British Breeder May 2022

BRITISH 

BREEDERMay 2022 

British-bred Success 

at Badminton 

Understanding 

Linear Scoring 

Digital Stable 

supports Breeders 

Equine Bridge: 

Full report 

Vet Insight: 

DOD in Foals 

Problem Mares 

Breeder Profile: 

Breen Equestrian 

BRITISH BREEDER| 1

TRIED & 

TRUSTED 

FOR GENERATIONS 

PAYING ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS THAT COUNT 

Formulated to support correct growth and help achieve genetic potential 

Backed by unique hands-on practical knowledge and nutritional support 

MADE 

IN THE 

UK 

MADE IN 

OUR OWN 

UK MILL 

BAILEYS HORSE FEEDS - Racing Specialist - Simon Venner 07977 441 571 Tel: 01371 850 247 

www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk 

2 | BRITISH BREEDER 

EXPERTS IN STUD NUTRITION. For problem solving advice 

Tel: +44 (0)1371 850247 (option 2) nutrition@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

May Issue - Index 

BRITISH 

BREEDERMay 2022 

British-bred Success 

at Badminton 

Understanding 


Digital Stable 

supports Breeders 

Welcome from the editor 

Equine Bridge: 

Full report 

Vet Insight: 

DOD in Foals 

Problem Mares 

Cover 

Production 

Breeder Profile: 


Designed and Produced by 

Harry Haines, Borben.co.uk 

Subscriptions & Contacts 

If you would like to ensure you never miss a copy 

please contact: info@british-breeding to subscribe. 

Editorial: 

Rachael Holdsworth 

Email: rachael@holdsworthpr.co.uk 

Telephone: 01903 891637 

Advertising Sales: 

Contact: Sasha Melia: 07799 701521 

Email: britishbreeding@gmail.com 

Legal Notice 

BRITISH BREEDER| 1 

Lordships Graffalo and Ros Canter jump 

into second place at Badminton 2022. 

Photo credit: Badminton Horse Trials. 

We have ensured to the best of our ability that at the 

time of going to print the information in this 

publication is up to date. All advertising and editorial 

content is supplied by third parties and all design and 

layout remains the property of British Breeding and 

cannot be reproduced in print, digital or any other 

format without advanced permission. 

Copyright All rights reserved. No part of this 

publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval 

system, transmitted, in any form or by any means, 

without the prior written permission of the copyright 

holder, British Breeding of Great Britain, nor be 

otherwise circulated in any form or binding or cover 

other than that in which it is published. 

This issue was held to allow for a 

report on the British bred contingent at 

Badminton – little did we know that we 

would get such an exciting result! British 

bred and a Futurity graduate, Lordships 

Graffalo, partnered by Ros Canter, 

showed his talent and looked world 

class every step of the way to finish 2nd 

in his first 5* event. Congratulations to 

everyone at Lordships Stud at Writtle 

University, and of course to Ros and her 

team who have produced him to this 

level. The future is very exciting for this 

relatively young horse. 

We were delighted to welcome Isobel 

Wessels to judge the Equine Bridge 

for Dressage in February, where 

Michelle Dawson’s lovely mare, Stolen 

Secret, earned the top score. Isobel’s 

comments are included in our full report 

in this issue. 

With the 2022 Futurity series on 

the horizon, we are hard at work 

finalising dates and venues which will 

be announced via the website, social 

media and email by the beginning of 

Contents 

4-5 

6 

8-9 

12-14 

16-17 

18-29 

32-33 

36-37 

38-41 

43-44 

45-46 

50-51 

55 

56 

57 

June. The Virtual Futurity will again be 

an option for those not wishing to travel 

or where a local venue is not available. 

Our feature on linear scoring is 

enlightening, explaining how this can 

help identify future potential. 

In our veterinary features, Ed Lyle 

MRCVS, Clinical Director at Sussex 

Equine Hospital, takes a look at 

Developmental Orthopaedic Disease in 

foals, while Anna Mitchell, MRCVS of 

B&W Equine Vets discusses how to deal 

with the problem mare. 

Don’t miss the Breeder profile on 

Breen Equestrian and the exciting 

developments at Pook Bourne Stallion 

Station, plus features on rule changes 

regarding the definition of ‘home-bred’ 

and the important role of the Digital 

Stable in this issue. 

I wish you all a successful breeding 

season and look forward to seeing you 

out and about soon. 

Rachael 

News/Diary Dates 

BD Winter Championships & Burnham Market reports 

Badminton Report 

Equine Bridge Report 

WBFSH News 

Studbook Reports 

Understanding Linear Scoring 

The Digital Stable 

Breeder Profile – Breen Equestrian 

Vet Insight – Problem Mares 

Nutrition – Feeding weanlings 

Vet Insight – DOD in Foals 

NAF Joints Feature 

Insuring your Foal – KBIS 

Product Focus 

BRITISH BREEDER| 3

News 

Diary Dates 

1-5 June -BE- Belsay International incl British Pony Champs and Junior CCI-L2* 

8-12 June -BS- Bramham International incl u25 4* 

22-26 June -BD- Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting 

24-26 June -BD- Bolesworth CDI 3* International 

29 June – 3rd July -BS- Dodson & Horrell Bolesworth International Horse Show incl CSI 5yr & 6y 

6-10 July -BD- Hartpury Festival of Dressage Young Horse Dressage Semi-Finals & Young Pony Championships 

7-10 July -BE- Barbury International 

22-24 July -BD- Port Royal Equestrian & Exhibition Centre Young Horse Dressage Semi-Finals 

29-31 July -BE- Hambro Sport Horses Burgham International 

27-31 July -BS- Longines Royal International Horse Show incl Nations Cup & 7&8yr old Championship 

6-7 August -BE- Magic Millions Festival of British Eventing 

10-14 August -BS- Al Shira’aa Bolesworth Young Horse Championships 

11-14 August -BE- The NAF Five Star Hartpury International 

18-22 August -BS- London CSI5* 

25-28 August -BE- Land Rover Blair Castle International 

1-4 September -BE- Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, incl. British Breeding Stallion Parade 

15-19 September -BD- LeMieux National Championships, Somerford Park 

British Equestrian honours athletes and 

industry figures at Badminton Horse Trials 

British Equestrian have honoured 

leading equestrian figures for their 

services to the industry. Five eventing 

athletes and two vets were presented 

with the British Equestrian Medal of 

Honour by the federation’s Chair, 

Malcolm Wharton, at a reception 

held in the Directors’ Tent following the 

culmination of the dressage phase at 

Badminton Horse Trials, presented by 

Mars Equestrian. 

The nominated athletes were all 

medallists from last summer’s 

Olympic Games and European 

Championships, including eventing 

team gold medallists Laura Collett and 

Tom McEwen. Together with Oliver 

Townend, who will receive his medal at 

a later date, the pair won Team GB’s 

first eventing team gold since 1972, 

while Tom also took an individual silver 

medal with Toledo de Kerser. 

Kitty King and Georgina ‘Piggy’ 

March were part of the gold 

medal-winning Eventing European 

Championship team that competed in 

Avenches, Switzerland in September. 

Team mates Nicola Wilson and 

Ros Canter have received medals 

previously. Piggy also won individual 

silver with Brookfield Inocent, while 

compatriot Sarah Bullimore took 

individual bronze with Corouet. 

Celia Marr, veterinary associate at 

Rossdales, is the voluntary Chair of 

British Equestrian’s Equine Infectious 

Diseases Action Group (EIDAG), 

which comprises industry leader 

in equine medicine and infectious 

disease, and aims to help those in the 

industry who oversee and organise 

equestrian activities to play an 

essential role in mitigating risk. She 

led the group through the European 

cases of EHV-1 in early 2020, and 

their advice and protocols helped 

safeguard a major outbreak on British 

shores. Her leadership has also 

overseen the publication of the group’s 

internationally recognised ‘Advice 

Notes for British Equestrian Member 

Bodies and Organisers of Horse 

Gatherings’. 

Jane Nixon has been a veterinary 

surgeon for over 40 years with a key 

interest in young and performance 

horse development, and has acted in 

a number of consultant vet roles across 

the disciplines, including with British 

Breeders and British Dressage. In her 

volunteer role as a British Equestrian 

Board Director, she was key in setting 

up the High Health Steering Group 

and is a member of EIDAG. Jane is 

currently chairman of The Showing 

Council and The British Horse 

Foundation. 

The British Equestrian Medal of Honour 

is awarded to those recognised as 

having completed acts of international 

endeavour in relation to equestrian 

sport, and for outstanding services to 

the Federation or its Member Bodies. 

4 | BRITISH BREEDER

News 

A new Performance 

Director for British 

Equestrian 

British Equestrian has announced that 

Helen Nicholls will join as Performance 

Director in May to provide leadership 

of our elite talent World Class 

Programmes, funded by UK Sport 

and the National Lottery, and senior 

championship teams in the disciplines 

of dressage, eventing, jumping and 

para-dressage. With over 20 years 

in elite sport, Helen has extensive 

experience working with athletes and 

support teams to provide the correct 

environment for the delivery of results. 

Richard (Dickie) Waygood MBE, 

who successfully acted as interim 

Performance Director through the 

Tokyo Games and lead the teams to 

one of their most successful Games 

performances ever, will take on 

the new role of Technical Director, 

alongside his position of Eventing 

Performance Manager. 

As an athlete, Helen had a successful 

career in windsurfing, representing 

Britain, finishing on the podium in 

international regattas and claiming 

multiple national titles. After 

completing her degree in Applied 

Sports Performance at Liverpool John 

Moores she had roles covering sport 

management and coach development 

in pathway and elite programmes with 

British Sailing and was Performance 

Director for UK Sport before joining the 

increasingly popular Paralympic sport 

of Boccia. 

“I feel privileged and excited to be 

given this opportunity to join British 

Equestrian and I look forward to 

building on the outstanding success 

in Tokyo,” commented Helen. “My 

role will be to lead the WCP team, 

work closely with Richard Waygood, 

the Performance Managers, 

athletes, coaches, and the wider 

staff to continue delivering successful 

programmes which enable riders to 

fulfil their tremendous potential. 

A horse owner in the past, Helen has a 

passion for the sport and is very aware 

of the unique challenges equestrian 

sport faces. “Having worked in elite 

sport for over two decades at both 

UK Sport and British Sailing I am very 

much looking forwards to joining 

equestrian, a programme which is 

hugely respected, with committed, 

dedicated and highly talented athletes. 

I’m excited to be working alongside 

the existing team, and with Dickie in 

particular, to provide the riders and 

community of elite equestrian with the 

platform to flourish and deliver success 

in Paris and beyond.” 

Richard Waygood has been involved 

with British Equestrian’s World Class 

Programme for over 12 years and has 

been integral to its success over the last 

three Games cycles. He agreed to take 

on the Performance Director role and 

lead the effort through Tokyo on the 

basis it was an interim appointment. 

With his extensive knowledge and 

skillset, he’s the ideal candidate for 

the new role of Technical Director to 

advise and support the Performance 

Director, as they work in tandem 

to create and deliver a successful 

programme. 

Dickie said; “I’ve worked closely with 

Helen [Nicholls] previously during her 

time with UK Sport and as a fellow 

Performance Director in the run up 

to and during the Tokyo Paralympics 

and her credentials are exceptionally 

strong. She understands elite sport 

programmes and how to deliver results 

which is key, as is a solid relationship 

with UK Sport and other key partners.” 

British Equestrian’s Chief Executive, Jim 

Eyre, added; “A rigorous recruitment 

campaign brought forward some 

exceptionally competent candidates 

but each panel who met with Helen 

were impressed with her knowledge, 

experience and ability to work in 

complex environments. We’re grateful 

for the stability and leadership 

provided by Dickie to see us through 

two very successful Tokyo Games and 

to retain him in a new role alongside 

Helen really is a boon for equestrian 

sport. Paris is on the horizon and the 

World Championships later this year 

provide us with our first chance to 

secure qualification which will be our 

primary objective – I look forward to 

working with Helen, Dickie and the 

World Class Programme staff and 

athletes to make it happen.” 

Bolesworth to Launch Elite Dressage Auction 

Powered by Science Supplements, the 

first Bolesworth Elite Dressage Auction 

for 3,4 & 5yos will take place at a 

Gala Night during the Bloomfields 

Horseboxes CDI 3* International 

Dressage at Bolesworth on 25 June 

2022. With a maximum of 10 top 

class hand-selected youngsters 

coming forward, potential buyers are 

invited to attend a preview evening 

at Bolesworth on Friday 17th June 

with the chance to try horses over the 

following week by appointment ahead 

of the auction itself. Auction Director 

Nina Barbour said: ‘We are very 

excited to be presenting a very special 

collection of Dressage Horses for the 

first time, having proven ourselves 

in the World of Showjumping over 

the last six years. The team, which 

includes Christian Heinrich and Martin 

Schleicher have been working hard 

and covering many miles to source 

a very special collection of top 

International prospects’. 

For more information about all the 

Bolesworth auctions, please contact 

auctions@bolesworth.com 

To attend an auction, or book a VIP 

table, please contact 

melanie@bolesworth.com 

or call 01829307676 

www.boleswortheliteauctions.com 

Dates for our 2022 Auctions: 

NEW Elite Dressage Auction: 

25 June 2022 

A List Auction (Ridden Showjumpers & 

Elite Yearlings): 1 July 2022 

Elite Foal Auction: 12 August 2022 

BRITISH BREEDER| 5

British Breeding - BD Winter Championships & Burnham Market reports 

The British 

Dressage NAF 5* 

Winter Dressage 

Championships 

British bred horses featured strongly at 

the British Dressage NAF 5* Winter 

Dressage Championships at Hartpury, 

flying the flag for British breeding. 

Becky Moody and the mighty 

Jagerbomb (Dante Weltino x Jazz) 

triumphed with a decisive win in the 

feature class, the Superflex Inter I 

Gold. The reigning seven year-old 

national champion produced a beautiful 

test showing super balance and 

engagement, and was duly awarded 

74.31% by the judges panel for victory 

over Alice Oppenheimer and Headmore 

Dionysus, who were second on 72.01%. 

Lucinda Elliott and the Hawtins Stud’s 

Hawtins Bellegra took third place 

with 70%. 

Becky and Jagerbomb also took the 

Magic Prix St Georges (PSG) title on 

day one, with a score of 76.07%. 

‘Bomber’ has wintered well and spent 

time building strength and growing into 

his near 18hh frame. “He’s still a baby 

really. It’s been a case of getting him 

Headmore Dionysus 

stronger. He is a big horse, he’s only 

eight”, explained Becky of her homebred 

gelding by Dante Weltino, out of 

Udysee, a Jazz mare that Becky had 

ready to go grand prix when a field 

injury retired her to the paddocks. 

Alice Oppenheimer headed the Magic 

Prix St George Freestyle Gold with 

Amanda Radford’s powerful, 11-yearold 

‘pocket rocket’ Headmore Dionysus 

(Dimaggio x Rubinstein). Alice presented 

a programme full of energy and 

conviction, accompanied by music from 

‘Cats’, to earn a fantastic PB score of 

77.95% propelling them to the top of the 

leader board. 

“It’s the first time I think I’ve retained a 

title, having won this last year with Bella 

Ruby. To have a half-sibling out of our 

amazing Rubinstein mare again is really 

special. They just keep delivering the 

goods. They’re really special horses with 

amazing temperaments that just perform 

Jagerbomb 

when it really matters. You can’t ask for 

any more than that really.” 

The Headmore Stud’s foundation mare, 

Rubinsteena (by Rubinstein), has left a 

remarkable legacy. “We’re starting to 

get some grandchildren of hers now, 

which is really exciting. Davina has a 

super four-year-old and Bella’s first 

one is three this year. What’s exciting 

is that we have lots of fillies to carry on 

the mare line. I get on really well with 

the mares and we have Dillon too. We 

call him ‘Uncle Dillon’ as of course he 

can’t have any of his own but he’s got 

lots of nieces and nephews at home too! 

It’s lovely having them all together and 

bringing them on.” 

A good contingent of British bred horses 

featured across the results and British 

Breeding presented a ‘Best British 

Bred’ rosette, sponsored by the Equine 

Register/Digital Stable, to the highest 

placed eligible horse in each class. 

Eventing British 

Bred results from 

Barefoot Retreats 

Burnham Market 

International 

Burnham Market was a superb 

first International of the season 

with many horses having their final 

runs before heading to Badminton. 

Billy Stud offspring dominated the 

British bred contingent in 

the placings. 

Advanced section hosted several 

British bred horses in the top 10:- 

The Billy Stud bred BILLY WALK 

ON (Billy Mexico ex Shannon Line) 

continued his consistent performance 

under the partnership of Pippa Funnell to 

take 2nd in the Advanced section. 

