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5 minute read
Young Horse Titles Decided at Aston le Walls in The Howden Way Young Horse Classes
Aston-le-Walls played host this weekend to three prestigious titles as part of The Howden Way Young Horse Classes, offering a spotlight to some of the most exciting equine talent in the country. The competition saw standout performances across the 6- and 7-year-old divisions, as riders took to the well-presented courses to show the progress of their up-and-coming stars.
Phoebe Locke Steers Kilmanahan Ulysses to 7-Year-Old Class Win
In the 7-year-old section, it was Phoebe Locke who rose to the top with her own Kilmanahan Ulysses, adding just cross-country time penalties to their for a finishing 32.1 dressage to finish on a mark of 33.7. The Irish gelding by Ulysses M2S out of Kilmanahan Sally, has been building an impressive track record this season, including multiple top ten finishes in the Howden Way classes so far this season.
Phoebe commented:
“I feel the horse really deserved this win, he’s come 2nd and 4th in his other 7yr old classes. He’s a very talented horse who I hope will go all the way he has a huge heart so willing he really struggles with the dressage but he tries so hard and makes up with it with his jumping I don’t think he’s had a rail all season. Aston was super, Nigel and his team made a huge effort with the ground which is very much appreciated given the weather! It’s so rewarding as I’ve had this horse since 4-years-old and seeing him progress up the levels so well makes all the hard work worth it, I hope I have the opportunity to produce many more horses like him.”
Both Austin O’Connor and Amelia Walker Excel in the 6-Year-Old Classes
This weekend at Aston, there were two sections for the youngest category, Section T saw Austin O’Connor and Oldrock Amy take the win, with a score of 30.5 securing them the win. The Irish mare, owned by Tina Mosvold performed well around a great track at Aston-le-Walls.
Austin said:
“Aston as always produced great ground, especially the showjumping, which was up to height and the cross country was a decent but fair track for the 6-year-olds.
We have had her from the beginning, Tina Mosvold brought her as a 3yr old, shes a big mare and we have produced her slowly, it took her a while to find her feet. She was 3rd at Burghley Young Event Horse finals but we are prioritising giving her time to develop. The conditions at Aston were just perfect and so we kicked on. With her, the aim is a longer term goal to keep educating her and keep produce her slowly up the ladder.”
Amelia Walker and NWF Demolux, who are members of The Howden Way Young Hose Academy, took the lead in Section U, just adding a couple of cross country time to their sub-30 dressage score of 28.3, this meant they finished on 30.3. The Irish gelding, by Democrat out of NWF Lux Diamond performed well earlier in the season at Little Downham and climbed to the top of the podium this weekend.
Amelia said:
“I was so pleased with Ernie, I’ve had him since a 3-year-old, he’s such a trier and just a pleasure to ride and train. He’s great in each phase and just so glad he managed to pick up the win as he so deserves it. We’re very lucky as Aston’s our local venue and Nigel and the team do such an amazing job with the whole event but especially the ground, which was amazing! Ernie aims for the 6yo class at Cornbury which isn’t far away now, so this was result was great preparation for that. We recently went along to some of the Howden Way training which was so helpful and I felt improvement in all 3 phases, which was a great feeling. I’m very lucky to be a part of this programme with this horse so it was nice to win one of their classes with him.”
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 2025 Young Horse Championships take place at Cornbury House Horse Trials in Oxfordshire between 11-14 September. The classes will also benefit those aiming their young horses at the FEI World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, which hosts a CCI2*-L World Championship for six-year-olds and a CCI3*-L World Championship for seven-year-olds. Horses identified at the Cornbury House Young Horse Championships are invited to The Howden Way Development Days, and if selected, invited to join The Howden Way Young Horse Academy for the following year.
More details of which can be found here: www.thehowdenway.com/yha
Image: Amelia Walker and NWF Demolux (Matt Nuttall Photography)