Youth Home Nations 25: A Win for North & West Windemere

The Cavallo Youth Home Nations (1 – 3 August 2025) flooded Vale View Equestrian Centre with positivity, joy and top-class dressage, as the stars of the future from each of the six BD regions gathered in Leicestershire to take part, have fun and claim titles.  

Team competition  

With an astonishing 36 teams lined up to do battle for the Youth Home Nations title, this year’s competition would prove high quality and well contested. After two days of hot competition, North & West Windermere achieved an impressive feat in bringing the accolade back to the region for the second year running.  

Georgie Morgan, Katrina Metford, Freya Ainscough and Verity Matthews put in a great effort as a team over the two days of competition to notch up a winning score of 414.284; this left them two points clear of North & East Hardwick Hall in second (Hope Spatcher, Joshua Bailey, Ellie Roberts and Freya Percival) and South & East Duran Duran in third (Moya Payne, Ava Godley, Lilly Davies and Isabella Downs).  

15-year-old Katrina Metford brought her first horse ‘Rucci’, known formally as Hawtins Fiorucci, to Vale View and achieved two outstanding scores of 69.60% and 71.67% at Prelim level – contributing a solid two-day performance to her team total. The young rider gained a great foundation on school master pony Mickey May, taking part in the Foundation Academy and competing up to Medium, before stepping up to horses and enjoying a great start with her new dancing partner. Despite only being a partnership for one year, the pair have enjoyed top ten placings at the Regionals and Petplan Area Festivals, and have now taken a team title at the Youth Home Nations as well as finishing second as an individual.  

Fellow 15-year-old Georgia Morgan represented the winning team in the Pony FEI classes, also earning a runner-up spot as an individual with two really exciting scores of 69.10% and 70%. Brouwershaven Jasper has been with Georgie and her family for nine months, with the pair campaigning regularly at BD Medium and Pony FEI level, including earning their international qualification score in May. “Georgie has been to home nations twice and had a great experience both times,” Georgie’s proud mum Claire shared, “however this year was a real highlight coming second on the first day with 69% and winning the Pony FEI test with 70% on the second day. Georgie loved being part of team Windermere and had a really enjoyable weekend.” 

Freya Ainscough brought her mum Jenny Ainscough’s Showstar to Vale View, making it a family weekend to remember. The now 15-year-old gelding has been part of the Ainscough family for 10 years, enjoying many great tests with Jenny in the saddle before acting as the perfect school master for Freya. Freya has been riding since the age of two, progressing through the Pony Club to placings at Regionals and High Profile shows; she now trains with Jenny and Becky Moody, and reaped the rewards at the Home Nations, earning not only a team title, but the Individual Elementary accolades too. With scores of 69.58% and 69.50%, the pair’s consistency was rewarded with individual and team success. Making the achievement all the more sweet, Showstar made a remarkable recovery from a freak field accident last year. 

The youngest member of the team, Verity Matthews, gained amazing experience and showed great mettle in her tests to produce 64.45% and 66.08%. The sparkling Welsh pony Bunbury Peppermill, known as ‘Bolt’, has taken Verity from Prelim to Elementary tests over their two-year partnership. Verity’s mum Kathryn describes the pony as having ‘taken Verity under his wing’, and the duo have enjoyed plenty of region competition, Regionals and Area Festivals – including earning a title win in this year’s Under 21 Novice Area Festival Championship.  

Congratulations to team North & West, Development Officer Nikki Birt, Chef d’Equipe Kate Tomlinson and all of the teams for showing some wonderful riding and teamwork.  

Individual competition  

Hope Spatcher from the North & East region made the Prelim Individual title her own, achieving a winning total score of 142.43 with her pony Maesmynach Modlen. The Welsh Section D mare was expertly piloted by her young rider, earning 71.03% and 71.40% - displaying the consistency needed to top a huge class of 36 combinations.  