ORATORIO II (Oslo Biats ex Cinnamon 

Brulee (TB) ) bred by R Jenks, was 

5th with William Fox-Pitt on their 

preparation for Badminton. 

Tim Price and the lovely XAVIER FAER, 

by Catherston Liberator ex Faerie 

Dazzler (Catherston Dazzler ex Clayton 

Mudlark VII) bred by Trisha Rickards 

took 7th position, having already started 

a consistent season with a 4th and 3rd in 

their first two OI starts of the season. 

Another Billy progeny, COURT CASPER 

(Billy Congo ex Court Clarion) bred 

by Anna Harris took 8th spot with 

Tom Jackson and they now head to 

Chatsworth CCI-S 4* 

CCI-S 3* 

The 9yr old gelding, GRANDE BY 

DESIGN (LeGrande ex Gallavant) bred 

by Alison Knox was the highest British 

Bred finishing in 5th place. They now 

head to Chatsworth. The next British bred 

was the 9yr old DOMASCO by the TB 

stallion Zoffany ex Lwunder who 

finished 9th. 

CCI-S 4* 

In section B, 2nd spot went to the Preci 

Spark bred gelding, TREGILDER by 

Royal Concorde out of the TB mare 

Trewins who was by the influential 

eventing sire Hand in Glove out of 

the 3* TB mare River Quest. Tregilder 

has Olver Townend in the plate and is 

heading to Badminton from this run. 

The next British bred in this section was 

the lovely Billy Stud bred mare, BILLY 

CUCKOO guided by Tom Jackson. She 

took 8th place just ahead of MENLO 

PARK bred by Serena Vitalini who is by 

Eurocommerce Berlin out of SHB(GB) 

mare Faerie Queen (Rock King ex 

Clayton Mudlark (Ben Faerie). 

In section C , the highest British bred was 

9th placed WOODLANDS BE DARING 

by Billy Be Cool out of Furisto Flight just 

ahead of the other top 10 British Bred, 

GRANDSLAM by Sandro B out of Foxy 

Dora bred by Liza Randall. 

6 | BRITISH BREEDER

Maximise 

FOR ALL STALLIONS 

Proven to help achieve marginal gains 

for both natural coverings and AI collections 

Address Motility | Target Sperm Production | Support Libido 

7yr old PREMIUM GRADED SPORT HORSE STALLION 

“This transformed the quality of his semen from hopeless 

to freezing quality and all mares in foal on first covering.” 

20yr old ADVANCED EVENT HORSE 

“The semen had 30% increased motility. 

Five Star Fertility worked well and enabled 

us to get more concentrated semen.” 

5yr old YOUNG HORSE CHAMPION SHOWJUMPER 

“Without Five Star Fertility he did not product good 

enough sperm to freeze at all, motility was very poor. 

On Fertility we are able to freeze semen 

and it has good motility.” 

10yr old LICENSED TRADITIONAL GYPSY COB 

“He showed increased vigour and stamina during the time 

he was fed the supplement, both in terms of his work and 

breeding. In addition there was a marked difference in the 

production of progressively motile sperm cells compared 

to the previous year.” 

“AFTER WITNESSING THE RESULTS FIRST HAND, 

WE RECOMMEND FOR ALL STALLIONS 

AS A MATTER OF COURSE” 

TULLIS MATSON 

AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM STALLION AI SERVICES. 

For further information please contact NAF using our 

FREE Nutritional Advice Line 

Call 0800 373 106 or email info@naf-uk.com 

naf-equine.eu/uk 

BRITISH BREEDER| 7

British Breeding - Badminton 

BADMINTON IS BACK! 

Lordships Graffalo and Ros Canter at the Badminton Lake 

British Breeding Futurity 

Graduate, Lordships 

Graffalo, takes 2nd spot 

at Badminton CCI5* 

Laura Collett realised a childhood dream 

as she won Badminton Horse Trials, 

presented by Mars Equestrian, after a 

superb performance on Karen Bartlett 

and Keith Scott’s London 52. Laura 

added just 0.4 of a show jumping time 

penalty to her dressage mark, finishing 

on a score of 21.4, a record completion 

score for Badminton. 

Lordships Graffalo scored 26 for dressage 

Runner-up Ros Canter, the only rider to 

finish on her dressage score, showed 

she has another world champion in the 

making with the 10-year-old British-bred 

Lordships Graffalo. 

Ros was full of praise for her new 

superstar who was contesting his first 

five-star. “’Walter’s’ eyes were on stalks 

when we arrived but he enjoyed every 

part of it – especially the prize giving. 

He will have learnt so much in the last 

few days.” 

The very exciting British bred 10 yearold 

cruised to 2nd place showing class 

and poise beyond his years and was 

hailed as ‘one of the most exciting up 

and coming International horses on 

the eventing scene’ by Iain Stark on 

Badminton.tv. 

Lordships Graffalo, a 10 year-old 

bay gelding standing 17.2hh, is by the 

Trakehner Stallion, Grafenstolz, who has 

sired many British Breeding Futurity event 

horses and is currently standing 3rd in 

the World Breeding Federation of Sport 

Horses Eventing Sires. 

Bred by Lordships Stud at Writtle 

University, Graffalo has an exceptional 

damline. He is out of the Rock King 

mare, Cornish Queen, who was loaned 

to the stud by owner, Penny Wallace of 

Pencos Sport Horses. 

Cornish Queen is out of the fabulous 

mare, Cornish Faer (by Ben Faerie ex 

Tregea). Cornish Faer was competed by 

Katie Burton (daughter of Bridget Parker 

who was an instrumental member of the 

Gold Medal winning Eventing team in 

Munich in 1972) and was placed 11th 

at Blenheim in 1994, 25th at Badminton 

in 1995, 11th at Burghley Horse Trials in 

1996 and also competed at Badminton 

in 1996 & 1997. She went on to become 

a prolific dam of event horses. 

Her dam, Tregea, produced 5 advanced 

eventers and her grand-dam, April The 

First, was a grade A showjumper who 

jumped 7’ in the Puissance at HOYS. She 

also produced 2 x CCI4* horses and a 

grade A showjumper. 

Topspin and Alice Casburn 

This really emphasises the importance 

of breeding from strong dam lines 

with proven performance. A good 

broodmare will keep producing good 

progeny from a range of good stallions. 

Lordships Graffalo is a graduate of 

the Futurity system, earning a high 

gold score both as a foal in 2012 and 

as a 2 year-old. Cornish Queen is 

also mother of Pencos Crown Jewel (x 

Jumbo), another Futurity graduate who 

finished fourth at Bicton in her CCI5* 

debut with Ros in 2021. The pair had a 

win at advanced this season, a double 

clear at Thoresby CCI4*-S and she now 


All Images © Badminton Horse Trials

British Breeding - Badminton 

True Blue Too and Rosie Fry 

Classic Moet and Jonelle Price 

Oratorio and William Fox-Pitt 

heads to Chatworth CCI4*-S. Ros 

and Lordships Graffalo demonstrated 

their class when winning the Landrover 

Blair Castle International Horse Trials 

CCI4*-S in August 2021, shortly 

followed by 2nd at Blenheim CCI4*L 

in September. Cornish Queen also has 

a 2018 colt by Chill Morning, Pencos 

Arctic King, who gained a gold Futurity 

award as a 2 year-old and is now 

starting his competitive training. 

Standing in 10th at Badminton after 

dressage, Ros and ‘Walter’ had an 

impeccable ride cross country to move 

them up to 4th behind Oliver Townend. 

Clear in the show jumping secured them 

2nd place overall, with world number 

one, Oliver Townend, taking 3rd and 

5th places on Swallow Springs and 

Ballaghmor Class respectively, each of 

his greys hitting a fence apiece. 

British bred horses occupied 8 of the 

Badminton stables at the beginning 

of the week, and there were class 

performances from Jonelle Price and 

Classic Moet, (Classic x Bohemond) 

bred by Elaine Hepworth, 7th after 

cross country but unfortunately dropping 

to 11th with two poles down in the 

show jumping. William Fox-Pitt and 

Oratorio (Oslo Biats x Topanoora) bred 

by Camilla Jenks, added just two time 

penalties to his dressage to stand 10th 

after cross country, but two poles in the 

show jumping saw him drop to 14th. 

Heatbreaker Star Quality and Libby Seed 

Having just turned 20 in January, Alice 

Casburn may have been the youngest 

rider on the Badminton start list, but 

her 14 year-old home-bred gelding, 

Topspin, by Zento out of Capriati, a mare 

of unknown breeding, gave her a super 

ride. The pair was 19th on their 5* 

debut at Pau last year and this time they 

added just 4.8 time penalties to their 

dressage score to finish 19th on their 

debut at Badminton. 

Rosie Fry and True Blue Too had a 

creditable run on their Badminton debut, 

and their first time at 5* level. The pair, 

who won the CCI4*L at Blair Castle 

last year, added 20 penalties to their 

dressage score with a run-out at fence 

14, the KBIS Brush Village, and a pole 

in the show jumping saw them finish 

47th. This 11 year-old bay gelding by 

Jigilo out of a Termon mare was bred 

and is still owned by Rosie’s aunt, Mrs Di 

White-Hamilton. 

After a gap of three years, support for 

the event was huge: 180,000 visitors 

attended over the four days, and the 

many tradestands did a roaring trade, 

delighted to be back. 

‘It was everything I could have wished 

for,’ said Event Director Jane Tuckwell. 

‘Lots of happy people, fantastic result, 

wonderful sponsors in our presenting 

partner Mars Equestrian and our official 

partner Lifesource BP. It’s a dream come 

true at last. Bring on 2023.’ 

The British Breeding Futurity 

identifies young horses that have the 

potential to go forward to become 

International prospects through 

its examination of conformation, 

vet examination and movement 

evaluation. The higher the scoring, the 

more chance it is likely to achieve at 

the highest level in sport and have the 

conformation to cope with the training 

and competition. 

Young horses that have been through 

the Futurity are now beginning to be 

seen out in competition reaching their 

potential, showing that the evaluation 

process can give confidence to 

purchasers of any youngster that has 

been through the evaluation of its 

potential. 

British Breeding also runs the 

Equine Bridge a two day ridden 

performance test for higher level 

horses (4-6 years) that have 

qualified as 3-5 year olds through 

the Futurity series. This has been 

identified as a place where 

professional riders can come and 

watch these young horses starting 

their development and be linked 

up with new potential 

International rides. 

‘We really hope that the Equine 

Bridge starts to provide the place 

where breeders of these exciting 

young horses can be matched with 

professional riders that can give 

them every opportunity to reach their 

potential as Ros has done for Lordships 

Graffalo’ Said Jane Marson, Director 

of British Breeding. 

Dates and venues for the 2022 Futurity 

series and Equine Bridge evaluations 

will be announced at the beginning of 

June via the website and social media. 

All Images © Badminton Horse Trials 

BRITISH BREEDER| 9

PRESENTS 

To attend an auction, or book a table contact melanie@bolesworth.com 

Saturday 25 June Friday 1 July Friday 12 August 

ELITE DRESSAGE THE A LIST ELITE FOALS 

For more information contact auctions@bolesworth.com 

Bolesworth Castle Cheshire • Sat Nav: CH3 9JJ 

01829 307676 

10 | BRITISH BREEDERwww.boleswortheliteauctions.com

OUR SCIENCE, YOUR SUCCESS 

OPTIMISE BREEDING POTENTIAL WITH THE POWER OF UBIQUINOL (COQ10) 

Provides a natural source of 

Ubiquinol (CoQ10), Vitamin E and 

organic Selenium Yeast to help 

support maintained semen quality 

throughout the breeding season. 

FEATURES & BENEFITS 

• A natural source of Ubiquinol (CoQ10) 

A potent antioxidant and vital coenzyme 

included to combat damaging oxidative 

stress known to have detrimental effects on 

sperm cells. 

• Vitamin E and organic Selenium Yeast 

A combination of antioxidants especially 

important for sperm motility and 

semen quality. 

• L-Lysine 

An essential amino acid to support sperm 

health, maximise muscle function and 

recovery for stallions with a high workload. 

Delivers a natural source of Ubiquinol 

(CoQ10) and a protected source 

of Omega 3, added Vitamin E and 

organic Selenium Yeast to provide 

ideal support for mares in preparation 

for covering and during early gestation. 

FEATURES & BENEFITS 

• A natural source of Ubiquinol (CoQ10) 

A potent antioxidant and coenzyme required 

for the production of cellular energy, especially 

important for oocyte metabolism. 

• Vitamin E and organic Selenium Yeast 

A combination of antioxidants, critical for 

colostrum and milk quality. Proven to combat 

damaging oxidative stress known to have a 

detrimental effect on fertility. 

• Micro-encapsulated Omega 3 

Protected to support increased bio-availability. 

Beneficial fatty acids act as natural 

anti-inflammatory to support the reproductive 

and immune systems. 

CONTACT OUR 

SPECIALIST TEAM: 

UK: Adam Johnson T: +44 7860 771063 

Ire: Lorraine Fradl T: +353 87 2575398 

Email: info@foranequine.com 

www.foranequine.com 

#OURSCIENCEYOURSUCCESS 

BRITISH BREEDER| 11

British Breeding - Equine Bridge Report 

Fashion, Equine Bridge top 7 year-old, owned by 

Amanda Maine-Tucker and ridden by Carsten 

Sandrock. © Equipics 

Stolen Secret, owned and bred by Michelle Dawson 

and ridden by Sonnar Murray-Brown. © Equipics 

Stolen Secret 

Steals the Show 

Stolen Secret outshone an 

impressive selection of young 

dressage horses to take the top 

score of 8.68 for a gold award at 

the Equine Bridge, held at Arena 

UK in February alongside the 

Stallion Event. This lovely 6 year 

old mare, by Uthopia out of Raica 

(x Riccio), is owned and bred by 

Michelle Dawson of Stolen Secret 

Sport Horses and was presented 

by international Grand Prix rider, 

Sonnar Murray-Brown. 

Summing up her performance, 

international dressage judge, Isobel 

Wessels, said, “This horse is the complete 

package. In the test and training 

sessions the horse showed huge ability 

and a natural engine. Sonnar rode in 

a really good way and in the training 

session we saw some good relaxation 

and the horse completely at ease and 

in harmony with the rider. In extended 

trot it was lovely to watch the rider is just 

taken forward by the horse. She has lots 

of ability and is very talented so I think 

for this lovely young horse the future 

looks really bright – a very 

exciting prospect”. 

We were delighted to welcome 

international dressage rider, trainer and 

FEI 5* judge, Isobel Wessels to assess 

the Equine Bridge horses for dressage. 

Isobel has been involved with riding, 

training and judging dressage for the last 

30 years and her invaluable perspective 

and international judge’s eye was 

hugely appreciated in her assessment of 

the horses and the advice she gave. 

Isobel was joined by Beth Bainbridge, 

an international dressage rider, trainer 

and head rider for Anna Ross at Elite 

Dressage in Devon. Beth rode each of 

the horses put forward and gave her 

assessment as part of the 

overall evaluation. 

Catherston Tarantella, Equine Bridge top 5 year-old, 

ridden by Charlotte Dicker. © Equipics 

The Equine Bridge takes the form of 

a two day performance assessment 

and each horse and rider combination 

underwent a training session with Isobel 

on day one, followed by a veterinary 

assessment by Dr Jane Nixon MRCVS, 

assisted by Dr Jess Mullard MRCVS, 

Helen Reader (tack and saddle fitting), 

Daniel Harman (farriery) and Lorna 

Edgar of Baileys Horse Feeds (nutrition). 

On the second day, each combination 

rode their young horse dressage test and 

the horse was ridden by the test rider, 

Beth Bainbridge. 

Ten horses were presented aged from 

4 to 7 years and levels of training 

were varied. However, they all coped 

extremely well with some excellent 

performances and were a credit to their 

breeders, owners and riders. 

The runner up spot went to Catherston 

Tarantella, a talented 5 year old mare 

by the leading Futurity stallion of 

2021, Timolin, out of Accrabella (by 

Dornekönig). Owned and bred by the 

Catherston Stud, Catherston Tarantella 

12 | BRITISH BREEDER


attained a Gold score of 8.26, earning 9 

for his canter. Isobel commented “Both 

Beth and I were very impressed with 

this horse yesterday when she had even 

more energy during a good training 

session. She is good mechanically, a 

horse with a lot of ‘go’, nice technique 

and natural bending of foreleg in trot 

which bodes well for future. She is very 

adjustable, and Beth thought she would 

be a wonderful horse to develop to the 

highest level. She is still very green, but 

in the right way and we really loved 

this one”. 

