Deep in the Yorkshire countryside lies Emma Blundell’s Mount St John stud, well-known for breeding and producing some of most successful dressage horses of recent years. H&H’s breeding editor Polly Bryan takes a look around the stunning stud, which has produced the likes of Charlotte Dujardin’s new team contender, Mount St John Freestyle
Emma Blundell’s enviable Mount St John set-up nestles in the rolling north Yorkshire countryside, with stunning views and superb facilities
The stunning competition barn was officially opened in 2015, by none other than Charlotte Dujardin. It features wooden beams, red-brick walls and spacious Röwer & Rüb stables, all accented with Mount St John maroon
Members of the Mount St John team with some of the stud’s expectant mares. L-R: Carla Richardson with Front Row, Kay Lamb with Ehrendame, Loran Storey with De Luxe, Emma Blundell with Tia Nova and Atterupgaards Dallara and Chris Goudy with Royal Weltino and First Lady
The stud is expecting 37 foals in total this season; this is one of the early fillies, by Dream Boy out of Emma’s foundation mare, Deja-Vu
Emma with the first foal she bred back in 2009, MSJ Front Row (by For Compliment), this year in foal to Franz Ferdinand
The enormous, airy mare barn — which can house up to 65 mares — was the first building Emma added after returning from university to launch her business
The Mount St John youngsters live just down the road in their own spacious barn, which houses up to 25 horses in groups of five. The stud is currently home to around 120 horses in total
Among the stud’s brilliant facilities is a water treadmill, used frequently by the competition horses including Samboco, pictured
The stud’s head rider, Australian Jayden Brown, gives one of their top dressage mares, MSJ Top Secret (by Totilas), some variety in her work
Jayden Brown schools Atterupgaards O2 — recently double reserve champion at the British Dressage winter championships — in the vast indoor school
Emma with the Ferro broodmare Resia (right), the dam of KWPN licensed stallion Dream Boy, and her 2015 daughter, MSJ Keep Dreaming (by Geniaal)
The stud’s breeding facilties include a specialist vet room with stocks, heat lamps and secure medical stores, as well as an embryo and breeding lab
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