A quirky Welsh cob who’s tested his connections’ patience over the years came out on top of a huge Petplan Equine novice bronze championship at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships today (21 April).
Sophie Lawson and Hannah Brock’s Llanarth Magestic scored 72.22% to come out on top of a field of 40, and Sophie said she was speechless to have won.
The 13-year-old chestnut gelding by Llanarth Prince Of Wales is multi-talented – he was produced for a showing career by Sam Roberts and went to the Royal International Horse Show – but has proved somewhat complicated to train, with Sophie describing him as “cheeky and fairly opinionated”, with a pretty serious buck in him.
“When you get him on side he’s amazing, but he does like to have a say every now and again, and he wouldn’t be the easiest to ride,” she said. “He’s been known to have a few ‘extra’ moves, which we do try to keep to outside the ring.”
“Sophie has worked so hard with him,” added owner Hannah, who bought him from the Llanarth stud as a two-year-old.
“He would definitely have an ASBO [anti-social behaviour order],” she joked. “I don’t think many people would have put up with him as long as Sophie has.”
Both Hannah and Sophie are new to dressage – “I didn’t even know [the Winter Dressage Championships] existed until two months ago,” said Hannah, with Sophie explaining that even to qualify to compete here at Hartpury was a complete surprise.
“It’s been a learning curve,” said Hannah, “but we’ve well and truly got the dressage bug now.”
Maeve Morris and Headmore Footloose winning the Horselight medium silver title at the Winter Dressage Championships 2023
Meanwhile, a family-bred gelding gave his breeder and rider plenty to smile about when he clinched the Horselight medium silver title. Headmore Footloose, bred by Nicola Morris and ridden by Nicola’s stepdaughter Maeve Morris, scored 70.5% to pip Alicia Laughton and Armada Bathsheba to the top spot.
“He felt really brilliant – it all came together today,” said Maeve, who had a baby 18 months ago and says it’s been tough getting back to a consistent riding routine since.
The pair won the elementary silver title at the Winter Dressage Championships in 2020, and competed at the 2022 National Dressage Championships at medium, finishing ninth. But Maeve explained that the Florencio x Dimaggio son has come on in leaps and bounds over the winter, and the increase in strength showed at Hartpury.
Winter Dressage Championships: Dannie does it again
The 2023 NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships will go down in history as a week of dreams for Dannie Morgan, as he landed his fourth title in three days. Dannie rode Kristina Rausing’s Vive La Reinne VH to victory in the Equi-Trek elementary gold on 74.84%, having already piloted this lovely mare to the PDS Saddles elementary freestyle title yesterday, and finishing second on Oh My VH.
It was a one-two not for Dannie this time, but for Kristina, who also owns the second-placed horse, the seven-year-old Belinski, who was ridden to 73.59% and a second reserve championship of the week by Henry Boswell.
Later in the day, Dannie’s partner Davy Harvey scooped his first ever national title, winning the Superflex inter I gold on 72.7% with Judy Peploe’s 15-year-old Hawtins Rossana.
Davy Harvey and Hawtins Rossana take the Superflex inter I title at the Winter Dressage Championships 2023
Davy explained that this was the first time the “spicy” chestnut has stayed onside throughout a test at this level.
“She normally says, ‘I’ll do it’ and you just have to hang on, so the aim of today was to half-halt and rebalance and try to have a bit more influence and it came off. I’ve never felt like I’ve had that the whole way round before,” he said.
That being said, Davy says that the key to success with the hot Rubin Royal daughter has been compromise.
“They have to trust you and it’s taken her a long time; everything has to be a bit of a compromise,” he said. “There’s definitely some truth in the old saying: ‘Ask a mare, tell a gelding, discuss it with a stallion’.”
Becky Moody filled the second and third spots in the inter I, with her prix st georges freestyle champion James Bond 2 finishing just 0.25% behind Davey in second, and Jack Diamond taking third.
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