Gold award was also presented to 

Fashion, a 7 year old mare by Freddie 

M out of Zandra, (by Blue Hors Zack) 

owned by Amanda Maine-Tucker 

and ridden by Carsten Sandrock, on 

attaining a score of 8.15. This was a 

really eye-catching mare, beautifully 

bred with natural elasticity and 

looseness. She was a late starter, so 

not ready for the 7 year old test but she 

completed the 6yo test successfully. 

Isobel said that in training they talked 

about developing carrying ability, more 

collection and balance and becoming 

quicker behind. “She has enormous 

scope within the paces and powerful 

engine, really super horse”, she added. 

Catherston Tuxedo, a 5 year-old by 

Timolin, out of Catherston Georgia (by 

Number One Guy), attained the top Elite 

score of the 2021 Futurity series and this 

lovely horse gave test rider, Beth, a good 

ride. “It was interesting to see Charlotte 

Dicker on three Catherston horses by 

Timolin. All three have outstanding 

canter, and this one has a particularly 

good canter. He is very good 

mechanically, and very good in the 

trot”, said Isobel, awarding an overall 

score of 8.1. “In training on the first day 

we focused on getting him to relax and 

soften in the body, so the trot and canter 

can come through in the frame. It is early 

days, but this is a really talented horse”, 

she added. 

Charlotte then had a quick change to 

ride Catherston Timeless, rising 7 mare 

by Timolin out of Bee Precise (by Totilas), 

to gain a score of 7.96. “We really 

loved this little horse, a pocket rocket, 

beautifully shown by Charlotte Dicker”, 

said Isobel. “She is very natural in 

canter, very brave, being 7 she did the 

FEI test including half working pirouettes 

in canter and flying changes, including 

3 every 4, and the horse is quite well on 

in her training. She showed quality and 

a highlight is her canter, like a rubber 

ball bouncing round. Her trot had lovely 

extension and she was good in half pass 

and shoulder in. Clearly beautifully 

trained and is going to be a star for the 

future, she was really lovely to judge”. 

Catherston Tuxedo, Equine Bridge 2nd 5 year-old and top score in the 2021 Futurity 

Fashion, by Freddie M out of Zandra (Blue Hors Zack), 

owned by Silvia Tainton and ridden by Carsten Sandrock 

BRITISH BREEDER| 13


Fenella, by Flamengold out of Butterfly 

(Floristan I) owned by Katy Holder-Vale 

Baron Jack, by Baron out of Nibeley 

Charisma’s Cracker (by Union Jack), 

bred by Hazel and Zoe Bailey, was the 

only 4 year-old forward, now owned 

and ridden by Mat Baker, and earned a 

score of 7.9. Baron Jack also received 

the award for the top 3 year old in 2021 

Futurity where he achieved an elite score 

9.07. “We were very impressed with this 

horse. He is still very green and lacking 

strength and muscle at the moment, but 

he impressed with his willingness and 

nice forward going tendency. He has 

natural ground covering paces and has 

expression and natural extension. Mat 

showed him in a positive way and this 

Baron Jack, Equine Bridge top 4 year-old and top 

scoring 3 year old in the 2021 Futurity. © Equipics 

would be one to watch I would say. A 

really nice horse and exciting prospect”, 

said Isobel. 

Finale Ramall, by Franklin out of 

Sennerin (by Show Star), bred by Gillian 

Jones and now owned and ridden 

by Kathryn Marsh, earned a score of 

7.32. This big, eyecatching 6 year-old 

was recently gelded and Katheryn did 

very well to show his good basic gaits, 

specially trot and canter. “He now 

needs a bit more willingness and ease in 

his going to get him a bit more in front of 

the leg. He has a natural way of going 

and good self-carriage”, said Isobel. 

Bonus, by Bellisimo M out of Stancombe 

Bumble (by Lake Street Envoy VII), bred 

by Derek Mead and owned by Martina 

Marketis, showed talent in walk with a 

big overtrack, but was a little unsettled 

over the two days. “He had very nice 

walk, trot and canter, lacking a little 

self-carriage and can get a bit hurried 

and this affected the contact, but a 

nice prospect”, said Isobel. Bonus also 

received the award for the top 5 yearold 

in the 2021 Futurity Evaluations. 

Fenella, a 5 year-old mare by 

Flamengold, out of Butterfly (by Floristan 

I) bred by Katy Holder Vale at the 

Hanovarian Stud, was very elegant in its 

performance. She was a little nervous 

but showed some very nice moments 

in the test. Fenella also collected her 

award for the top 4 year old in the 

2021 Futurity. 

A Breeder’s View 

I’m Michelle Dawson, an anaesthetist in 

the NHS and the breeder behind Stolen 

Silver Sports Horses. I only breed 2 or 

3 foals a year so to have two national 

winners at the Equine Bridge was a 

wonderful achievement. Stolen Beltara 

won best 2yo dressage horse in the 

Virtual Futurity (Belissimo x Rousseau) 

and Stolen Secret won the Equine Bridge 

and a £1000 training bursary (Uthopia 

x Riccio). 

Because I work very long hours (24 

shifts are still a reality) I have to keep my 

broodmares at livery. They are currently 

at Embla Stud in the wonderful care of 

Yvonne Hill and her team. I have a small 

selection of foals and young horses there 

as well as two broodmares. 

Stolen Secret went to her first Futurity 

as a foal where she scored 8.8 with 

several 9s and lots of compliments. She 

returned when she was 2, scoring 8.75 

and finished 2nd best 2yo in the UK. 

Her third trip to the Futurity was when 

she was competing at the Nexgen 

4yo championships which is held at 

Hickstead. She got another Gold award 

and qualified for the Equine Bridge. 

I have always believed that Secret is 

special and wanted to find a talented 

rider for her. This part was very hard. 

In the UK there currently aren’t any 

bridges between breeders and riders. I 

researched over 100 UK dressage riders 

before shortlisting 12. I contacted all of 

them with Secret’s CV, offering to pay 

full livery if they would ride her. Only 2 

riders replied to me. One of those was 

Sonnar Murray-Brown, who fortunately 

had been top of my shortlist and he has 

been riding Secret ever since. 

I’m very lucky to have Sonnar riding my 

horses. He’s a truly world class rider, on 

the Potential Podium Squad. He’s totally 

professional and completely focussed. 

He wants to ride on the British team and 

I want to breed a British team horse, so 

we share the same goal. I learn a lot 

from talking to him, finding out what the 

various bloodlines feel like under saddle. 

I use proven Grand Prix stallions as they 

have shown that they have the necessary 

soundness and trainability to make it 

to the top in dressage. I also only use 

strong motherlines. The mare is key for 

any breeder. I think one of the most 

important things a breeder can do is to 

critically appraise each horse they breed 

and reassess them frequently. The plain 

foal may blossom under saddle. The big 

moving foal may not have the ability to 

collect. No amount of big movement can 

compensate for a lack of rideability 

or soundness. 

So far Stolen Secret has finished 4th and 

top 5yo at the British Dressage Winter 

Championships, 4th and top mare at the 

5yo Nexgen championships and now 

she has won the Equine Bridge. Sonnar 

trains with Carl Hester so the £1000 

bursary will be used for Carl lessons. 

Since Carl rode Uthopia, Secret’s sire, I 

can’t wait to find out what he thinks 

of her. 


Competition 

Stallions 

Guide 

Print | Mobile | Online 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t t t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

t 

BRITISH BREEDER| 15

British Breeding - WBFSH 

Newton Tiger at the World 

Breeding Championships 

FEI and WBFSH Updated Guidelines for the 

Dressage World Breeding Championships 

We are all looking forward to 

the Dressage World Breeding 

Championships which are 

set to return to the beautiful 

showground at Ermelo this year. 

These championships fulfil a 

key role in bringing together 

breeding and the sport, and in 

recognising the achievements 

of the breeders. They are an 

opportunity to put the horse 

at the centre and celebrate 

the passion, skill, knowledge 

and commitment required for 

breeding the equine stars of 

the future. 

For breeders, they offer not only 

recognition, but also the opportunity to 

be inspired by up-and-coming breeding 

stallions and bloodlines. 

With selections for the championship 

carried out by the individual National 

Federations who are tasked to work in 

cooperation with their respective WBFSH 

member studbooks, we have over 

the years seen some variations in the 

interpretations of the rules. 

Great Britain has often been represented 

by foreign bred horses, which is a lost 

opportunities for British breeders and 

their stock. One of the main reasons in 

the past has been a lack of British bred 

horses coming forward for selection. 

With the recent rule clarifications, it is 

very much to be hoped that more owners 

of British bred horses will be encouraged 

to come forward to fly the flag for 

British breeding. 

Charlotte Fry and Kjento, World Champion 

6yo 2021 © FEI Leanjo de Koster 


British Breeding - WBFSH 

Woodlander Farouche World 

Champion 6yo 2012 © FEI DigiShots 

How can I put my British 

bred UK passported 

horse forward for 

selection? 

Clarification of the Definition 

of a Home-bred Horse 

To facilitate harmony and consistency 

across the board, the FEI and WBFSH 

have updated the guidelines to clarify 

some important points about the 

selections, including a clarification of the 

definition of a “home-bred” horse. 

Home-bred horses must be registered 

at birth into a studbook originating in 

the country of the nominating national 

federation. These horses must have a 

Universal Equine Life Number (UELN) 

that corresponds to the studbook of 

origin. Therefore, horses are considered 

foreign-bred if they are born in the 

country of the nominating national 

federation but are registered at birth 

into a WBFSH studbook originating in 

another country. These definitions adhere 

to the legally permitted activities of 

studbooks to operate in another country 

by extension of breeding territory. 

This means that according to the rules, 

British Dressage should select horses that 

are registered with one of the UK’s own 

WBFSH member studbooks, which are 

(in alphabetical order) AES, Breeders 

Elite, BHHS and British Rhineland, 

SHBGB and WBS-UK. 

Only when no home-bred horses 

come forward for selection or when no 

home-bred horses meet the minimum 

entry requirements may British Dressage 

nominate foreign-bred horses (i.e. 

registered at birth into a WBFSH 

studbook that does not originate in 

the UK). For such nominations to be 

accepted, official confirmation that 

no home-bred horses achieved the 

requested minimum entry requirements 

must be submitted to the FEI with 

the nominated entries list. This is to 

encourage the filling of quotas with 

home-bred horses. 

What About the Nationality 

of the Rider? 

The World Breeding Championships 

are a competition for horses, which 

means that riders can compete for 

another country. For example, Charlotte 

Fry, who rides the van Olst stallions, 

could compete on one of their horses 

representing the Netherlands, and 

Andreas Helgstrand, of course, has 

achieved great success in the saddle of 

the KWPN registered stallion Jovian. 

Only when a foreign bred horse is 

selected must the rider be from the 

country making the selection. 

What does this mean for 

British bred horses with non 

UK Passports? 

Horses born in Britain but passported 

with a non UK studbook could be 

selected for the country of that studbook. 

Because it is possible for a foreign rider 

to represent a country on a home-bred 

horse, they could be put forward even 

under a British rider, and will have to be 

successful in the selection process in the 

country of origin, i.e. the Netherlands 

in the case of KWPN registered horses 

or Germany in the case of Oldenburg 

registered horses. 

The selection of horses to represent 

Great Britain at the World Breeding 

Championships follows a 2-stage 

process: 

Stage 1: 

Enter and compete in the 

appropriate age group at one or 

more of the FEI Preliminary or Final 

tests. The following venues are still 

available: 

Hickstead Premier League 

13-15 May 

Somerford Park 

27 – 29 May 

Wellington Riding 

8 – 12 June 

Vale View Equestrian 

23 – 26 June 

Hartpury Premier League 

6 – 10 July 

Stage 2: 

If qualified from Stage 1, enter 

and compete in the FEI Final Test 

at the final selection trial in the 

appropriate age group at: 

Hartpury Premier League 

6 – 10 July 

Athlete/horse combinations 

competing in Stage 2 must 

achieve the following scores to be 

considered for selection: 

5 and 6 year old horses: a total 

score of minimum 80% 

7 year old horses: a total score of 

minimum 70% 

We hope that many of our 

wonderful British bred horses will 

come forward to make the most of 

this great opportunity to showcase 

the very best of British breeding on 

the international stage! 

BRITISH BREEDER| 17

Studbook - News 

Maranello 

AES Spring Stallion Gradings 

It was a great pleasure to 

return to Moor Hall in beautiful 

Cheshire on 21st April 2022 

to start our 2022 UK Spring 

Stallion events. The event was 

organised with Dave Quick 

and Louie Cunningham and 

their teams from Ashdale Sports 

Horses and L.J.C Stables who 

provided a great set up and 

experience for all participants. 

Stallion AI Services very 

generously donated goodie 

buckets and vouchers for all 

newly licensed stallions. 

In the showjumping section, High Offley 

Stud made a strong impression with two 

homebred young stallions. High Offley 

Legend is by the AES Approved stallion 

Ashdale Legend who is owned by David 

Quick and combines his busy breeding 

schedule with his successful international 

competition career. His mother High 

Offley La Croc (Crocodile Dundy Z x 

Sultan) was bred at High Offley Stud. 

She is a half sister of the AES licensed 

stallion Bohemium Business. High Offley 

Legend convinced with a powerful jump 

and plenty of scope, as well as very 

balanced and correct gaits. He has 

a lot of bone and length through the 

body, which will make him very suitable 

for breeders who are wishing to add 

substance, power, and a longer frame. 

The second stallion presented by the stud 

was High Offley The Colour of Money, 

a 3yo stallion by the stud’s very own 

High Offley Fernando, a son of Kannan 

who inherited his skewbald colour from 

his mother Jorinde, a daughter of the 

famous Samber. High Offley The Colour 

of Money’s motherline is exceptional. 

His dam is the half sister of numerous 

internationally successful showjumpers, 

including Tirano, by Chacco-Blue, 

jumping at 1.55m under the saddle of 

Sergio Alvarez Moya, Gismo de Pravia, 

by Jimy, who has been competing up 

to 1.45m and who is currently ridden 

by Jimena Garcia Rueda, and last but 

not least Julia de Nela, by Dodo St Z, 

competing with Felipe Villanueva Alonso. 

This charming stallion showed a great 

athletic jump with excellent use of the 

front leg and a lovely attitude. It is a 

delight to find a coloured horse with such 

exceptional performance breeding 

and talent. 

To complete the group of 3yo 

showjumping stallions who achieved 

licensed status, it was a pleasure to meet 

Ian Kellett’s home bred Mon Beau Fire 

who is by the For Contest son Fire and Ice 

J who comes from one of Westphalia’s 

most valuable motherlines and whose 

dam has been prolific in producing 

licensed stallions and internationally 

successful performance horses alike. Fire 

and Ice J is owned by the Böckmanns for 

whom he is competing internationally at 

Grand Prix level. Mon Beau Fire’s mother 

Cornelia is a Swedish Warmblood mare 

who was competed internationally by 

Madeleine Kellett before concentrating 

on her second career as a successful 

broodmare. She brings the valuable 

blood of Contendro I and Mowgli. 



Ashdale Goldstar 

High Offley The Colour of Money 

High Offley Legend 

The direct motherline has produced the 

international 1.60m horse Quando H. 

Mon Beau Fire showed a very keen and 

quick attitude over the fences, paired with 

excellent technique. He is very light on 

his feet and will suit breeders wishing to 

add athleticism, scope and speed. 

Later in the day, we moved on to the 

ridden stallions. Ashdale Goldstar, bred 

by Henry Harding and presented by 

Ashdale Sporthorses, is a 6yo son of 

the great Big Star who impressed with 

flawless jumping technique and bags of 

scope. His mother brings the blood of Lux 

Z and the wonderful Concorde. She has 

already bred 4 international successful 

showjumpers in Ashdale Luxara (by 

Luidam), who has been competing up 

to 1.60m, Ashdale Divine (by Luidam), 

jumping at 1.50m with Jessica Burke, the 

AES approved stallion Ashdale Legend 

(by Luidam) jumping at 1.50m with 

Jonathon Buxton and Ashdale Luxon (by 

Ideal du Pichoux) jumping at 1.45m with 

Jamie Wingrove. She is a half-sister of the 

international showjumpers Cheers Imenta 

(by Cheers Cassini) and Blitz (by For 

Pleasure). With incredible performance 

provenance on both sides of the 

pedigree, this young stallion is certainly 

one to watch! 

