Isabelle Cook and Dutch gelding Parel landed the opening The Howden Way six-year-old class of the season, adding just a few cross-country time penalties to their 28.3 dressage score to finish on a total of 32.7.
Owned by Sarah Pelham, Millie Seagon, Jim Chromiak, and Shaun Lawson, the gelding by Karaldo VDL out of Gorusa B.S. started his career last season where he finished 14th in the five-year-old young horse championships at Cornbury. He was second in his last run at Lincolnshire in the BE100.
Isabelle said: “He was a really good boy, actually. It was his first novice and I definitely didn’t expect him to go and win – he exceeded all expectations. I just set out to see how he’d go, but he travelled and galloped so easily and jumped really well, so I let him roll on and it all came together. It was amazing.
“I’ve had him since the end of his four-year-old year and he’s very straightforward at home – easy to do and a lovely horse to have around. He can be a little bit spooky, but he’s generally very rideable and has four great owners from the same family behind him.
“For now, the plan is just to keep him at this level and let him gain experience. If he’s ready, we might look at a two-star later on, but as a six-year-old there’s no rush – it’s all about giving him a good, steady season and seeing how he develops.”
Kate Rocher-Smith was runner-up riding Lesley Rocher, Alice Rocher and Dassett Eventing’s KMS Dassett Envoy on a score of 41, while third place went to Sophie Wildern and her own Ardencotes Just My Luck on a score of 49.8.
In the seven-year-old ranks, Kate Rocher-Smith went one better on her second place in the six-year-old class to take the seven-year-old title riding Dassett Eventing’s Irish gelding Edentrillick Dassett Muze (I’m Special De Muze x Leestone Uno Momento).
Kate said: “I’m thrilled with how both horses have performed. Harley, the seven-year-old, came to me in November 2024 after a showjumping career in Ireland. He’s put a huge amount of effort into everything, and it’s lovely to see him really enjoying eventing and growing in confidence across all three phases. He loves cross-country, and you can see the benefits of his schooling coming through. Long-term, we hope to produce him for Leon and potentially beyond, but for now it’s about giving him a positive, educational season.
“My six-year-old, KMS Dassett Envoy, was runner-up in his class. I bought him at the same time as Harley, and he’s a very sharp, scopey horse who needs sensitive producing to channel his ability. He’s enjoying his trips out, learning with each experience, and we’ll be guided by him as to how far we push him this year. It’s been a really rewarding start for both of them.”
Runner up went to Max Warburton and Earl Dorado, owned by the rider, Nicola Salmon and Robin Salmon.
The series, supported by The Howden Way, is an ideal opportunity for riders to expose their up-and-coming eventers to the atmosphere of bigger venues, while competing against other horses of the same age. The classes offer recognition for the highest performing horses in these classes.
The Young Horse classes take place throughout the spring and summer in some of BE’s most stunning venues with the 6-year-old classes running at novice level, and the 7-year-old classes running at intermediate level.
The top three in each class receive an additional £250, £150, £100 respectively on top of the prize money already generated and awarded by the prize money calculator.
For dates of the young horse classes this year, please click here
Alongside these classes, the performance of young horses competing with British Eventing is acknowledged within The Howden Way Young Horse Leagues which can be found here. There are four leagues which cover the ages of 5 years, 6 years, 7 years and then the ages of 8 & 9 combined. The leagues display the average of a horse’s three best finishing scores via a Power Based Average score which highlights the ability to repeatedly finish on a low score.
The 2026 Young Horse Championships will take place at Cornbury House Horse Trials in Oxfordshire from 10–13 September.
For many combinations, the Young Horse classes also serve as preparation for the FEI World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d’Angers (15–18 October), which hosts:
Horses identified at the Cornbury House Young Horse Championships may be invited to attend The Howden Way Development Days. Selected combinations are then offered places within The Howden Way Young Horse Academy the following year.
Further information can be found at: www.thehowdenway.com/yha