Top British dressage rider Fiona Bigwood has welcomed an exciting new horse to her stables.
The four-year-old Newton Silvernite, aka Seth, arrived with Fiona shortly after Christmas, and the Olympic silver medallist said: “He has been a star from the minute he walked onto the yard.”
British-bred gelding Seth came from Elite Dressage in Devon, and is by Toerveslettens Sylvester, out of the Don Schufro x De Niro mare Donna Schufro.
“Anna Ross called me to ask if I was interested in a young horse, and seeing a clip of Seth on a video I drove straight down to see him,” said Fiona. “I watched him trot twice and wanted to buy him.”
“He’s really talented and looks to have everything so far, including the paces – in the trot his elevation is unbelievable,” Fiona told H&H. “It’s so nice to have a horse in the yard with that kind of quality and it’s nice that he is British-bred as well – Anna wanted him to stay in the UK.”
Fiona hasn’t made any firm plans for 2023 with Seth, but said: “If he is confident enough, we’ll take him out, and maybe start with some arena hire. I don’t want to overdo it with him, as he is really exciting.”
She added that her daughter, 16-year-old international junior rider Mette Dahl, has also taken a shine to Seth.
“Mette and I are fighting over who is going to ride him,” Fiona joked. “Anna also warned me that when I start to take him out to shows, he’s going to end up having a fan club on the sidelines, made up of her team.
“I am looking forward to the future with this one.”
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