Completing the showjumping section was 

Al Shira’aa’s 5yo stallion Unbreakable 

Mon Beau Fire 

van Overis Z who was bred at Studfarm 

Overis. His sire Untouchable requires no 

introduction. On his mother’s side, we 

find further legendary blood from the 

great Clinton and Ramiro Z. She jumped 

at 1.40m with the Irish rider Deane 

Rogan and is the half sister of several 

internationally successful showjumpers, 

including Charmeur van het Kloosterhof 

(by Fuego du Prelet) who achieved 

numerous wins and placings up to 1.50m 

level with Jan Claeys from Belgium and 

Dejavu whose illustrious career with 

Bassem Mohammed included 2 wins and 

17 placings at 1.60m level. Interestingly, 

Dejavu is by Heartbreaker, who is of 

course the dam sire of Unbreakable van 

Overis Z’s sire. Further highlights from the 

motherline include Well Done (by VDL 

Sheraton) who was successful at 1.60m 

level with Julien Gonin and Zazou (by 

Germus R), placed at 1.50m level with 

Teddy van de Rijt. Unbreakable van 

Overis showed lovely athletic jumping 

ability and excellent technique. He has 

a lot of power and strong, correct limbs, 

and would suit a breeder wishing to add 

performance ability and strength to 

their mare. 

Joining the ranks of promising AES 

licensed dressage stallions will be 

Maranello who offers an exceptional 

pedigree. This impressive young 

stallion was bred by Klaus Jurgens and 

Unbreakable van Overis Z 

presented by LHH Investments Ltd. He is 

by the Elite stallion Millenium who has 

again and again proven himself as a sire 

of exceptional stallions. He brings the 

important blood of Easy Game who is the 

sire of the none other than the WBFSH 

Number 1 ranked dressage horse and 

Olympic gold champion TSF Dalera 

BB. Maranello’s dam, a State Premium 

daughter of Londonderry out of a State 

Premium mare by Weltmeyer does 

not disappoint. Among her successful 

offspring, we find the international 

Grand Prix horse Hennessy 91 (by His 

Highness) who is competing successfully 

with Wolfgang Westenhöfer and JJ 

Rayban (by Rascalino) who was a 

Premium stallion licensed with the 

Hanoverian Society and the Swedish 

Warmbloods. Maranello was inspected 

loose, as well as under saddle. He 

convinced with exceptional type, a kind 

temperament, and expressive, uphill 

gaits. Under saddle, his canter was a 

highlight, showing uphill and balanced 

strides. In the loose movement, his trot 

was particularly breath-taking, powerful 

and again very uphill showing natural 

moments of suspension. Maranello 

is a tall and elegant stallion who will 

suit breeders wishing to add type and 

rideable, expressive movement. 

BRITISH BREEDER| 19


2012 held the FEI world number one 

spot. Although the Pure-Bred Arabians 

are most popular for endurance, Anglo 

Arabs are also highly versatile. 

Cross breeding with an Arabian 

By Caroline Sussex 

Spring is in the air! But what kind of 

horse do you desire to breed? 

Most horses become pets, or for 

pleasure riding and low-level 

competition. Recently, someone showed 

surprise that Pure Bred Arabian were not 

more popular with riders. Their height, 

ability to please and learn, with genuine 

strength make them ideal companions 

and wonderful all-round riding horses. 

They excel in endurance, a sport that 

despite the publicity is a great way to 

enjoy our beautiful country. For those 

who need a slightly taller horse or an 

exceptional pony, there is an Arabian 

cross – Anglo Arab or Part Bred Arabian 

(any percentage) all registered by the 

Arab Horse Society. 

One of the aims of the Society is to 

encourage the cross breeding of the 

Arabian. People may remember the 

free-flowing showjumper, Rex the 

Robber, 50% Arabian x thoroughbred 

and ridden by Alwin Schockemohle. 

The world-famous eventer who hopped 

over fences, Tamarillo, carried 37% 

of Arabian blood. So many top-class 

ponies also carry varying percentages 

of Arabian blood (12.5% to show in Part 

Bred classes). 

Horse and Hound’s 23rd December 

2021 edition, featured Roseberry Final 

Edition, the 148 cm show pony who 

took the accolade of Supreme Pony of 

the Year at the 2021 Horse of the Year 

Show. The famous stallion, Kilvington 

Scoundrel, who carried 15% of Arabian 

blood, mainly from Count Dorsaz (also 

a prolific winner under saddle), always 

has a huge number of offspring at the 

Horse of the Year Show. 

There are numerous other famous Anglo 

Arab and Part Bred Arabians. You can 

look at the Society Premium Performance 

Scheme to find your stallions, but you 

can also look at the wider picture 

and find out if there is an Arabian 

near you that would cross well with a 

thoroughbred or pony. Most breeders 

would be more than happy to see their 

stallion used for cross breeding. 

The British Bred Maraday Mystaron, an 

Anglo Arab endurance horse ridden by 

Linda Cowperthwaite, has competed 

in endurance all over Europe and in 

The Premium Performance Scheme 

has three Anglo Arab stallions, six Part 

Bred Arab stallions and 20 Pure Bred 

Arabians available. The Scheme gives 

out many awards through the Arab 

Horse Society at the close of every 

season in all sections of competition. 

Awards are presented at the Arab Horse 

Society National Show in July. 

Romarnic Stud produce successful Anglo 

and Part Bred Arabians which show the 

value of the infusion of Arabian blood 

into performance horses. Whittakers 

Prince was Champion Riding Pony at 

HOYS and is out of an AHS Premium 

mare, Unique, who also produced 

Whittakers Prince, Champion Riding 

Horse and Supreme Ridden Champion 

at HOYS in 2012. Another daughter 

Romarnic Reverie qualified for the British 

Young Event horse championships. 

Cullinghurst Stud have bred really 

exceptional Anglo Arabs with 

D’Amascus taking the British National 

Champion and Runner Up in Large 

Riding Horse at the Horse of the Year 

Show. Marcosie Ponies are another stud 

with prolific ponies taking top awards. 

Biddesden Stud now breed mainly Part 

Breds who are out competing in Open 

Competition. 

For full details of the Arab Horse Society 

Premium Performance Scheme, please 

check www.arabhorsesociety.org/ 

premium-performance-scheme. 

There is also a Scheme for Premium 

Mares. Offspring from premium mares 

receive a free registration for the resulting 

foal and a payment of £200. Mares 

can also be nominated by the stallion 

owners (up to three in one season) and 

they also receive a free registration and 

a payment of £100. 


BRITISH BREEDER| 21


Robert Whitaker’s home bred Vermento 

(pictured below) by Argento out of Vicky 

Van de Grundeval, a fully approved 

stallion won the Grand Prix at Arena UK 

and was also 4th in a 2* grand prix in 

Oglabeek. Vermento’s dam “Vicky v/d 

Grundeval” was an international Grade 

A also with Robert. 

Brendon Stud had a very successful 

show, firstly winning the 6 year old 

final with Licensed stallion Pandito Van’t 

Merelsnest Z (Plot Blue x Larino x darco) 

ridden competently by Brendon’s rider 

Morgan Shirley and then followed by 

Ben Walker winning the Nexgen 7 year 

olds on the Brendon Stud’s homebred 

Klent Kick On (Pictured below) by 

Warrior out of Sussex Caretino. 

Foal Registrations 

2021 has been an exciting year for 

Breeders Elite, a relatively new sport 

horse studbook. A record number of 

foals were registered and the quality 

and improvement in the breeding from 

the dam’s side was tremendous. From the 

records there seems to be an increase 

of riders from showjumping, dressage & 

eventing breeding from their own proven 

competition mares than before. 

Top Mares 

BE has had the privilege of registering 

foals from international showjumping 

mares such as Diva, Seventh Sense , 

Hello M’Lady, Ursula, Zira VH Kapelhof 

Z , Carol Van Overis Z, Uttah Van 

Het Indihof, Wiston Bridget, Renzerin 

Van de Rampaarden , Beluga, Vicky 

v/d Grundeval, Lisnavaragh, Sussex 

Caretino to name but a few. On the 

eventing side mares such as I’ve Been 

Done and Weishe. Interestingly enough, 

the mare Weish bred by John Reid also 

bred the mare Astoria by Limerick who 

went on to breed “Sambuca” BE(SIES) 

by Samarant which attended the Tokyo 

Olympics for Dressage in 2021 ridden 

by Heike Holstein for Ireland. 

Successes 

Other successes in 2021 included John 

& Laura Renwick’s homebred Cottee 

(pictured below) by Asterix E Z out of 

Carol Van Overis Z winning nearly 

£30,000 in prize money and achieving 

no 1 status in the world for 7-year-olds. 

The same dam also bred NFS Angelina 

by Arko winning over £5000 in prize 

money and finishing in the top six 5 year 

olds in the world. 

Super stallion Z7 Regal Don bred by 

Brendon Stud had a tremendous year 

with Shane Breen winning in excess of 

£14000 in prize money. This rising 

9-year stallion is by Don VHP out of the 

mare Sebastians First. 

Not to be left out of the limelight was 

brother Trevor Breen riding the 10-yearold 

gelding Toyger. Bred by Mandy Hall 

he is by Robert Whitaker’s Catwalk out 

of a Kannan x Cavalier Royale mare, 

Trevor in just 2022 has won over £9000 

taking top spot in the 2* GP in Abu 

Dhabi in January. 

The Nexgen show held at Hickstead in 

September offered good prize money 

for age classes (5,6 & 7 years) and 

was very well attended. The 5-yearold 

championship was won by Keith 

Doyle and his newly purchased Renkum 

Oriana. Oriana by Baloubet Junior Z 

out of a Renkum Offcentre x Lord Z. She 

was bought by the late Max Berry as 

a 4-year-old. Max had produced her 

himself and subsequently Oriana had 

been spotted by Keith Doyle 

and purchased. 

Changes 

BE passports were updated and now 

include an additional loose-leaf page at 

the back with four generations pedigree. 

Breeders should be aware that foals 

should be registered in the year of birth, 

id sketches and microchips inserted 

PRIOR to weaning. Foals registered 

after one year from birth will be issued 

with a duplicate passport and when id 

sketches are completed after weaning 

then DNA testing will be required. Other 

new legislation following Brexit states 

that foals born in UK must be registered 

with a studbook in the UK. No longer 

can UK foals be registered with KWPN, 

BWP, Oldenburg, Zangersheide etc. 

This is good news for British breeding 

as approximately 1000 foals were 

registered with European studbooks prior 

to Brexit. 

Stallions 

With the new rules on foal registrations 

(as above) you may wish to take this into 

account when choosing your stallion for 

2022 if considering purchasing semen 

from Europe. Ensure of receiving all the 

required paperwork such as a covering 

certificate and an insemination document 

from your vet in order to register your 

foal in 2023 stress free and swift. BE 

recognises all European studbooks 

and will register all foals from graded 

stallions. 

BE has graded some super new stallions 

in 2021, including the sensational Hello 

Vincent. This 13 year stallion won over 

£300,000 in 2021 ridden by leading 

first rate rider Scott Brash.Hello Vincent 

was bred in France and is by Consul 

de Vie Z out of a Fergar Mail x Papillon 



Rouge dam, he is owned by Lady 

Pauline Harris & Lady Pauline Kirkham. 

Carrabis Z in Ireland was approved 

for Michael Hutchins as were Lucky 

Luck and Z7 Ascot (pictured below) for 

Breen equestrian. Z7 Ascot was bred by 

Marion Hughes and has been upgraded 

to Approved Elite after his Nations Cup 

debut in UAE. Marion also saw her 

stallion Le Roy approved. 

Chacco Volo was upgraded to 

Approved and is doing very well under 

the saddle of Adrian Whiteway. 

The eventing Stallion ‘Take it 2 the 

Limit’ was graded Approved Elite 

and is standing at Glenwood Stud 

International. Take it 2 the Limit is by 

Gaub and is an advanced eventer 

winning 297 points. (Pictured below) 

Florencio II was Approved for Dressage 

however has sadly since been pts, the 

owners have many off spring by this 

great sire. A young but most exciting colt 

of this year is Nico by Glock’s Toto. He 

was licensed for its owner Emily Ivins. 

(Pictured below). 

Stallion Grading Show March 

2022 

For the first time since 2013 we held a 

stallion grading on the 19th 

March 2022. 

It was very encouraging to see such a 

high-quality selection of young stallions 

rising into the future sport and breeding 

program. Out of the 20 stallions entered, 

our immensely knowledgeable judges 

consisting of the Olympic Showjumper 

Michael Whitaker, ex-Nations Cup 

riders Brian Dye and Geoff Glazzard 

and founder of the Studbook Henk 

Minderman, found it difficult to choose 

their favourite! All the stallions awarded 

with a licensing deserved it and these 

stallions include: 

• James Coombs-Gyde’s dressage 

Ozzy Waldo (Everdale x Gribaldi 

x Rossini) 

• Pat Ruck’s showjumper C-Savannah 

Z (Copycat Z x Dutch Capitol 

x Ramiro Z) and showjumper/ 

dressage C-Apassionato P Z 

(Comilfo Plus Z x Dutch Capitol x 

Ramiro Z) 

• Rebecca Marsh’s showjumper 

Exceptional Z (Escape Z x Chiwago 

V x Haarlem) 

• Chelsea Shorter’s showjumper 

Nextra Ordinary (Ipsthar x Lux Z x 

Symphonie) 

• Tyler Smith’s showjumper 

Mayflowers Morathi (below) 

(Phoenix Lord Sandler x Elton x 

Picasso de Lauzelle) 

• Lara Underwood’s showjumpers 

Aron Van Fil Horses (Aganix 

Du Seigneur x Up To Date M x 

Resoluut) and Hertog Jan AWH Z 

(Heineken VK x Quidam de Revel x 

Calato Z) 

• Paul Kelly’s pony showjumper It’s 

Bill (Wild Balou Bill x Borris Gem) 

The day also displayed the upgrading of 

the Breeders Elite graded stallion History 

(pictured) – owned and ridden by 

Lucy Struthers – to Approved. This very 

promising showjumper by Tangelo Van 

de Zuuthoeve x Berlin x Numero Uno is 

now competing in 2/3* ranking classes 

internationally which is why we have 

awarded him this status. 

We also saw the registration of other 

prospective stallions, including: 

• Aileen Osterholm’s dressage 

Woodlander Sandman 

(Summertime Blues x Consul x 

Ravel) 

• Janine & James Austin’s showjumper 

Sparrs Fleetwood (Baloubet Junior 

Z x Warkant Van’t Gestelhof x 

Fortuin Z) 

• Pat Ruck’s showjumper C-Neptune Z 

(Crown Z x Indorado x Kafu XX) 

• Georgia Wells showjumper Hector 

(Cicero x Kannan x Heartbreaker) 

• Chris Wherton’s showjumper Cevins 

Tudor Gold (Billy Tudor x Fantaland 

x Toulon) 

Overall, the show was a great success 

and has left us all feeling very excited 

for the future of the sport and breeding. 

We would like to thank our team for 

all their help: Pat Ruck for her brilliant 

facilities at The Sport Horse Centre 

in Coventry; Derek Morton for Chief 

Stewarding; Kyle Hopkins-Parry for his 

(amateur) photography and the rest of 

the Minderman family. Our plans are 

to host another Stallion Grading this 

Autumn and we look forward to seeing 

the high-class stallions to come. 

www.breederselite.co.uk 

BRITISH BREEDER| 23

Why insure 

with KBIS? 

We Offer: 

- Mortality Cover from 24 hours old 

- Full Vets Fee Cover from 90 days old 

- Affordable standalone Vets Fee options 

- 15 months to claim for mortality, vets fees 

and permanent loss of use 

- Personal service from insurance experts 

and horse owners 

0345 230 2323 

kbis.insure/yourhorse 

KBIS Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority 

(300861). Terms and Conditions Apply. KBIS is a Specialist Risk Group Company 

KBIS653_190x134.indd 1 20/01/2022 09:33 

UP YOUR 

HAY GAME 

DISCOVER HOW 

CAN IMPROVE YOUR 

HORSE'S HEALTH. 

HIGH TEMPERATURE HAY STEAMERS & THE FORAGER SLOW FEEDER 

PROVEN RESEARCH. PROVEN RESULTS. | haygain.co.uk | 01488 854005 


Sport Horse 

Breeding (GB) 

What a fabulous four days we had at 

Badminton Horse Trials presented by 

Mars Equestrian. Congratulations to 

owners, breeders, riders and grooms 

of our Sport Horse Breeding (GB) 

registered horses that did so well in the 

competition and to the owners and riders 

of our graded stallions that put on a 

great display in the main arena. 