At Novice level, it was South & East rider Bella Balian to stand on the top step of the podium. Starting the weekend with a solid 68.67%, Bella and her ride Beechwood Joey pulled it out of the bag on day two, to secure victory with 70.75%. Experience and neat test riding sealed the deal, as the pair built on their experience at the Youth Inter Regionals last month, where they were fifth in the B Squad Individual Championship.  

Another Winter season winner to build on their season was the elegant combination of Anna Wheeldon and Jackie-Bertha R, back in April this duo sprang onto the scene with a Petplan Medium Bronze Area Festival title at Addington. The pair made it another win for North & West at Vale View, claiming the Medium Individual title with a total score of 135.16. Showing great skill, Dental Nurse Anna topped an incredibly close-fought class with scores of 68.72% and 66.44%.  

In the FEI categories, Wales earned a Home Nations victory as Sophie Mansell rode Millfield Lancelot to the top spot in the Children on Horses category; whilst North & East took their second win of the fixture in the Pony class, as Amelia Goodear and Furioso V H Enkershof aced the tricky tests to notch up a total of 140.39.  

The next two age catories would belong to golden riders from the South & West. Olivia Luscombe earned a convincing win in the Junior FEI competition with two outright wins notching up a total of 134.67. Marie-Ayesha Barilits-Gupta and Rob Roy II produced an identical performance at Young Rider level, winning both of the weekend’s test to earn 65.343% and 66.91% to see their total score of 132.253 leave them five points ahead of the silver spot on the podium.  

Congratulations to all riders, especially those who earned wins and placings in a high-standard competition. Thanks go to the team at Vale View EC for hosting a memorable event, as well as to competition sponsors Cavallo.  

Results  

Team standings 
1. North & West Windermere – 414.284 
2. North & East Hardwick Hall – 412.123% 
3. South & East Duran Duran – 409.676 
4. North & East Alnwick Castle - 408.916 
5. North & East Tynebridge – 407.576 

Prelim Individual  
1. Hope Spatcher and Maesmynach Modlen, 142.43 (North & East)  
2. Katrina Metford and Hawtins Fiorucci, 141.27 (North & East) 
3. Ellie Davis and Fenmere Dominic, 138.96 (South & West) 

Novice Individual 
1. Bella Balian and Beechwood Joey, 139.42 (South & West) 
2. Oliver Lawery and Seiont Glesyn, 137.35 (North & East) 
3. Emma Rowlands and Wester Aikemas Lebrecht, 135.38 (South & West) 

Elementary Individual 
1. Freya Ainscough and Showstar, 139.08 (North & West) 
2. Moya Payne and Iambic M, 138.52 (South & East) 
3. Ellie Roberts and Koning Albert, 135.91 (North & East) 

Medium Individual  
1. Anna Wheeldon and Jackie-Bertha R, 135.16 (North & West) 
2. Isabella Downs and Enchanted Hit, 134.92 (South & East) 
3. Molly Wing and Quartz II, 134.57 (South & East) 

Children on Horses Individual  
1. Sophie Mansell and Millfield Lancelot, 135.56 (Wales) 
2. Holly Pier and Hathway Whole Lotta Trouble I, 125.52 (Scotland) 

Pony Individual  
1. Amelia Goodear and Furioso V H Enkershof, 140.39 (North & East) 
2. Georgia Morgan and Brouwershaven Jasper, 139.10 (North & West) 
3. Molly Powell and Mr Diego, 135.39 (South & East) 

Junior Individual 
1. Olivia Luscombe and Eternal Kiss, 134.67 (South & West) 
2. Molly Wing and Quartz II, 130.14 (South & East) 
3. Jasmine Bone and Foxholm Eternal Flame, 123.62 (North & East) 

Young Rider Individual  
1. Marie-Ayesha Barilits-Gupta and Rob Roy II, 132.253 (South & West) 
2. Mia Smith and Dutch Discovery, 127.006 (North & West) 
3. Tabitha Leicester and Eires Rock, 126.637 (North & East) 

FULL RESULTS