Laura Tomlinson lights up HOYS to claim second Future Elite Championship title

The future stars of British dressage took centre stage at the Horse of the Year Show (8 October), where Laura Tomlinson claimed her second Dressage Future Elite Championship title. Partnering the exciting young gelding Ostmarks Digal, Laura produced a winning performance to head an exceptional line-up of international riders and rising talent.

© 1st Class Images

Multiple European, World and Olympic silver medallist Laura Tomlinson claimed her second Future Elite title, having won on her homebred gelding Forest Hill back in 2024. This year she was back with her own and Ursula Bechtolsheimer’s eight-year-old gelding Ostmarks Digal (Grand Galaxy Win x De Noir), who claimed top spot with a final score of 77.792%. Performing in front of judges Nick Burton (H), Clive Halsall (C) and Andrea Smith (M), Laura danced her way round the upbeat melody, entering to Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Lets Get Loud’, earning two 8.5’s and a 9.0 for her Music and Interpretation of the music. Speaking after her test, head judge Clive Halsall commented “I think that Laura, very rightly, was very pleased with that. She’s quietly excited about this horse being a future champion, so I can quite understand the big smiles!”

Laura and Ostmarks Digal, who is affectionately known as Smeagol at home, won the Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges and D&H Intermediate I Gold titles at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships just last month. Reflecting on their performance from Wednesday evening, Laura told us that “he’s only eight, he’s never done a freestyle, but he felt like he really enjoyed himself in front of this crowd… He was amazing at the Nationals, which was a very different test and arena to this, but I couldn’t be happier with him. He felt like he got more and more confident as he went along.”

Talking about her experience of the Future Elite Championships, Laura told us “It’s such a fun show to come to. It’s something different, and going straight into the Freestyle in such a big atmosphere with no build up and quite difficult warm up facilities for our big dressage horses… it throws them in the deep end a little bit. It’s an amazing way to give them the experience, but also see how they cope when they are taken out of their comfort zones a bit more.”

Smeagol, who stands at over 18hh, has been partnered with Laura for just over a year now, and has been quietly gaining experience in the white boards since his BD debut in April. This formidable pair won at the Chart Stables International Dressage Premier League at Hickstead in the Prix St George, and again at the Wellington Premier League less than a month later. They then went on to make their Intermediate I debut at the Hartpury Premier League, where they finished second on an incredible 72.06%. “I was absolutely delighted with my horse”, Laura told us, “he’s a really big horse, so that warm up did feel really small for him. He really dug deep [for me] and seemed to really enjoy the Freestyle”.

After the prizegiving, Laura went on to explain that “He never would have stood [for the post-test interview] at the Nationals… during the prize giving, once he was moving, he was absolutely fine. It is such a good opportunity and experience for him to understand that these things happen, it’s nothing scary, and everything is fine, so it’s really great for him”. At the heart of Laura’s training philosophy, she explained that “every time I bring him out, as far as I can, I try to make sure I am giving him a good experience. It’s why, during the test, I try to find little opportunities to give him a pat and keep reassuring him because although he looks very impressive and he is very powerful, he is still a young guy so he is not always as confident as he might look”. Finally, she went on to explain that “It is my job to go along and say, ‘you are a champ… you still need to listen to me, but you are a champ and you can do this!’, so that he starts to think that competing is fun. At the end of the day, when you go all the way to Grand Prix level, it’s a lot to ask of a horse and you have to make sure that they enjoy it – the horses that look like they enjoy it do the best.”

Finishing behind Laura was fellow Olympian and multiple team medallist Gareth Hughes aboard the Flamboyant Dressage Stud's 10-year-old black stallion Morricone III (Millennium x Rubin-Royal OLD). The pair earned 75.917% after a stunning freestyle performance set to a compilation of music by Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone, a fitting tribute to the stallion's namesake. Speaking immediately after his test, Gareth praised the young stallion, saying: "He was brilliant. He's never been in an atmosphere like this before." He added that "He's a star pupil. He tries so hard in the arena not to make a mistake, so tonight I couldn't have been more pleased with him." This was then supported by head judge Clive Halsall, who echoed Gareth's admiration, saying that "He's just the ultimate professional. The horse kept his cool, but I'm sure that's because Gareth kept his cool. They had really good choreography and he's just the king of pirouettes!" Turning his attention to Morricone III, Clive added that "He really is a beautiful horse" and is "incredibly impressive in the arena."

Completing the star-studded line-up was multiple national title holder and current FEI CDI1* World Ranking number two Dannie Morgan with the eight-year-old gelding Fever Tree (Foundation 2 x Dayano). Known as Gordon at home, Fever Tree has firmly established himself as one of British dressage's brightest stars since making his championship debut as a four-year-old. The pair have enjoyed remarkable success together, claiming KBIS Young Horse Championship titles at four, five and six years old, alongside National titles at Novice, Elementary, Medium and Advanced Medium level. Most recently, they added another accolade to their growing collection at the 2026 LeMieux National Dressage Championships, winning the Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges Freestyle Gold title. Speaking after their test, Dannie was full of praise for his talented partner: "He's a superstar. He is just such a talented young horse, and he's been very consistent throughout the grades. He is the best horse I've ever sat on." Judge at M, Andrea Smith, was equally complimentary, saying: "They are a great partnership. I've followed this duo for quite some time, and Dannie always gets the best out of him. The choreography was good, I really enjoyed the music and it really suited the horse. He's got great energy and looks a really willing partner. He is just a super horse."

The calibre of this year's line-up was truly exceptional. Also taking to the arena were the 2026 Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges Gold Supreme Champions, Matt Frost and Keeva Dedicoat's Lenika; multiple European and World Championship medallist Michael Eilberg with Geraldine Eilberg's EDH Saubermond; Youth European Championships and Senior Nations Cup team representative Alexander Harrison-West with Ksenia Zainchkovskaya's Ventura; and World Breeding Championships contender and multiple regional title winner Jody Haswell with his own Valentinio. The field also featured the youngest rider ever to compete in the championship. At just 18 years old, Demi Howard-Cartwright took her place in the spotlight alongside her own Newton Astro Nascente. Despite her young age, Demi already boasts an impressive résumé, having represented Great Britain at Pony, Junior and Young Rider level, including at this year's FEI European Young Rider Championships.

Results

1. Laura Tomlinson and Ostmarks Digal, 77.792%

2. Gareth Hughes and Morricone III, 75.917%

3. Dannie Morgan and Fever Tree, 73.583%

4. Matt Frost and Lenika, 72.833%

5. Michael George Eilberg and EDH Saubermond, 72.167%

6. Alexander Harrison and Ventura, 71.792%

7. Demi Howard-Cartwright and Newton Astro Nascente, 69.833%

8. Jody Haswell and Valentinio, 68.208%

FULL RESULTS