A MONSTER OF A PERFORMANCE 

FROM GRAFFALO 

Ros and Lordships Graffalo in the final phase of 

showjumping 

It was the most exciting (and nervewracking) 

of competitions for owner 

Michele Saul and breeder Pennie 

Wallace there to oversee Lordships 

Graffalo and his rider, World 

Champion Ros Canter, finish in a thrilling 

second place on a Badminton debut for 

the ten-year-old SHB(GB) registered 

gelding. The pair who produced a 

double clear inside the time, won the 

SHB(GB) trophy presented to the 

owner of the highest placed horse by an 

SHB(GB) approved stallion. 

Ros and Mr & Mrs Saul receiving the SHB(GB) prize 

from the Princess Royal 

‘Walter’ was bred by the Lordships Stud 

at Writtle college when Pennie Wallace 

was a senior lecturer and loaned her 

mare Cornish Queen to the stud to 

be bred to the Stallion Company’s 

Trakehner stallion Grafenstolz. To 

those who always proclaimed that 

event horses couldn’t be bred Walter 

could not have a greater eventing and 

SHB(GB) pedigree. His sire – formerly 

ridden by Michael Jung – achieved 5 

two-star wins and two 3* placings. His 

dam Cornish Queen was bred by former 

Olympian and chair of BE selectors 

Bridget Parker and was by the former 

SHB(GB) advanced eventing stallion 

Rock King who was by the leading sire 

Just a Monarch. Just as importantly 

Cornish Queen was out of Cornish Faer 

by Ben Faerie xx who with Bridget’s 

daughter Katie Parker was 21st at 

Badminton in 1995 and long-listed for 

the Atlanta Olympics. 

Ros was full of praise for her new 

superstar who was contesting his first 

five-star. “His eyes were on stalks when 

we arrived but he enjoyed every part 

of it – especially the prize giving. He 

will have learnt so much in the last few 

days,” said Ros who also won the Frank 

Weldon memorial trophy for the highest 

placed young horse. 

Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue 

Graffalo was one of four SHB(GB) 

registered horses that finished in the top 

15. Irish rider Austin O’Connor produced 

a double clear with the Salty Syndicate’ 

grey Colorado Blue to rise 50 places 

up the leader board to a final eighth 

place. Bred by Kate Jarvey Colorado 

Blue is by the WBFSH number one sire 

Jaguar Mail out of Rock Me Baby who 

is also by Rock King out of a mare by 

Shaab xx. 

Jonelle Price and the former winner 

Classic Moet (Classic xx- Bohemond 

xx) also produced another clear crosscountry 

round inside the time – no mean 

feat for the evergreen 19-year-old 

SHB(GB) graded mare to finish in 11th 

while William Fox-Pitt and the SHB(GB) 

registered gelding Oratorio by his 

former winner Oslo Biats was 14th. 

And not forgetting Dorset-based first 

timer Rosie Fry who placed 47th of the 

52 finishers with True Blue Too by the 

SHB(GB) Jumbo son Jigilo. 

STALLIONS ON PARADE 

We were once again privileged to be 

showcasing SHB(GB) graded stallions 

in the main arena at Badminton with 12 

taking centre stage on Friday evening. 

The 12 stallions taking part were; 

The advanced eventing stallion 1) 

Britannia’s Mail (Jaguar Mail- Jumbo). 

Ridden by 18-year-old Ellie Fredericks 

The 10-year-old former in-hand show 

champion 2) Tiger Attack (Dolphin 

Studbook News - SHB(GB) 

Timolin 

Supreme- The Outlaw) ridden by 

Charlotte Dicker, 3) PennineView Bee 

Spritely (Pennineview Silver Concorde- 

Fulton) ridden by Issie Thompson 

and competing in BE U25 classes, 4) 

Tomatillo (Tarnik-Master Spiritus) the 

cloned son of the 2004 Badminton 

winner Tamarillo competing with 

Aaron Miller, The coloured stallion 5) 

Langaller Starmaker (Keady Star- I’m 

a Star) ridden by Charlotte Rowe, 

Former SHB(GB) grading champion 

6) Ashwey Laurenzo (Lauriston- 

Ircolando) ridden by Harriet Colderick, 

The grey 7) KL Mac (Larduc-Graf 

Quidam) currently competing at inter 

II level in dressage with rider Olivia 

Sealey, Dalcotes Stud 8) Hallmark DS 

(West Coast Cavalier-FourStars Allstar) 

ridden by Katie Hancock, Intermediate 

eventing stallion 9) Catherston Oakley 

(Opposition Bombshell-Dutch Gold) 

ridden by Gubby Leach, Nick Gauntett 

on his own homebred 10) The After 

Party (Primitive Proposal-Tolan R) a halfbrother 

to the late stallion Party Trick, 

Catherston Stud’s British-bred 11) 

Timolin, (Totilas-Sion) now competing in 

dressage and aiming for grand prix with 

his rider Lizzie Murray, And finally the 

former international 23-year-old young, 

eventing stallion 12) LePrince des Bois 

(Yarlands Summer Song-Quandy Du 

Mayne) beautifully presented by event 

rider Ginny Howe. 

MORE CHEER FOR PENNIE 

It has been a month of good cheer for 

Pennie Wallace who was the recipient 

of the inaugural SHB(GB) Breeders 

Trophy that we presented at the 

recent AGM. The trophy is awarded 

to recognise the achievements of 

our breeders. Pennie was not only 

instrumental in breeding Lordships 

Graffalo but has 16 offspring with her 

own Pencos prefix, competing in BE. 

Pencos Crown Jewel (Jumbo-Rock 

King) a half sister to Graffalo, was 4th in 

his first 5* at Bicton last year. Her horses 

were influential in leading the SHB(GB) 

studbook to 5th place in the WBFSH 

studbook ranking (out of 60 studbooks). 

Telephone: 01732 866277 

General: info@sporthorsegb.co.uk 

Studbook: marian@sporthorsegb.co.uk 

www.sporthorsegb.co.uk 

BRITISH BREEDER| 25


NPS British Riding 

Pony Studbook News 

– April 2022 

A number of initiatives are being run 

in 2022 to support British Riding Pony 

breeders and promote the breed to a 

wider audience. 

Regional Breed Shows 

A brand new development for 2022 has 

seen the NPS team up with 7 of our area 

and major affiliated shows to ensure a 

full range of 9 British Riding Pony (Show 

Pony) In Hand classes are available 

to our BRP breeders and owners to 

compete in. These Regional Breed Shows 

are: 

Southwest – NPS Area 10 – Late May; 

Wales – NPS Area 29 – 30th May; 

Central – Midland Counties – 4th – 5th 

June; Southeast – NPS Area 20 – 26th 

June; Eastern - Royal Norfolk – 29th – 

30th June; North – NPS Area 4 – 29th 

August. The Scottish Horse Show will be 

the Scottish Regional Breed Show from 

2023 onwards. 

Look out for schedules for the Regional 

Breed shows below, which will be 

holding the 9 NPS BRP SP In Hand 

classes - including a stallion class! 

Results at these shows all count towards 

the BRP Stallion Premium Scheme and 

the NPS/Derby House BRP Performance 

Points Scheme. 

Stallion Premium Scheme 

The NPS BRP Stallion Premium Scheme 

will be running for the second year in 

2022. This scheme recognises NPS 

licensed stallions whose progeny 

have been successful in competition in 

breeding classes at designated British 

Riding Pony (BRP) Premium Shows. 

Premiums are awarded annually and 

there were 6 Premiums awarded 

in 2021. 

BRP Performance Points 

Scheme 

The 2021 Performance Scheme kindly 

supported by Derby House was again 

full of quality British Riding Ponies, 

competing across a range of disciplines, 

showing the versatility of the breed. 

The overall champion and topping 

the eventing section was Seywoods 

Razzmatazz (Chycoose Troubadour x 

Kenilwood Wishing Wind) owned and 

bred by James & Kirsty Hunton. 

Overall Champion of the NPS/Derby House 

Performance Points Scheme Kirsty Hunton’s 

Seywoods Razzmatazz 

Winning the show jumping section 

for the second-year running was the 

current NPS Arena Eventing Champion, 

Romanno Spotless (Stanley Grange 

Regal Heights x Chiddock Spot On) 

bred by Jennifer Gilchrist and owned by 

Deborah Walton-Smith. 

The utility section went to Competition 

bursary winner, Madeline Caunt and 

her mother, Hannah’s homebred pony, 

Frasiers Forget Me Not (Soberton 

Graffitti x Laddenside Pepper Pot), 

Madeline and ‘Perdy’ were also a close 

second in the Dressage section. The pair 

have started their 2022 season with a 

bang, recently wining the novice race at 

Milbourne St Andrew and are heading 

to Ascot next! 

Winning racing pony Frasiers Forget Me Not 

3-year-old licensed colt, Ryehall Saville 

Row (Brideswood Prince Regent x 

Brookwater Samsara), owned by Dan 

Adams and bred by Martin Surman, 

had a successful season in the show 

ring winning the points for the in hand 

showing section, whilst the ridden 

showing section was won by Rachel 

Bullock’s Lowland Sentaor (Llanarth 

Aristocat x Lowland Silouette) bred 

by Dennis Morgan, who also topped 

the dressage section and was reserve 

overall. 

There are some changes to the Scheme 

for this year and NPS members will be 

able to enter their BRP pony into the 

scheme for FREE and non-members for 

only £5! If your pony already competes 

in ANY discipline, then they can win 

points for the scheme and eventually 

fantastic prizes from Derby House! It’s 

simple to enter, just head over to the NPS 

website for details: 

www.nationalponysociety.com/ 

performance-pony/ 

International Assessment 

Last year the NPS offered BRP stallion 

owners the chance to present their 

stallions to a panel of judges from the 

Trakehner Verband to gain feedback. 

This was an unofficial assessment on 

their suitability to produce sport ponies 

and was well received, with the stallions 

forward receiving strong marks. For 

2022 the scheme will be expanded 

and, it is hoped that participants will 

have the benefit of an international 

assessment. Successful participants will 

also now gain a sports accreditation 

within the studbook. To register your 

interest for this please email studbook@ 

nationalponysociety.com 

British Breeding Stallion Event 

In February the NPS were fortunate to 

secure a showcase spot at the British 

Breeding Stallion Event where some of 

our best dual-purpose stallions could be 

presented to a different market of mare 

owners, including both those attending 

on the day and to those watching the live 

streaming of the event. We were proud 

to see Jane Laffey’s Rotherwood Jubilee 

Diamond enjoying the spotlight under 

saddle. 

Rotherwood Jubilee Diamond representing the 

studbook at the Stallion Event, image courtesy Equipics. 



The 2022 Trakehner mare 

and stallion grading will 

take place on Tuesday 

30th August at Solihull 

Riding Centre. 

Once again the TBF will be working 

with the National Stallion Performance 

Test team whose annual assessment will 

follow on from the Trakehner grading 

and continue on Wednesday 31st. 

Please visit the website for more details 

and to enter https://www.trakehners. 

uk.com/events-shows/annual_show. 

html 

Many breeders are expecting both 

pure and part bred foals this year and 

so far Emma Morgan reports the arrival 

of her part bred palomino colt foal out 

of Woodcroft Natalia (Garuda K x 

Latimer), champion of her performance 

test who also competed to medium 

level and para dressage. The sire is the 

Welsh Section D Rhencullen Vanilla 

Ice. The lovely colt is called Arrowswift 

Nero Gold. 

We look forward to reporting the 

arrival of many more foals in the next 

edition of British Breeding. 

In sport, the great TSF Dalera BB 

continues to dominate, recently 

adding the World Cup to last year’s 

Olympic and European titles. Here in 

the UK Georgie Guest’s Donaustern 

(Abendtanz x Hohenstein) won the 

advanced medium Petplan Regionals 

and was 3rd in the Medium Winter 

Regionals, qualifying for both of the 

finals at the BD Winter Championships. 

Godington Stud report that their string 

is about to start competing in earnest. 

Godington Utah (Contis/Roland) and 

Ultimo ( Der Duerer/Roland) will be 

out affiliated eventing, PM Godington 

Donaustern & Georgie Guest competing at the BD 

Winter Championships 

Balenciaga (EH Herzendsdieb/Elite 

G Hannibal), PM G Ursula (Icare 

d’Olympe/Roland), G Okavango 

(Elite G Hannibal/EH King Arthur) 

will be seen in the unaffiliated sector 

aiming for some of the very popular 

new championships. Genevieve (G 

Utah/ Muschamp Danube) is based at 

the stud as a competition livery and will 

start later this year. 

www.trakehners.uk.com 

Arrowswift Nero Gold 

out of Woodcroft Natalia 

BRITISH BREEDER| 27


The Sports Pony Studbook Society 

SPSS Studbook Manager, Lucy Sheldrake 

(left) presenting the 2021 SPSS Breeder 

Award to Louise (centre) and Emily 

Worsdale - Photo SPSS 

Celebrating 

Success 

2022 British Breeding 

Stallion Event 

We were delighted that six SPSS 

graded stallions were presented at 

the 2022 British Breeding Stallion 

Event in February where we also had 

our publicity stand. The stallions, in 

alphabet order were: Abbeywoods 

Under Pressure (Murratbrook Moriarty 

x Commanche Ace), Abbeywoods 

Veyron (Royal Command of Wentworth 

x Commanche Ace), Bathleyhills 

Monet (Casino Royale K x Matcho), 

Britannia’s Bijou (Littledale Bright Star x 

Mr Big Cat), Hearnesbrook New Moon 

(Hearnesbrook Halley x Thunderbolt) 

and Ynyslyns Orlando (Hendrewen 

Meredith x Dwyfor Sunrise). More 

information about these and all the other 

SPSS graded stallions standing at stud 

in 2022 is available on our website – 

www.sportpony.org.uk/stallions. This 

event also saw SPSS Studbook Manager 

accept a 2021 Competition Stallions 

British-based Stallion Annual Futurity 

Award as her SPSS graded stallion 

Hilkens Gold Card (FS Golden Highlight 

x Black Boy) was joint winner in the 

Sports Pony Physical Futurity category. 

2021 SPSS Breeders Award 

As well as having our publicity stand 

at the Stallion Event, we also took the 

opportunity to present the 2021 SPSS 

Breeders Award to Louise Worsdale in 

recognition of her breeding the SPSS 

passported FEI Eventing Pony Miss 

Winifred Wilde. “Winnie” is out of 

the Dutch-bred pony Milagros Wilma 

(breeding unknown), who was bought as 

a green 6-year-old by Louise and then 

proved to be a good jumping pony who 

competed with Louise’s son at BE90 and 

BE100 over 2 seasons without accruing 

any cross country jumping penalties. 

With Wilma having a somewhat “hot” 

temperament, this was one of the key 

reasons that Louise chose Up With The 

Lark and Louise says that he definitely 

improved Winnie’s temperament with 

Wilma passing on her determination, 

jumping ability and height! 

Winnie was born in 2014 and has been 

competed to date by Louise’s daughter, 

Emily. Emily and Winnie started at in 

British Eventing (BE) classes in June 

2019, when Emily was just 13, winning 

at BE80(T). They progressed swiftly and 

were 15th in their first Novice at the 

end of 2020 and, apart from picking 

up penalties for refusals at the first Pony 

Trial in 2021 (the hugely challenging 

Weston Park in April which was a big 

ask for experienced ponies let alone 

a 7-year-old doing only their second 

Emily Worsdale & Miss Winifred Wilde 

Image Qorum Photos 



Novice), have no XC jumping penalties 

on their record. They went on to jump 

clear cross country at the Belsay Castle 

British Pony Championships – an FEI 

CCI-S 2* in June 2021. This was 

another very tough cross country track 

that caught out a lot of others and they 

finished a very creditable 14th. Sadly, 

Emily broke her leg badly a few weeks 

later and so was unable to ride for the 

rest of the season – a situation which 

impressed neither Emily nor Winnie - 

with Winnie resorting to jumping out 

of her field to alleviate her boredom! 

Much to Winnie’s delight, Emily is 

back riding now and they have started 

the 2022 season well with an 11th 

at BE100 (Open) and then 7th at BE 

Open Novice (Under 18s). We wish 

them all the best for this season, where 

they will be competing in the under 18s 

classes as Emily is now too old for the 

Pony classes, and with their dream of 

also doing an Embryo Transfer from 

Winnie to breed a future horse for Emily. 

British Dressage Winter 

Championships 2022 

The 2022 British Dressage Winter 

Championships (incorporating 

the Petplan Equine Area Festival 

Championships) are taking place 

just after the deadline for this article 

so we are unable to include SPSSassociated 

results but we will be willing 

on all the SPSS connected ponies and 

horses who have already achieved 

so much just by qualifying. Particular 

mention needs to go to full time vet, 

Kate Oppenheimer, and her SPSS 

passported mare SOS Sealpoint (SOS 

Kantje’s Unicolor x Pro-Set) who are 

regulars at this event. “Moosey”, as 

she’s known at home, was bred by 

Georgia Stokes using her versatile 

SPSS graded Dutch New Forest stallion 

SOS Kantje’s Unicolor who in his day 

won at Medium dressage as well as 

doing a range of jumping classes 

and hunting over big Cornish hedges. 

