SARAH PARKER headed the Dartmoor/Exmoor/Shetland section of the ridden mountain & moorland finals at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) riding Westown Wild Fire.
This is the five-year-old Dartmoor stallion’s first showing season, having moved to Sarah’s yard at the start of the year by owner and breeder Sarah Weston.
“His breeder and owner Sarah hasn’t seen him since he moved – this is the first time she’s seen him in the flesh all year,” said Sarah, who qualified the stallion at the Derbyshire Festival of Showing.
The stallion by Westown Fire Cracker out of Cayberry Sugar Plum has had a successful season, coming second at the Royal International and winning two HOYS qualifiers alongside his HOYS title. He is also a breeding stallion.
“He’s got some lovely youngstock on the ground,” said Sarah. “He mixes breeding and being ridden really well and is an absolute gem at home – my two boys lead him around. He goes home for covering and then comes out to shows and it’s like nothing has been happening. He’s so chilled.”
Sarah keeps Wild Fire fit by riding him on the gallops and hacking him out regularly.
“He does a bit of everything,” she said. “We have just started jumping him as well – his dad jumps – so we’ll do a bit of workers through the winter with him, hopefully. He’ll also do the Heritage show and then we’ll aim him at Olympia in December.”
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