free way of going, so when the bridle went off, the only thing that stayed around his neck was the throat flash.”

The bridle came off two strides off the bank, but luckily, Silver Lift had locked on to the following fences. “He is so honest and has done the course a few times already,” Biddick explains. “We were on a good distance, so I just stayed as quiet as I could, tried to relax my body to not rush him and we managed to jump over the planks without a bridle. The very last fence of the course was on our right, and I did look over there, trying to tell him that it is there, in case you want to do it,” she laughs. “However, the hill at Hickstead kind of carries you to the side, so we rolled past the last fence. I felt like I was crazy to even think we could jump the last fence as well, but that is how much trust I have in this horse.”

“The crowd saw the bridle come off and gasped, but then when he went on and jumped the planks, they started cheering because it was so impressing,” Biddick continues. “However, that made him go a bit quicker and we did a whole round around the arena. Luckily, Silver Lift knew where the exit was, and thanks God my groom was there with about twenty people, and no one moved. I was worried that as we were approaching them quite fast, they would flinch. I kept thinking ‘please don’t move because I don’t know where I will go if you do’. Thankfully, they all stood their ground and Silver Lift stopped there. He is shy to people and you cannot catch him in a field, so as we were cantering around, I was thinking that this could be a really long gallop!” 

Biddick’s result was recorded as a retirement, because she lifted her hands up as they passed the last fence. “It was a gesture to say ‘I want to, but I can’t’,” she laughs. “So, the judges recorded it as a retirement, they kind of laughed when they saw me afterwards. I was smiling on the outside, but on the inside, I did feel that this could have gone really wrong… Luckily, I have had him since he was five, and I know him so well. There is a good bond and a long relationship between me and my horse, and I think that, as well as the fact that he is so honest, contributed to the situation ending well. Him jumping the planks in such a beautiful way just shows how honest and sensible he is; not many horses would have done that, I think. He is amazing to have looked after me in this way.” 

“With him, it has always been about a soft, light seat and I saw some comments in social media on how I should have sat deep in the saddle to make him stop,” Biddick continues. “However, with a horse like him – who is very sensitive and half thoroughbred – everything I do is about light movements. I have produced him so that he listens to my body rather than my hand, and that is why he is so good against the clock; he is so responsive to little movements. All I could think was that if I just sit up, he will sit up, and if I stay cool and centred, he will as well. I was going a bit quicker than I would have liked, but the distance to the plank was good, it helped me so that I could just stay where I was.” 

“It was a mad experience,” Biddick concludes. “Silver Lift is such a unique and amazing horse, and this shows just how incredible he is. I am in awe of him: I knew he would look after me, but to experience this together really made me understand how unique our partnership and connection is.”

27.6.2023 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.