Kate started competing Moosey in 

BD classes at Preliminary level and 

they have competed at the Winter 

Championships and/or the Area 

Festival Finals every year from 2017 

(when Moosey was 6). This year they 

are entered for the Equi-Trek Elementary 

Silver Winter Championships, the 

PDS Saddles Elementary Freestyle 

Silver Championships and the Petplan 

Equine Medium Bronze Area Festival 

Championships. Then, showing she 

is as versatile as her sire, Moosey 

and Kate are off to Badminton Horse 

Trials where they are competing in 

the BE90 Voltaire Design Grassroots 

Championships – an event they first 

qualified for in 2020, when it was 

cancelled due to the pandemic and 

rolled forward to 2021 only to be 

cancelled again and so it will hopefully 

be 3rd time lucky for them in 2022. 

Also competing in multiple classes are 

13-year-old Daisy Bullman and 6-yearold 

SPSS graded stallion Godrics 

Dionysus (Danger 36 x Donnerwetter) 

who are entered for the Prestige Italia 

Novice Silver Winter Championships, 

the Baileys Horse Feeds Novice 

Freestyle Silver Championships and 

the Petplan Equine Elementary Bronze 

Under 21 Area Festival Championships. 

Then we’ve spotted at least nine 

other SPSS passported or registered 

entrants including Hannah Bailey and 

SPSS passported Rosewater Danny 

Boy (FS Don’t Worry x Broomford 

Dancer). Danny Boy was bred by 

Sarah Eberle and is owned by Hannah 

and they are competing in the Petplan 

Equine Advanced Medium Silver Area 

Festival Championships then are also 

heading to the Badminton Grassroots 

Championships where they have 

qualified for the BE100 class. We wish 

them and every other SPSS connected 

combination, named here or not, every 

success in their classes – as we do 

all those out there promoting SPSS 

passported, graded and registered 

ponies and horses. 

SPSS Grading 

Do you… 

Kate Oppenheimer & SOS Sealpoint 

Photo Kevin Sparrow 

• Want your pony stallion or mare 

(up to 158cm) assessed by experts 

for their suitability for breeding a 

British Sports Pony? 

• Want to grade your pony stallion 

(up to 158cm) as a sports pony so 

he can be promoted as a graded 

sports pony and his progeny can 

have an SPSS British Sports Pony 

passport? 

• Want your mare graded so her 

progeny can have an SPSS British 

Sports Pony passport regardless of 

what stallion you use? 

• Want to compete for the title of 

SPSS Grading Champion? 

If so, then SPSS Stallion & Mare 

Grading is for you! 

SPSS Grading is the assessment of 

SPSS Registered (ie passported or 

overstamped) ponies and small horses 

(up to 158cm) to see if they meet the 

standard for acceptance into one of 

the SPSS Studbooks. “In-person” 

gradings are held each year and we 

are doing a tour in this summer covering 

North, Central and South England 

plus Wales and Scotland – see www. 

sportpony.org.uk/grading for the 

dates and venues. It is also possible 

to do “virtual” mare gradings and 

stallion “PreAssessments” by video. 

Entrants must be at least 2 years old to 

be presented for grading; there is no 

upper age limit. In all cases, our expert 

judges are looking at conformation, 

paces, temperament and performance 

in order to assess suitability for breeding 

an athletic modern sports pony. Entries 

are welcome from all breeds but please 

note we will not issue a passport to a 

pure-bred native or rare breed pony, 

even if both parents are SPSS graded. 

Image Qorum Photos 

Supporting British Sports Pony Breeders 

by licensing stallions, grading mares, 

evaluating youngstock & celebrating 

success. 

Tel: 07703 566066 

Email: sportsponies@gmail.com 

www.sportpony.org.uk 

BRITISH BREEDER| 29

Reseeding, patching and repairing your horse and pony paddocks... 

Suregrow Fertiliser 

 

 

 

 

Specialist fertiliser for horse and pony 

paddocks 

Improves sward density 

No need to relocate your horse 

Slow release nutrients 

Fast Grass 

Paddock 

Grass 

Meadow 

& Laminitics 

grass mix 

For fast repair of worn areas such as 

gateways, troughs and feeding areas 

For reseeding, patching 

& repairing paddocks 

Specialist Grass Seed 

For use where laminitis may be a 

problem, contains no ryegrass 

and produces lower 

sugar/carbohydrate grass 

Available at stockists nationwide or visit www.suregrowuk.com 

Call 01423 223045 

LEADERS IN EQUINE 

REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES 

✔ Artificial Insemination (fresh, chilled and frozen semen) 

✔ Embryo Transfer 

✔ OPU and shipping for ICSI 

✔ Semen collection, evaluation, distribution and freezing 

✔ Infertility investigations 

✔ World class hospital facilities and specialist expertise 

✔ Neonatal and older foal intensive care 

✔ BEVA approved state-of-the-art laboratory 

Contact our BEVA approved team of 

dedicated stud vets to discuss your requirements 

on 01638 663150, or practice@rossdales.com 

ROSSDALES VETERINARY SURGEONS, 

Beaufort Cottage Stables, High Street, Newmarket, CB8 8JS 

www.rossdales.com 


BRITISH BREEDER| 31

Feature - Linear Scoring - Future Potential 


and its Future 

Potential 

An Introduction to the Futurity 

Evaluations An Introduction 

to the Futurity Evaluations 

The common purpose of all breeders 

and studbooks is to support breed 

improvement. But what do we mean 

when we say we want to “improve” the 

breed? There are probably as many 

different answers as there are studbooks 

and breeders. The purpose of the Futurity 

evaluations is to develop a relevant, 

common language to describe our horses 

and ponies to gain valuable information 

and data for future breeding decisions, 

while accommodating the diversity that 

makes the British breeding scene such a 

vibrant community. 

Studbook evaluations and gradings 

are often centred on how close - in the 

opinion of the judge - the horses come to 

their individual breeding goal. Historically 

this was, and often still is, carried out 

by assigning numerical marks for predefined 

and often very broad traits, such 

as conformation, gaits, type, rideability 

and jumping ability. Therefore, the overall 

final numerical mark that is awarded 

after evaluating a horse is a summarised 

verdict of the horse’s quality. This involves 

a high degree of subjectivity and can 

vary a lot from studbook to studbook or 

evaluator to evaluator. 

To be able to share information and data 

that will help all breeders to continue to 

improve breeding for performance, more 

objective evaluation methods are needed 

to focus on characteristics that will provide 

an accurate indication of a horse’s ability 

to perform. 

There are aspects of a horse’s 

conformation that have a direct impact 

on its athleticism, its ability to move well 

and with ease, and its ability to remain 

sound. To describe these aspects in a 

meaningful way, Linear Scoring provides 

a methodology of creating a common 

language of describing horses in as 

neutral and informative terms as possible. 

It starts by breaking down the old 

overarching traits, such as conformation, 

walk, trot, canter, and jump into a wider 

range of individual, clearly observable 

components. For conformation, for 

example, these could include the length 

of the neck, the angle of the shoulder, the 

height of the wither, and so forth. For a 

gait, such as the trot, this could - among 

other aspects - include the length of stride, 

balance, impulsion and elasticity. 

The physical expression of each of these 

traits is then described by indicating 

where it is located within a range of 

two extremes, and as a deviation from 

the average. For example, the length of 

the neck of a horse could be described 

as average, or longer, or shorter than 

average. Furthermore, we can indicate 

whether a neck deviates from the average 

only slightly, or obviously, or extremely. 

The linear profile of a horse that is thus 

generated does not yet constitute a value 

judgement about its ability to perform, 

or about its adherence to an individual 

studbook’s or breeder’s goal. However, 

the information it contains can illustrate 

how closely a horse adheres to a 

breeding goal, and it can be interpreted 

to form a value judgement. The great 

advantage of this is that the interpretation 

can vary from breeder to breeder and 

from studbook to studbook. 

For example, a longer than average 

length in stride in the trot would be a 

desirable feature in an international 

Linear score example 

dressage horse and would therefore lead 

to a high numerical mark in a studbook or 

breeding programme aimed at facilitating 

the breeding goal. 

However, some breeders may choose 

to aim at an amateur rider, for whom 

a longer than average stride might be 

difficult to manage. For them, more 

average movement characteristics may 

be desirable. In some cases, extreme 

deviations from the average may be seen 

as less desirable, as they might impact 

on soundness. 

Having been pioneered by the 

KWPN, Linear Scoring is now used by 

studbooks all over the world, with some 

interesting variations, but also with many 

commonalities. 

To identify such commonalities and to 

achieve a high level of consistency in 

scoring, the WBFSH has been organising 

annual International Workshops for the 

Linear Scoring in the Warmblood Horse. 

These have provided the basis on which 

the British Breeding Futurity’s linear 

scoring system has been developed to 

create a broad-based approach relevant 

to a wide range of studbooks and breeds. 

Since 2018, the British Breeding Futurity 

has been creating public linear profiles 

of all participants and collected them 

in a public database. This provides a 

valuable resource to breeders not only 

in the detailed feedback they receive 

about their horses and ponies, but also in 

researching individual stallions, as they 

are able to see the characteristics passed 

on by those stallions through the publicly 

available linear profiles of their offspring. 

International Linear Scoring Workshop 

Linear score example 


Feature - Linear Scoring - Future Potential 

The Next Steps: 

An Introduction to Genomic Selection 

In Genomic Selection 

programmes, breeding decisions 

are based on genomic breeding 

values (GEBV), which are 

calculated by first observing a 

large reference population with 

known phenotypes (linear scores 

and performance data) and 

genotypes (DNA profiles). 

These breeding values can be applied 

to a wide range of breeding goals, but 

in a very focused manner. Health and 

soundness issues, as well as genetic 

defects seem to be very practical 

applications for the technology. While 

the benefit of screening against potential 

diseases and conditions is obvious, we 

can also think about Genetic Analysis in 

terms of specifically selecting for 

positive attributes. 

In this country especially, we are still 

in the very early stages of unlocking 

the potential of genomic selection 

in breeding. To start with, breeding 

programmes driven by genomics need a 

large amount of data, something that has 

always been a challenge in our industry, 

which has been very fragmented. The 

potential of the British Breeding Futurity 

is that it can overcome fragmentation 

by collecting and providing detailed 

phenotype data, via its linear scores, to 

all British sports horse and pony breeders 

and studbooks. 

While DNA testing has become a firm 

part of most breeding programmes in the 

UK, focus has so far been on parentage 

verification, using 17-25 marker STR 

tests. These are not suitable for genomic 

selection, which require much more 

detailed information. 

For this, a more detailed kind of testing 

is needed, using Single nucleotide 

polymorphisms (SNPs). These are the 

smallest possible type of genetic markers, 

looking at single positions in the genome. 

This allows SNP allele data to be used for 

a much wider range of purposes, as tests 

can provide information on large numbers 

of SNPs – around 70,000 – 80,000 

for medium range tests from hair follicles 

– which provides us with a much more 

detailed understanding of an equine’s 

genetic make-up. 

We can then start to analyse this data and 

compare it to linear profiles collected to 

identify patterns, spot potential problems, 

but also identify genes that are likely 

linked to attributes we actively desire in 

our horses and ponies. 

The potential of this is considerable: 

more focused breeding programmes to 

increase predictability will help breeders 

recoup their investments in their breeding 

stock, and will ultimately promote not only 

performance, but health and welfare, 

too. We have a long road ahead of us, 

but by working together and supporting 

each other, we can all become part of 

something very exciting. 

BRITISH BREEDER| 33


NATURE’S LIGHT 

Delivered using Smart Stable Lights 

and Award-Winning Light Masks 

Optimise Stallion Fertility 

Equilume Performance Lighting 

regulates the daily (circadian) and seasonal 

(circannual) rhythms for stallions, benefiting 

behaviour, fertility, coat condition and 

performance. 

The benefits to stallion fertility when switching 

to Equilume Stable Lights include: 

Stallion Fertility 

• Higher testosterone levels throughout the 

breeding season* 

• Advancing and extending season of 

optimum fertility* 

• Higher sperm production earlier in the 

season* 

• Higher semen volume* 

Coat Condition 

• Maintaining summer coat condition* 

• Reducing or eliminating clipping 

• Accelerating winter shedding 

Health 

• Strengthening the immune system 

• Enhancing alertness and mood 

• Accelerating wound healing 

*published research & scientifically validated 

We started using the Equilume Stable Lights to increase early season fertility and have seen 

them work to great effect. Our stallions are seeing a higher percentage of mares get in foal 

earlier in the year than before we installed the Equilume system, which is great for the 

stallions and also for our breeders. 

Larry Walton, Stallion Manager, Hill ‘n’ Dale, USA 

conor@equilume.com +353 87 097 8083 www.equilume.com 

BRITISH BREEDER| 35

Feature - Digital Stable 

Digital Stable Supports 

British Breeders 

The Olympic Disciplines and British 

Equestrian have recently asked 

all their members to create Digital 

Stable accounts to check that all 

the horses they own and compete 

in the sport are recorded correctly 

on the government’s Central Equine 

Database (CED). As part of this 

development, Equine Register are 

rolling out new functionalities to 

support the welfare and security of 

all our horses and ponies. 

Included in this rollout are new ways 

in British breeders can use the Digital 

Stable as a tool not only to manage 

their mares and youngstock, but also 

to ensure that their name will never be 

dropped from a horse’s record as they 

move on into the sport. 

Never be Forgotten Again 

It is always frustrating to see how very 

little recognition breeders receive for 

their achievements as their horses 

move into the sport. We would all 

love to see our British breeders named 

on competition starting lists up and 

down the country, and during awards 

ceremonies at our championships. 

However, the reality is very different. 

All too often, British breeders are not 

only not mentioned, but they are missed 

off the records entirely, and they 

become forgotten. 

The Digital Stable allows you to ensure 

that in future, this cannot happen. You 

will be able to create a digital record for 

any new foal you breed even prior to 

completing your studbook registration. 

All future information, such as the 

studbook registration, studbook verified 

identity details and ownership updates, 

will be added as your horse grows up. 

Whatever happens, your name as the 

breeder stays on there forever. 

Protect your foal from birth 

Setting up pre studbook registration 

records of your foals will also promote 

security and traceability. The Digital 

Stable allows you to upload regular 

photographs and to add information 

about your horses’ keepers and 

locations, and any ownership updates 

as and when there are sold. 

If the very worst happens and a horse 

is stolen or goes missing, the Digital 

Stable can alert all users of the CED 

including enforcement and welfare 

agencies, studbooks and passport 

issuing organisations. You can use your 

digital stable account to alert all the 

authorities immediately, at which point 

the photographs will be incredibly useful 

to allow the agencies to find and identify 

your foal even if he or she does not yet 

have a passport or microchip. 

By knowing your foal’s location, the 

Digital Stable will also be able to send 

you live information of any disease 

outbreaks or alerts in your area, helping 

you to protect your horses’ health 

and welfare. 


Feature - Digital Stable 

Manage your Mares 

and Youngstock 

Creating your Digital Stable account 

allows you to see which horses are 

currently officially recorded on the 

UK’s national central equine database 

(CED) as being in your ownership. The 

CED records are based on information 

received from the studbooks. 

It will also allow you to check that 

all your broodmares, many of whom 

might have been imported or bought, 

are in fact registered in your name. 

If they are not, the Digital Stable will 

assist you in updating the records with 

the relevant studbooks. 

The Digital Stable supports the sales 

process with a digital handshake 

which will help breeders to encourage 

buyers of their horses to register their 

passports in their new ownership. 

How to do it 

Setting up a Digital Stable account is 

a little bit of effort initially, as we are 

extremely careful to protect your identity 

and the biosecurity of your horses. To 

start, go to https://stable.equineregister. 

co.uk/user/register and follow the 

prompts on the screen. 

1. Identity Check 

Above all, we are making sure that 

nobody can impersonate you. We 

therefore carry out a secure, banking 

level security check to prevent anybody 

creating a fraudulent account in your 

name. Make sure you have a photo id 

and a smart phone to hand. If you are 

experiencing any difficulties, do not 

hesitate to contact us, our team is always 

happy to help! 

2. Equine Data Check 

Once we have identified you and you 

have set up your account, we will be 

able to show you all the horses and 

ponies that are currently recorded on 

the Central Equine Database as being 

owned by you. 

