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5 minute read
Young Horses Impress in The Howden Way Classes at Farley Hall
Promising young event horses were on show at Farley Hall over the weekend, as the venue hosted the next leg of The Howden Way Young Horse Series, featuring the 6- and 7-year-old classes. With ideal going and flowing, educational tracks, the event offered an invaluable experience for combinations aiming for autumn championships and beyond.
7-Year-Olds
Fiona Kashel secured the win in the 7-year-old section aboard Nutcracker Monbeg, owned by herself, Alex Taylor and Adrian Taylor. The combination impressed across all three phases to finish on a score of 40 having added just a few cross-country time penalties to their dressage of 36.4.
Fiona gave us some insight into the ride and how he performed at Farley; “I have been riding Nutcracker Monbeg for 2 years now, he is a lovely quality horse who is very genuine but very spooky. He wasn’t very keen going down the centre line towards a car with all its doors open but cross country he is very brave and straight. He will be aimed at the 7yr old championships at Cornbury. We were lucky to be one of the last horses to go cross country so it wasn’t quite as hot. He jumped an immaculate double clear and was very pleased with himself.”
The runner-up spot went to Louisa Lockwood and Kilcannon Orea, who added 5.2 cross-country time to their dressage of 34.8 to complete on a tie score of 40, however, the cross-country score takes precedence in this case and so Fiona Kashel just pipped her to take the lead. Amy Tough claimed third place riding Ballygriffin Odysseus finishing on 50.9.
6-Year-Olds
Victory in the 6-year-old class went to The Howden Way Young Horse Academy member Sam Gillespie riding La Belle au Bois, who completed on their dressage score of 29, having just added a pole in the showjumping to their dressage of 25.0, to top a strong field. Owned by Laura Davis, the mare, by LePrince Des Bois out of Galwaybay Alma, showed composure and talent across the phases.
Sam said; “I had great day at Farley with La Belle Au Bois (Annie), she did a lovely test so I was pleased she was rewarded with a good mark! She was great in the jumping phases and the XC felt like our one of our best rounds! Very pleased for her owner/breeder Laura Davis and Aria Grace Equine Law who sponsor Annie. I decided to do this class because it’s great to see where she is against others of her age group and after her successful season as a 5yo we were lucky enough to be selected to be part of The Howden Way Young Horse Academy, who sponsor these classes. The courses at Farley Hall are inviting and educational so it’s great preparation for her to get to her ready for the national young horse championships held at Cornbury which is our aim with her.’
Amy O’Connor and her own, Macatoo, finished on a score of 33.7, having added some time penalties on the cross country course, adding to their dressage of 29.3. Third place went to Tom Rowland with Venetia Blakey’s and Bunny Patrick’s Vicotremz Mission, who completed on a score of 42.
Event organizer Rachel Faulkner commented on holding the Howden Way Young Horse Classes; “We were thrilled to host the six- and seven-year-old qualifiers at Farley as part of the Howden Way Young Horse Leagues. It was a wonderful to watch some quality horses travelling across the park, and we’re proud to support their journey toward the finals at Cornbury. Congratulations to all those who qualified, we wish them the very best of luck.”
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