Nat Varcoe-Cocks' OCD Comes In Handy On Packing Day!

Nat Varcoe-Cocks

Natalie Varcoe-Cocks' years of
experience come in handy when 

packing for four horses' transatlantic
adventures!

Natalie Varcoe-Cocks, known as “just Nat V-C,” is an eventing groom extraordinaire. She's headed to Germany and England with Will Faudree and his horses. Nat is one of the best-known eventing grooms, having worked for David Green in England, Jan Byyny, and now Faudree since last year. Faudree’s Gavilan Farm is in Hoffman, N.C., just south of Southern Pines.

Originally from Australia, Nat has lived in the United States since 2004 and not only runs Faudree’s barn, but also does the basic training on a few CANTER sales prospects, and competes at the beginner novice level with them.

Faudree is headed to the Luhmuhlen CCI**** (Germany) with Pawlow, and the CIC*** with Andromaque. After that competition, June 15-19, Faudree, Pawlow, Andromaque and two younger horses will move on to England, where they’ll be based for the summer. Pawlow’s goal for the fall is the Burghley CCI**** (England).

"I can’t believe it’s the day we leave! Will and I left for JFK airport on Monday, as we have a 10-hour drive, and although we don’t have to be there until Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., we feel it's better not to interrupt our or the horses’ sleeping patterns too much by leaving at 2 a.m., or risk any problems, i.e the token tire blow-out you get when you’re on a strict time schedule! Will and I will stay in a hotel for the night, and the ponies, although it isn't the Ritz, will stay in their own hotel for the night.


On Sunday, I had to do the inevitable: PACK!!! I seem to always leave it to the day before. Some may call it procrastinating—I like to call it efficient! In the last week I have made sure that I had all the supplies and did a Walmart run and a tack store run just to get the essentials: peppermints for Ernie (Pawlow), special baby powder for Missie (Andromaque) and her lovely scratches that seem to always crop up at the wrong time.

Nat and Pawlow

Nat Varcoe-Cocks will be taking care of Pawlow (pictured) and
Andromaque at the Luhmuhlen three-day in Germany.

I like to collect everything in one area of our fabulously huge tack room (the show area). In all, it took me about four hours to gather it all together. Of course, my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder kicks in when I start, and everything has to be folded evenly and has to fit just so. But at about hour three, it all just fits whether it wants to or not!

In between packing, I was also setting jumps for Will and the working students, Jaz Hobart and Kaitlyn Mosing, with last-minute lessons for them and a final jump for Will. All went really well, with not a miss in sight. I always enjoy setting rails because I get to see how the young horses and students are progressing and when I'm in the warm-up arena at a show, it’s nice to know what to expect.

The tricky thing about Sunday’s packing was the fact that we’re not just going to Luhmuhlen and coming home—we head from there to the England, where we will be based for three months at Maizey Manor, Jackie Green’s property in Marlborough and my old barn. I worked there for David Green for four years. Will is flying home from Luhmuhlen to pick up another two horse, Peanut (Reisling du Bussey) and Andy (DHI Color Candy) to bring over for the summer, so I had to pack for them also.

Well, when I say pack, I mean put all the stuff I want to come over with them in one large trunk, hope that the other two trunks on order arrive, and leave it for my two fantastic girls we’re leaving at home—Jaz and Kaitlyn—to organize and pack!

 Before Packing

To begin packing, Nat Varcoe-Cocks
makes a huge pile of everything that
needs to go.

After Packing

And after she's done, it's all neat
and tidy.

After completing my packing and proudly showing it to everyone and anyone who walked near it (positive affirmation is a great thing), I knew that going home meant only more packing so off I went! By about 9:30 Sunday night, I was all packed (kind of), and my pups, Millie and Thumper, aren’t too distressed by the sight of the suitcases. Jaz will be looking after them and living in my house while I'm gone. I am so lucky to have two girls that love my dogs and that Will and I can leave behind; it's a lot of responsibility, and they take it all in their stride.

Monday is going to be a long day of show tunes and songs that “Will loves;” I can’t complain too much because half the time I sing along, and I am a terrible singer. Hopefully it will go without a hitch and without too much traffic..."

Fitness and the Short-Format

By Will Faudree

“Asleep, no one is a hypocrite” – William Hazlett

There is always a great quote that can be found to sum up any situation. William Hazlett’s quote is the first to come to my mind when I hear people talk about the lack of fitness and “time in the saddle” needed for the modern short format. Those of you who have competed in both the long and the short formats understand the lack of sleep we all get in preparing our horses for their major competitions. I have been very lucky in my short time in this fantastic sport and have had the opportunity to compete the same horse in both long and short format four-stars.

The first year that this reality really hit me was in 2005. I was just starting out in a barn on my own without the day-by-day guidance of Phillip Dutton and my aim was Badminton in May. I looked through my notes of the years before and planned my daily schedule. Badminton came and I had a very fit Antigua ready for the long format challenge. I was number 17 and despite throwing a shoe on steeplechase and the same one again on cross-country we finished the day fault-free. I remember galloping up the hill towards the Badminton house after fence 4AB (minute 1), and Antigua taking his deep breath.

Five months later, I was on my way to Fair Hill, a short format three-star. I did not change much about my galloping but did not go the length of my walking and trot sets. By minute 8 on the cross-country I had an exhausted horse; this was a completely foreign feeling for me… Antigua didn’t “hit the wall.” Like the true champion he was and still is, he buckled down and found another gear to carry on. I was so mad at myself while I was going around that I had abandoned what I knew worked.
 

It was after Fair Hill that year, while I was reflecting on why he got so tired and why he didn’t start to really take a deep breath until I was halfway around, that I would look out in the paddock and see Antigua doing his own trot sets. The value of feeling when your horse takes a deep breath teaches people how to ride around a course, long or short format. When the horse takes a deep breath, when you feel their lungs expand on your legs, it supplies oxygen that is needed for the horse/athlete to continue. By knowing your horse and understanding the course it is always good to recognize places where you as a rider can “throttle back” and allow the horse to breathe. (eg: bottom of a hill, in between fly type fences). Horses have to be taught how to take a deep breath while at speed through the gallop sets that we do at speed. 2006 came and I had the hopes of making the WEG squad but knew that if that was going to come true I was going to need a very strong and fit horse for Rolex. I went back to my notes and pulled my prep work out from the year before and mimicked my Badminton lead-up with a few changes in the galloping. I needed a gallop where I knew he was going to breathe and get the oxygen that he needed (including a bit more sprint work). I had a fit horse at Rolex and by minute 8 all we needed for the next gear was a deep breath.

Every horse is different and is going to handle fitness in their own way. Is the sport different? Yes. Does it take less fitness and horsemanship? NO. The best advice I can give is listen to you horse, tand ake note when they take a deep breath. The jumps come up quick and you can’t commit to them until you have the tools you need to answer the questions.

 

Above photo – Will Faudree and Antigua at the 2008 Olympic Games mandatory training session. Josh Walker photo.
Right photo – Faudree and Antigua at the 2008 final mandatory outing at The Fork. Mike McNally photo.