If any of them are no longer owned by 

you, you will be able to mark them as 

“sold”, or, if they are no longer with us, 

as “deceased”. 

If the list of horses the Central Equine 

Database holds in your name is 

incomplete, you will have an opportunity 

to use the Digital Stable request to 

update the records and we will notify the 

relevant studbook on your behalf so they 

can verify the information and complete 

the process. Make sure you have the 

relevant equine passport details to hand 

and follow the step-by-step guide. 

3. Keeping Your Records Up 

to Date 

You will also be able to update other 

useful details about horses, such as 

their current location, and you can 

add important information such as 

vaccinations. This enables you to protect 

your horses from theft, thanks to a direct 

data link with the police databases, 

as well as infectious diseases, as the 

Digital Stable will be able to notify you 

immediately of any outbreaks in 

your area. 

Adding photographs of your horses 

will again enable you to enhance their 

security protection, as the police and 

authorities will be able to use those when 

a horse is lost or stolen. 

4. Passport Details on the Go 

The Digital Stable also allows you to 

download a digital record of your 

horse’s passport to your smartphone. 

This “digital smartcard” stores all 

important passport information, including 

your horses UELN and Microchip 

numbers and vaccination history. This 

will make access to events and travelling 

with your horse much easier. 

The Smartcard can also track your 

horses’ movements when you are out 

and about and can help to protect them 

in the event of a disease outbreak 

or accident. 

5. Recording a New Foal 

Setting up a new foal is the fun part! You 

will be able to create a pre-registration 

record of the date of birth and add 

photos as and when you like. 

You will still need carry out your 

studbook registration as normal. The 

studbook of your choice will be able 

to verify all details as part of their 

usual passporting procedure, including 

pedigree verification. This will merge 

your pre-registration digital record with 

the studbook’s full confirmed identity 

record on the Central Equine Database, 

with one key addition: Your name as the 

breeder is now securely on there and will 

never be deleted or forgotten again! 

To find out more, go to https:// 

www.equineregister.co.uk. 

BRITISH BREEDER| 37

Breeder Spotlight - Breen Equestrian 


A Jumping Vision 

By Rachael Holdsworth 

Shane Breen - the man with the Vision 

We were delighted to be invited to the 

inaugural Breen Equestrian Stud Open 

Day at Hickstead in April providing 

an opportunity to see not only the 

exceptional range of jumping stallions 

and progeny both in the stable and 

performing in the arena, but also the 

recent development of stud facilities at 

the nearby Pook Bourne Stud. This was 

the first time the Breens had opened their 

doors to the public, and they were not 

disappointed. Stallions and progeny 

were immaculately turned out and put 

on an impressive performance before 

the audience of over 200 in the indoor 

arena. Even some of the youngsters 

jumping in front of a crowd for the first 

time took it in their stride. It was unusual 

and interesting to watch sires and 

progeny together, clearly illustrating their 

family traits. 

The Breen breeding programme is 

gaining momentum, with some 200 

horses now on the stud and 24 mares to 

foal at Pook Bourne this season. Shane 

still has some mares in the Ukraine, 

where his business partner has a selfsufficient 

operation where he can keep 

them safe and well for the foreseeable 

future, and there are also mares with 

Shane’s father and cousin, John Griffin, 

who breeds 2 or 3 a year in Ireland. 

The programme is a joint enterprise, 

with Shane’s wife, Chloe, taking care of 

the admin and stud manager, Greg Le 

Gear, managing the operational side. 

“Shane is an encyclopaedia of breeding 

and very much the visionary, while I 

implement the vision. But we could not 

have done this without Greg who has 

worked here for over a decade initially 

as a rider and now stud manager. He 

has been instrumental in getting this off 

the ground. It was Greg who said let’s 

get these stallions marketed and make 

them commercially viable”, 

explains Chloe. 

Golden Hawk 3 



“This is a 5-year 

project, and then 

we will review it. 

My idea going 

forward is to 

have around fifty 

3-year-olds” 

Says Shane 

Shane started Breen Equestrian in 2007 

and from the beginning the idea was to 

build a stallion station. “A stud brings to 

mind brood mares and foals, whereas 

a stallion station is what we are aiming 

for, and we could not do that until we 

had a really firm base of stallions. We 

waited until the stud at Pook Bourne was 

built with a proper collection facility 

and lab so that we can send the semen 

out regularly and reliably and it was 

important to us that this was correct. 

Greg overseas all the collections and 

deals with all the mare owners and does 

all the publicity too”, says Chloe, whose 

father, Douglas Bunn, bred numerous 

horses including the aptly named Buddy 

Bunn (by Maestro Nativio), winner of the 

2004 Hickstead Derby ridden by 

John Whitaker. 

“This is a 5-year project, and then we 

will review it. My idea going forward 

is to have around fifty 3-year-olds”, 

explains Shane. “I buy in foals and 

embryos to get into more different 

bloodlines. I don’t just want to use my 

stallions as it is important to bring in 

blood from other breeders, and then 

cross those bloodlines with my stallions. 

My idea is to outsource and mix it up 

a bit, so I am buying in the papers 

[pedigrees] that I want”. 

Shane’s interest in breeding started when 

he bred Cos I Can, by Olympic Lux 

(KWPN) out of Carel Vew Lass (ISH), by 

Harlequin Du Carel (SF), in partnership 

with his cousin, John Griffin, a dairy 

farmer in Ireland. “Sometimes you seem 

to get freaks, but are they really freaks? 

If you look back in their pedigree there 

is usually a reason that they jump so 

well. The sport has evolved, the fences 

are so light, courses are tight and it is all 

so technical that you do actually have to 

have papers that makes sense”. 

In mares, Shane looks for performance 

at highest level from themselves, with a 

family tree that has also performed well. 

Chloe and Shane Breen 

Colmar - stallion by Colestus 

“Not just one out of 10, there must be a 

bit of stability, and then they have to be 

a family that you have admired or that 

you would like to ride yourself. It is the 

same with the stallions, if I am not going 

to breed with them myself, why would I 

ask someone else to breed with them?”, 

says Shane. 

On making breeding decisions, it is the 

feedback from the riders that Shane is 

interested in. “I bought some Crack 43 

progeny this year after hearing feedback 

from his rider, Richie Vogel, and David 

who works with him. I like to find out 

what sort of character he has, what is 

their opinion, is he a flash in the pan 

or do they think this is going to be a 

championship horse. If they say he ticks 

“Shane is an encyclopaedia 

of breeding and very 

much the visionary, while I 

implement the vision. But 

we could not have done 

this without Greg who has 

worked here for over a 

decade initially as a rider and 

now stud manager. He has 

been instrumental in getting 

this off the ground. It was 

Greg who said let’s get these 

stallions marketed and make 

them commercially viable” 

Explains Chloe. 

BRITISH BREEDER| 39


On-site lab for semen processing and shipping 

Housing for Youngsters with screens to let air in and keep weather out 

BE Coco by Carambole (1.60m Grand Prix 

stallion) with foal by Golden Hawk 

all the right boxes, then I go for it. Once 

you have chosen a sire that you would 

like some offspring from, then you just 

seek the best mares, so you speak to a 

rider who has ridden the grandmother 

of the mare, to find out what she was 

like. A lot of the youngsters I’ve bought 

are out of 4, 5 or 6 year-old mares, 

competing on the circuit. I wanted to 

buy the mares, but the owners would 

not sell, but because they have embryos 

out of them they will sell the embryos, so 

that’s perfect’, says Shane, who is always 

on the lookout for interesting bloodlines. 

“We are always 

striving for better. 

The quality is going 

up each year, which 

is the part I love to 

watch” 

Explains Greg 

Lucky Luck 

6yo stallion by 

Grandorado 

Greg Le Gear sees the improvements in 

quality coming through. “What is really 

exciting is that Shane is reinvesting in the 

mares. If he has a new 7 year-old that 

he is riding and showing good promise, 

he will take an embryo from her, so we 

have new blood coming in all the time. 

We are always striving for better. The 

quality is going up each year, which is 

the part I love to watch”, explains Greg. 

“This is the second year officially running 

the stallions ourselves, and we want 

people to be happy to use our stallions 

because they are very good stallions 

and will help breeders striving for better 

stock. We want the British sport horse 

to be seen as a commodity that people 

from Europe and Ireland want and will 

come to buy. I believe that these horses 

are in the UK and I want them to become 

highly sought after. We will be able to 

offer a selection of 2 or 3-year olds, and 

ridden horses with the facilities at Pook 

Bourne for people to be able to come 

and try and possibly offer a hand-picked 

selection of youngsters for an Auction”. 

Breen Equestrian have approximately 

8 recipient mares and Shane says that 

they need to be good mares. “That’s the 

foal’s mum, and they are going to learn 

some traits from her. Pat Cash supplied 

foster mares from Ireland to a TB stud in 

Newmarket. They were coloured cob 

mares and they just stood there, rain or 

shine, whereas the sports horse mares 

would seek shelter for their foals and 

move around and exercise them – which 

is good for the foal”, he says. 

The facilities at Pook Bourne include 

8 large, covered pens, a dummy and 

covering area and laboratory. There are 

further plans to extend the stud facilities, 

including a purpose-built stallion yard 

and an arena to allow the stallions tostay 

at Pook Bourne for quarantine purposes 

and enable the export of fresh semen. 

“I love the breeding, and want to 

expand a little bit and get enough stock 

so we maybe do an auction. I would 

love to breed a few top horses and see 

them jumping on the world stage and 

doing really well, and I think to do that 

you need to have the facilities to make it 

comfortable for the animals and also for 

us to manage it”, he explains. 

Greg looks after the stallions when they 

go for breeding duties. He collects 

them from the main yard in the small 

lorry, so they identify him with coming to 

Pook Bourne, and the staff on the yard 

with doing their work at a show. “It is 

always the same routine; they arrive, go 

in through one door, they are so well 

trained that they just walk in and do the 

job, then the lab does the testing and 

sends out the semen”, says Shane. 

Breen Equestrian currently offer 12 

stallions, all proven or are proving 

themselves in sport. “For future, we want 

to preserve and enhance what we’ve 

got”, explains Chloe. “Why don’t British 

breeders use British stallions? Now there 

is no excuse. I think we are representing 

most of the major breeding lines in 

Europe at the stallion station, which is 

why we were so keen to wait until we 

had a really good team of stallions”. 

If the excellence on display at this year’s 

open day is anything to go by, Breen 

Equestrian will be doing their bit to 

ensure there are many more British bred 

jumpers on the world stage in years 

to come. 



BRITISH BREEDER| 41

Industry leaders 

in Equine 

Reproduction 

with over 

30 years of 

experience 

Stud & Reproduction Services 

• Complete TB & AI breeding packages • Pre-breeding tests 

• AI - fresh, chilled & frozen 

• Embryo transfer/Embryo freezing 

• BEVA Accredited AI Centre 

• OPU 

• Semen collection & analysis 

• Team of experienced stud vets 

• Infertility investigations 

• B&W Willesley Stud & facilities 

• Semen importation/Stallion Catalogue • Back up of the B&W Equine Hospital 

t: 01666 880501 e: stud@bwequinevets.co.uk www.bwequinevets.co.uk 

B&W Stud & Reproduction Services, Byam’s Farm, Willesley, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8QU 

Stunning Advanced & Pony Stallions at Stud 2022 

Britannia's Mail 

Britannia's Bijou 

Proven Advanced eventer by Olympic Show Jumper 

Jaguar Mail out of triple 5* winner Olympic medallist 

Headley Britannia 

16.1hh Bay 7/8 TB born 2008. SHB(GB) Approved AES 

Excellent proven fertility. Stud Fee: £800+vat 

Eventing bloodlines in the purple. Out of Bella Britannia, 

daughter of legendary eventer Headley Britannia, by 

top Riding pony stallion Littledale Bright Star 

15.1hh Bay 7/8 TB x Riding pony born 2017. SHB(GB) Gold, 

SPSS Gold Premium. Proven fertility. Stud Fee: £350+vat 

Fresh, chilled and frozen semen available. Standing at Tomlinson Equine, Gloucestershire. 

Contact marketing@lucindafredericks.com / 01380 816636 www.lucindafredericks.com/stallion-services 


Vet Insight - Problem Mares 

Approach to the 

problem mare 

by Anna Mitchell BVM&S 

DACT MRCVS 

Want a foal out of your mare but she’s 

just not taking? Had a disappointing 

season last year and now you’re looking 

to improve your chances of breeding 

success? Here we look at the approach 

to breeding the problem mare. 

One of the keys to managing problem 

mares is to start early, as successful 

investigation and treatment of these 

mares can take time. Ideally a barren 

mare, i.e. a mare that is not pregnant at 

the end of a breeding season, should 

undergo a thorough investigation 

before she goes into winter anestrus 

(non-cycling period) although early 

springtime presents a second window of 

opportunity to address any issues. 

A thorough reproductive evaluation 

is the first step in the process, with the 

goals of 1) determining if a reproductive 

abnormality is present, 2) creating a 

treatment and breeding management 

plan based on the abnormality 

identified, 3) Providing a prognosis 

for future fertility. This examination is 

sometimes called a breeding soundness 

examination, and consists of: 

(1) Thorough reproductive and medical 

history. Particularly important to 

ascertain is previous foalings- normal 

or otherwise, abortions and when 

they occurred and dystocias (difficult 

births) which could result in damage 

to the reproductive tract. Age of mare 

is extremely important as fertility is 

reduced with very young or old mares. 

Stallions and type of semen (fresh, 

chilled or frozen) used at previous 

breeding attempts are also key. All this 

information can give clues as the root of 

the problem and how treat it. 

(2) General physical examination to 

identify any sources of pain or significant 

health issues such as severe under or 

over condition or Cushings disease 

is important, as many disorders can 

negatively affect fertility. 

(3) Examination of the perineum (vulva 

area). The vulva is an important barrier 

in preventing entry of infection and air 

entering the uterus, and assessment 

of the shape and slope of the vulva in 

relation to the anus can help determine 

whether infection is likely to have 

entered, and whether a Caslicks 

operation (stitching of the vulval lips 

together) is needed to protect the uterus. 

Poor perineal confirmation is one of 

Caslicks procedure 

the most important causes of persistent 

uterine infection in mares and failure to 

become pregnant. 

(4) Speculum examination of the 

vagina and cervix. A long cardboard or 

perspex speculum is used to identify any 

injury or adhesions to the vaginal walls 

or cervix, most commonly caused by 

previous foaling trauma. Such damage 

can result in persistent infection, and 

cervical damage can result in the cervix 

becoming ‘leaky’ and incompatible 

with maintaining a pregnancy. Manual 

palpation of the cervix when the 

mare is not in heat is also important in 

identifying any subtle tears. Discharge or 

urine pooling can also be identified on 

speculum examination. 

(5) Palpation and ultrasound of the 

uterus and ovaries. This is performed 

to ascertain stage of cycle, any uterine 

fluid or air which could be indicative 

of infection, foreign bodies (such 

as marbles), visualise endometrial 

pathology such as excessive oedema 

Severely discoloured uterine flush fluid 

indicative of inflammation_infection 

or tumours, ovary size and any ovarian 

abnormalities such as the most common 

equine ovarian tumour, the granulosa 

cell tumour. 

(6) Uterine swabs for bacterial culture 

and cytology. Sterile swabs introduced 

through the cervix are used to obtain 

samples from the endometrium (lining 

of the uterus). The sample is then 

plated up on an agar culture plate, 

incubated over 48 hours and any 

bacterial growth identified. A slide 

is also prepared from the swab and 

examined under the microscope for the 

presence of inflammatory cells which 

indicate inflammation or infection 

within the uterus. Swabbing the uterus 

detects uterine infections in many, but 

not all cases. In a minority of cases, the 

swab may come back clear, but your 

veterinarian may still be suspicious that 

there are bacteria lurking. In these cases, 

a flush of the uterus may be performed, 

and the fluid from the flush collected and 

analysed for bacterial culture 

and cytology. 

BRITISH BREEDER| 43

Vet Insight - Problem Mares 

Uterine biopsy forceps 

(7) Endometrial biopsy. This is another 

diagnostic tool useful in assessing the 

uterine health of mares. The biopsy tissue 

is obtained using with long ‘jawed’ 

forceps which are introduced through the 

cervix and a small piece of uterine lining 

is ‘grabbed’. Because the uterus does not 

have a sensory nerve supply this is not a 

painful procedure and mares generally 

tolerate it well. The biopsy piece is 

processed and mounted on a slide which 

is examined under a microscope. The 

architecture of the endometrium can be 

assessed for degeneration, inflammation, 

infection and fibrosis, all of which reduce 

the chances of a mare conceiving and 

carrying a foal to term. The biopsy is 

graded, and the grade helps to give a 

prognosis of the likelihood that the mare 

will carry a foal to term. Uterine biopsies 

are very useful in problem mares, not 

only in diagnosing the problem and 

therefore how best to treat it, but also in 

giving a relatively accurate idea of how 

likely efforts to breed this mare will 

be successful. 

