Showing producer Katie Jerram (pictured with The Queen) has six horses in to campaign for Her Majesty The Queen this season. Katie talks about her relationship with The Queen in tomorrow’s issue of Horse & Hound (21 April) and shares their plans for each equine below
Sparkler
Sparkler is out of Stardust IV, whom Katie successfully showed for The Queen in riding horse and ladies’ classes, and by Power Blade.
The two-year-old will make a large riding horse.
“He’s long reining and being lunged at the moment, and will be backed in October as a late two-year-old,” reveals Katie. “Sparkler has been the quirkiest to rug up and has taken the longest to get going with. He’d always been out in the field before he came here and never stabled, apart from coming in to have his feet trimmed.”
Lancer
This home-bred yearling will make a show hunter. By Landpirol out of the Welton Adonis mare Starlight, Lancer will be shown as a yearling this term.
“He’s being walked around the yard in full tack and goes out every day,” says Katie. “We’ve started his education while also remembering that he’s only a yearling. He’s an exciting mover and the plan is for me to keep him long term.”
Donation
This three-year-old by Kentucky out of Dolce Luciana was bred by Gestut Wiesenhof and gifted to The Queen.
“Donation will make a small hunter,” says Katie, who has had the 15.2hh horse for two years and will show him in-hand as a trakehner this season.
“He’s been sat on and ridden away already, and will tick over during the summer by hacking out so that he’s learning while enjoying himself.
“Donation still needs to got to grow into his ears — they are huge! — but he’s a lovely mover and I’m excited about him. He’s bred to jump, so he could do workers in the future.”
L-r: Tower Bridge, Testimony, Barbers Shop, Lancer, Donation and Sparkler
Testimony
Katie describes this six-year-old mare by No Aman as “a slow maturer”. Testimony is another of The Queen’s home-breds and has been with Katie for three years. She will contest large hack classes.
“Testimony did one show last season but she wasn’t ready. I’m hoping she will be in The Queen’s birthday parade at Royal Windsor Horse Show, but we’ll take it day by day.
“Testimony is from a family line that need to take their time. That’s what’s so lovely about The Queen — she’s prepared to give her horses time and not rush them.”
Tower Bridge
Katie broke in this six-year-old when he was two.
“He’s won a lot on the county circuit and at some good shows, so he’s done it all well ahead of his years,” says Katie of this heavyweight hunter.
“He’s a big strong horse and was bred to be a charger, but he came out the wrong colour.”
Nevertheless, Tower Bridge is due to return to Windsor Castle later this year to begin charger duties.
“I’m hoping he’ll stay with me all season, but I’ll do what I’m told,” adds Katie. “He’s kind, very straightforward — he’s quite boring in that way — and a very nice chap to have on the yard.”
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Barbers Shop
This top class former chaser — who retired from National Hunt racing with more than £143,000 to his name — will contest Retraining of Retraining (RoR) and ladies classes again in 2016.
Last year’s accolades include taking the RoR ridden horse title at Royal Windsor and standing supreme at the RoR championships in August.
“He’s a gentleman and won the first RoR class that I took him in, at South of England Spring. He’s got such a big heart and will hopefully have another good season in the ring.”
Come back to horseandhound.co.uk on Friday to find out about how Katie retrained Barbers Shop for the ring — and why it wasn’t a straightforward process.
