Defending titles and high scores: Hartpury KBIS Young Horse Semi Finals

It was a busy weekend at the NAF Hartpury International Festival of Dressage (30 June – 5 July) as the first selection of horses competed at the KBIS Young Horse Semi-Finals took place.

Rob Barker and Kilan's Bartholemew | Kevin Sparrow

In the four-year-old class, Jezz Palmer dominated with his three entries and three top five placings. Placing fourth, Martin Price’s Silas Anmore (Desperado x Special D) completed his test, impressing judges Paul Hayler and Susanne Baarup to score 7.74. In second place, Maverick Caledonia Anmore (My Vitality x Floriscount) was the highest placed British-bred horse in the class. Bred by Reay Campbell at the Caldeonia Stud in Scotland, Jezz piloted the chestnut gelding to be one of the two horses to score above 8.0 in the class and finish on 8.24. Commenting on his success, Jezz added “I went to Hartpury hoping to do well but I didn’t anticipate doing quite so well! I felt like we all prepared as well as we could and it really paid off. With some of the horses they can go into the arena at Hartpury and shrink into themselves but with Spotify, especially, I was so pleased with his focus and his confidence because he went in there and really rose to the occasion. He can be a bit sensitive, and especially as a three-year-old he was super sensitive, but he has really matured in himself recently and he went around the edge of the white boards and I just thought ‘wow. He feels really good!’. The judge’s comments especially have really made my whole season. Speaking to them, especially when they are as highly regarded as Paul and Susanne are, when they comment about how brilliantly in balance the horses are and complimenting how well I rode all of the horses that they judged, was just brilliant to hear.

In the five-year-old class, Tom Goode topped the scoreboard with Melissa Roos’ Dynamic Prince (Dynamic Dream x Foundation), scoring 8.22 in front of judges Louise Anne Bell and Susan Hoevenaars. The bay gelding scores eights across the board, boasting 8.4 for his walk and canter, 8.0 for his trot and way of going, and 8.3 for general impression. Reflecting on his results, Tom commented “We were delighted with Dyanmic Dream at Hartpury, he is a hot horse and last year as a four-year-old he found it all a bit too excited. He has developed a lot this year in strength and his test stayed completely focused and gave me a great feeling. He has three fantastic paces and really showed himself off well in our test. We are excited to ride in the Final at Nationals, he is a great talent for the future. Thanks go to Emile for helping me with him and to his owner Melissa Roos for her support.”

In the six-year-olds, Lily Laughton took a commanding lead aboard Georgia Keegan’s EQP Deidre (Glocks Dreamboy x Danone) to finish on 8.50 in a competitive field. The six-year-olds showed an extremely excited group of promise, with six horses having scores of 8.00 upwards. However, for Lily it with Deirdre who impressed judges Sara Jane Lanning and Michael Osinski to win, earning a 9.0 for the walk, 8.7 for general impression, 8.6 for way of going, 8.2 for her canter, and 8.0 in the trot. The British Hanoverian mare, bred by Equiperformance Ltd in Wiltshire is described by Lily as “absolutely incredible in the test”, and going on further to explain, “I had been out competing in Germany the week before Hartpury and came back that evening before, so we really didn’t have much preparation! Because of this, I didn’t have massively high expectations, I just went there to enjoy it and see what would happen. Deidre is a horse I can really rely on; she always gives me 110% in the arena and has never let me down in a test. She was so happy to be back at a competition again as our last outing was the Winters in April and she was really showing off to the judges. Being first in a class filled with such super quality horses and riders is never easy, so when I saw my score, I was over the moon. She’s not your typical, flashy horse; she is very correct and naturally stays in a lovely correct frame, so it was really special to get that score which was such a big improvement from our qualifier at Myerscough back in February. Her extended canters were a highlight, as well as the transition back to collected canter which is something we have been really working hard on, so for the judges to recognize that was really nice. She was so relaxed and happy, so her walk also felt brilliant. Hartpury put on a fantastic show, as always. It’s one of the highlights of my calendar- I never miss it!”

Finally in the seven-year-olds, Rob Barker defended his crown from last year with Christine Kirk’s Kilan’s Bartholemew (Baron x Dr Jackson). Bred by Eleri Jones at the Kilan Stud in Wales, this marked yet another great success for the British-bred young stars of this season. Infront of judges Richard Baldwin and Kristi Wysocki, the duo completed on an overall score of 79.417%, earning 76.833% for their technical performance and 8.20 for quality. “We were really pleased with Boris [Kilan’s Bartholemew] in the semi-finals. I felt we stayed together throughout the test, and it genuinely felt like we were just riding at home. That's always the feeling we are hoping for, and it's incredibly rewarding when it comes together in the arena. He is such an exciting horse, but we're very conscious that we want him to have a long, healthy and happy career. He's incredibly willing, so it's important to us that we manage him carefully and never ask too much of him too soon. His welfare will always come first, and we believe that taking that approach gives him the best chance to fulfil his potential.”

“I'm not someone who likes to set specific goals too far in advance, but if his development continues in the way it has, I wouldn't be surprised to see him step up to PSG this winter. For now, we'll keep focusing on producing him thoughtfully and enjoying the journey together.”

Congratulations to all placed riders, and those who collect their tickets to the KBIS final at the LeMieux National Championships. Thanks go to the organisers and team at Hartpury for delivering a superbly run event, and congratulations to all riders and connections for their hard work and excellent performances throughout.

Results – top five

Four Year Olds

1. Jezz Palmer and Spotify Anmore, 8.90

2. Jezz Palmer and Maverick Caledonia Anmore, 8.24

3. Tom Carter and Future Hope, 7.84

4. Jezz Palmer and Silore Anmore, 7.74

5. Lucinda Elliott and SJL Sunshine, M 7.62

Five Year Olds

1. Tom Goode and Dynamic Prince, 8.22

2. Amy Schiessl and Luxe Utopia MFS, 7.90

3. Imogen Swann and SJL Zebedee, 7.86

4. Lucy Palmer and Roulette III, 7.82

5. Rowan Collins and Melody HC, 7.76

Six Year Olds

1. Lily Laughton and EQP Deidre, 8.50

2. Tyla Schou and Vallemaggia, 8.12

3. Ashley Jenkins and Thomas Ticino, 8.10

4. Penny Smith and Leonid 2, 8.60

5. Lily Laughton and Viva Valentine, 8.04

Seven Year Olds

1. Rob Barker and Kilans Bartholomew, 79.417%

2. Dannie Morgan and Freya VI, 78.350%

3. Sadie Smith and River Rise Onassis, 77.634%

4. Tom Goode and Veto, 75.000%

5. Ruth Hole and 00 Heaven, 74.484%

FULL RESULTS