Endometrial histopathology from a uterine biopsy 

The problem has been 

identified…now what? 

Having hopefully identified the reason 

for the subfertility of this mare by doing 

a thorough examination, treatment can 

be carried out according to the problem 

diagnosed. This may be correction of 

the poor perineal conformation by 

doing a Caslicks procedure, repair 

of a damaged cervix, or treatment of 

bacterial endometritis (uterine infection). 

Bacterial endometritis is common in 

problem mares, with reports of up to 

60% of barren mares being affected. 

Treatment of bacterial endometritis 

is multifactorial and depends on the 

organism isolated. Some bacteria 

produce and live in a ‘biofilm’, a 

mucous-like layer that acts to protect the 

bacteria and render it unsusceptible to 

antibiotics. In these cases, anti-biofilm 

agents may be useful which break down 

the biofilm and enable elimination of 

the bacteria. Another major cause of 

failure to become pregnant is persistent 

breeding-induced endometritis, with 

studies reporting 15% of Thoroughbred 

mares being susceptible. It occurs when 

uterine inflammatory response to semen 

is excessive and prolonged, and fluid 

remains in the uterus beyond 48hours 

of breeding, resulting in an inhospitable 

uterine environment for the embryo and 

failure to maintain pregnancy. Treatment 

of the persistent breeding-induced 

endometritis is based around uterine 

lavage to eliminate the fluid, immune 

modulators and oxytocin to aid 

uterine contraction. 

Below is a general breeding 

management plan that helps many 

problem mares: 

(1) Ensure the mare is free from infection. 

Repeat swabbing following treatment 

can help establish whether the treatment 

has been successful. 

(2) Close monitoring of the mare by 

ultrasound as she comes into heat. This 

is usually every other day at least and 

enables optimal timing of breeding and 

also early identification of fluid present 

which may require intervention. 

(3) Consider the type of semen carefully. 

As a general rule for problem mares, 

fresh semen is optimal, chilled semen is 

second choice, and frozen semen is the 

least advisable choice. 

(4) Breed as close to ovulation as 

possible, use ovulating induction drugs 

to time ovulation accurately, and aim to 

breed once only at the optimal time. This 

limits the inflammatory response to the 

semen compared to multiple breedings. 

(5) Monitor the mare closely by 

ultrasound post-insemination to confirm 

that the mare has ovulated and that there 

is no fluid. 

(6) Treat fluid aggressively. The 

mainstays of fluid treatment are 

a. Uterine lavage. Flushing the 

uterus after insemination can help 

evacuate the fluid and resolve the 

inflammation and is particularly 

important in mares susceptible 

to persistent breeding-induced 

endometritis. Because sperm travel 

from the uterus up into the oviducts 

rapidly after insemination, the 

uterus can be safely flushed as 

soon as 4 hours after insemination 

without removing healthy sperm. 

b. Oxytocin. This promotes uterine 

contraction which eliminates fluid. 

c. Exercise/turnout. Gentle exercise 

in the form of turnout helps fluid 

evacuation. 

Overall, per cycle pregnancy rates 

typically average 50%, meaning that 

only half of mares on a stud become 

pregnant on their first cycle. Accurate 

diagnosis, appropriate treatment and 

careful breeding management are key 

to giving your mare the best chance of 

success and being part of the 

pregnant half! 

Happy breeding, I hope 2022 is a 

successful season for you all. 

www.bwequinevets.co.uk 


Nutrition Feature - Target feeds 

FEEDING THE WEANLING 

Weaning in the free-living environment 

is from one to two years old, compared 

to domestic environments when foals 

are weaned at four to nine months old. 

Weaning in the domestic environment 

depends on the health, maturity, 

condition and preparation for sales. At 

the time of weaning the foal should be 

receiving sufficient nutrients from a stud 

ration to maintain weight and consistent 

growth when the milk supply is removed. 

Weanlings cannot be fed a low energy 

bulky feed because their digestive tracts 

are not large enough, instead they 

need concentrated sources of energy, 

protein, vitamins and minerals to meet 

their nutrient requirements. 

The main concerns at this stage of the 

weanling’s development are the need to 

provide a concentrate ration to balance 

the forage given and to ensure that the 

nutrient intake is sufficient for individual 

growth. Prior to weaning the foals 

should be habituated to a feed that 

they can be weaned on to, to reduce 

a source of stress during weaning 

and achieve the optimal growth. A 

diet for weaned foals should be good 

quality forage, have ad-lib access to 

good quality hay and should be fed 

concentrates to help meet their 

energy requirements. 

Not all foals grow at the same rate and 

will depend on their breed, sex, body 

condition and genetics. These factors 

can influence growth rate and therefore 

the level of nutrients required varies for 

each individual. Provision of sufficient 

nutrients for muscular development 

and conversion of cartilage to bone 

is essential. Managing growth during 

this time is very important because 

excessive weight gain may cause bone 

abnormalities and long lasting 

skeletal problems. 

BRITISH BREEDER| 45

Nutrition Feature - Target feeds 

Fibre 

A foal’s diet should focus on good 

quality fibre, quality protein, amino 

acids and balanced vitamins and 

minerals as this will lay down the 

building blocks needed for a successful 

sound horse in later life. Fibre should 

always be the forefront of the diet no 

matter the age of the horse or pony. 

Grass from July and August is the most 

obvious choice of fibre that is good 

quality. As it gets later in the year the 

grass will begin to decline which is 

when you can begin to supply the foal 

with hay or haylage. However, if your 

weanling is predominantly stabled or 

does not have access to quality grass, a 

supply of hay or haylage will ensure the 

fibre levels remain high in the diet. It is 

important to habituate your weanling to 

hay or haylage before the grass starts 

to decline so they develop an appetite 

for it. 

It is important to consider the nutritional 

analysis of hay and haylage. If your 

foal is healthy and in good condition for 

its breed and age then hay would be 

more suitable as it is lower in digestible 

energy and is good for feeding ad-lib 

without weight gain, however will 

need to be supplemented with a feed 

to ensure the foal is receiving enough 

protein, vitamins and minerals. Haylage 

is higher in energy, fibre and protein as 

it is a younger cut of grass. Therefore 

foals requiring more condition may 

benefit from haylage depending on 

what grass quality they have access to. 

Haylage is more palatable and is great 

for fussy eaters and horses needing 

more energy requirements 

. 

Nutrients 

Key nutrients to ensure your foal is 

receiving are amino acids, Calcium, 

Phosphorus, Copper, Zinc, Manganese, 

Vitamin E. Protein requirements of a foal 

are higher than that of an adult which 

is why youngstock and stud mixes are 

recommended to make sure they are 

not deficient. 

By using a nutrient dense, balanced 

Stud Mix to wean on to it will provide 

the correct balance of nutrient levels 

to create the optimum dietary balance 

to promote skeletal development and 

encourage consistent daily weight 

gain, reducing the risk of skeletal 

deficiencies. Weight gain is good 

providing it is balanced with growth, 

you should always be able to feel your 

weanlings ribs and they should have 

good muscular development and a 

streamlined stomach. If you let your 

weanling carry extra weight they will 

be more likely to develop bone and 

joint disease. 

Concentrates 

Lower starch options for your weanlings 

are now more available and reduce 

the risk of developing Gastric Ulcers. 

Lower starch, stud and youngstock 

feeds contain higher levels of digestible 

fibre. Fibre sources such as Soya Hulls 

or Beet pulp can provide just as much 

energy to an equal amount of oats. 

As the weanling reaches 12 months of 

age, the growth rate slows considerably 

which also means their nutritional 

requirements reduce slightly. The 

condition and weight of the foal should 

be considered before altering the feed 

however, concentrates can usually be 

reduced and fibre levels can increase. 

By the time they are 18 months of age 

their growth rates have slowed even 

further, so fewer nutrients are required 

to support tissue growth but it is 

important that a balanced diet is 

still maintained. 

Overall, the diet is specific to each 

weanling depending on their genetics, 

discipline bred for and their access 

to quality fibre sources. The aim is to 

maintain consistent growth through 

meeting their nutritional requirements 

specifically for each individual. By 

maintaining steady growth patterns the 

weanling it reduces the likelihood of 

health concerns occurring later in life 

and ensuring the foal is at 

optimal health. 


BRITISH BREEDER| 47

HAHN EQUESTRIAN PRODUCTS 

HAHN EQUESTRIAN PRODUCTS 

MADE MADE FROM FROM 100% 100% RECYCLED PLASTIC PLASTIC 

TONGUE & GROOVE BOARDS 

Profile: 

147 x 34mm 

Pilkington’s Site 

Old Pilkington Tiles Site 

Rake Lane Swinton 

Rake Lane, Swinton 

Greater Manchester M27 8LJ 

Manchester, M27 8LJ 

Available in Brown, Black & Grey 

0161 850 1965 

+44 (0)161 850 1965 

info@hahnplastics.com 

info@hahnplastics.com 

www.hahnequestrian.com 

www.hahnequestrian.com 


Worried About Brexit - then use British Based 

Proven performance breeding for over 60 years of horses to suit all capabilities of rider and disciplines 

Timolin 

16.3hh Bay WBS-UK, AES & SHB-GB Graded. WFFS Free 

Stud FEE £1,000 

Winner Intermedaire 1 Dressage – Intermediate Eventer 

– 30%+ TB blood Sire of Champion & Elite youngstock 

Winning Novice Dressage as 4 year olds 

Tiger Attack 

16.1hh Bay SHB-GB Graded 

Stud FEE £800 

Show Horse Champion & Sire of Champions 

Eventing, Dressage, SJ & WH winner 

– Sire of winners under saddle 

Catherston Oakley 

16.2hh Bay SHB-GB Premium Graded. WFFS Free 

Stud FEE £600 (100% Fertility in 2020) 

"Intermediate Eventer – over 44% TB blood 

Littledale Bright Star 

12.2hh Bay SPSS Elite 


Sire of CDIP, CSI & CCI stock 

All beautiful movers & jumpers 

Opposition Bombshell 

16hh Black AES Licensed. WFFS Free 


Sire of winning Dressage, Event & Show horses, 

great power & wonderful temperaments 

All of these Dual Purpose Stallions should produce stock for competing in all disciplines. 

Frozen semen available from Dutch Gold, Catherston Dazzler, Catherston Goldstorm, Catherston Springsteen 

Please contact Anne Dicker or Jennie Loriston-Clarke, Catherston Stud, Croft Farm, 

Over Wallop, Stockbridge, Hampshire SO20 8HX Tel. 01264 782716 or 

e-mail enquiries@catherstonstud.com or at www.catherstonstud.com 

BRITISH BREEDER| 49

Vet Insight - Developmental Orthopaedic Disease 

DEVELOPMENTAL 

ORTHOPAEDIC DISEASE IN FOALS 

By Ed Lyle BVetMed, CertEM (StudMed), MRCVS 

Clinical Director, Sussex Equine Hospital 

There are several conditions that 

can affect the musculoskeletal 

system of foals as they are 

growing, these are all grouped 

under the heading of 

Developmental Orthopaedic 

Disease (DOD). This group of 

conditions really refers to 

problems that occur after the foal 

has been born, rather than the 

congenital issues that may be 

present at birth. 

DOD is a syndrome, which means there 

are many different symptoms; it is also 

multi-factorial, which means there are 

several possible causes. 

The main causative factors include - 

i. Rapid growth - this may be due to 

simply being a very large foal or it 

may be due to growth spurts, where a 

foal has been unwell with a slowing of 

growth, the foal then grows very fast 

to catch up to where it should be in it’s 

stage of development. 

ii. Genetic - there does seem to be a 

tendency for some families of horses to 

suffer from DOD, an inherited tendency 

to develop the conditions that make up 

the syndrome. 

iii. Nutritional imbalances - certain 

minerals, such as copper, are essential 

in the diet and deficiencies of these can 

predispose to DOD. Excessive energy 

levels in the diet may promote increased 

growth rates. 

iv. Physical trauma - this can simply 

be normal foal activity, often on firmer 

ground in mid summer, affecting weak 

spots in the skeleton due to one or all of 

the previously mentioned factors being in 

play at the same time. 



The main symptoms of DOD 

syndrome are - 

a. Osteochondrosis desicans - this is 

where the cartilage and the bone under 

the cartilage do not form properly in 

the developing joint. The defective 

cartilage and bone are weaker than 

normal and basically crumble, resulting 

in depressions in the cartilage and 

possibly fragments of bone breaking off 

and floating around inside the affected 

joints. The typical joints affected include 

the stifle, hock and fetlock, but other 

joints can be affected. Usually the 

fragmentation occurs in specific sites in 

the joints, that if weakened by the DOD 

predisposing factors, are not tolerant to 

the normal exercise levels expected of 

a playful foal. For example the distal 

intermediate ridge of the tibia, this is 

the central knuckle at the end of the 

tibia in the hock joint, fragments often 

are found in this location and it is likely 

that twisting forces through the joint 

result in fragmentation of this region. 

Resultant defects in the cartilage and 

fragmentation cause inflammation 

within the joint with the long term 

consequence being osteoarthritis. The 

symptoms of OCD include lameness 

and joint effusion. Diagnosis is made by 

radiography of the affected joint. 

b. Subchondral bone cysts - these are 

basically cavities at develop in bone 

under the cartilage, hence the name 

- due to a similar process as OCD, 

however a smaller defect in the cartilage 

surface develops due to a weak spot, 

this is continuous with the joint surface 

and a cavity starts to form in the bone 

under the joint. The common locations 

for these cysts include the fetlock, 

pastern, pedal bone and the ends of 

the femur in the stifle. Again the longer 

term consequence of subchondral 

bone cysts can be osteoarthritis in some 

cases. Bone cysts can cause lameness, 

however there are many cysts that are 

found asymptomatically on survey 

radiographs and these cysts do not go 

on to cause lameness. 

c. Flexural deformities of the distal limb 

due to contraction of the flexor tendons 

- this is where the foal either develops 

either a boxy foot or a very upright 

fetlock, depending on which tendons 

are affected. There are thought to be 

two main causes of this, the first being 

excessive growth rate, where the bones 

of the distal limb simply grow faster that 

the tendons, the affect being the tendons 

are pulled tight. If the tendon affected 

is the deep digital flexor tendon then the 

foal will be pulled up on to the tip of the 

toe, if it is the superficial digital flexor 

Screw placed across the 

growth plate on the medial 

aspect of the distal tibia to 

slow growth on this side of 

the bone to correct a hock 

valgus deviation 

Osteochondrosis desicans 

fragment in the hock at the histal 

intermediate ridge of the tibia 

Stifle joint effusion secondary to OCD 

BRITISH BREEDER| 51

SUSSEX EQUINE 

H O S P I T A L 

- E S T 1 9 5 1 - 

LEADING UK SPORT HORSE 

REPRODUCTION PRACTICE 

• Oocyte collection (OPU) for ICSI 

TEAM OF SPECIALIST 

STUD VETS 

Providing a routine and emergency 

service 24/7 throughout the season. 

• Embryo transfer 

• Transfer of frozen embryo’s into recipients 

• BEVA accredited practice for AI - fresh, chilled & frozen 

• Competitive vet packages 

• Mares boarded at the hospital 

• Subfertility investigations of mares and stallions 

• Semen collection, analysing and processing 

CONTACT US 

NOW ABOUT 

OOCYTE 

COLLECTION 

(OPU) 

• Full hospital back-up 

• HBLB accredited on-site laboratory 

• Foetal sexing 

• Twin management 

• Oviductal infertility treatment 

• Specialist reproductive surgical procedures 

• Foal intensive care unit run by a European 

Specialist in Internal Medicine 

For further information, please contact us at: 

e 

t 

a 

info@sussexequinehospital.co.uk 

01903 883050 

Facebook: Sussex Equine Hospital 

Billingshurst Road, Ashington, West Sussex RH20 3BB 


www.sussexequinehospital.co.uk


then an upright fetlock will develop. The 

second cause, which is actually more 

likely, is trauma to the hoof, basically as 

the ground gets harder in the summer 

the delicate foal hoof can become 

uncomfortable in the sole region, the 

foal then pulls itself on to the tip of the 

toe, by contracting the deep digital 

flexor tendon, to offload the painful 

sole. If left unnoticed the contraction 

becomes a permanent feature, the tip 

of the toe is worn away in comparison 

to the heel and a foot the shape of a 

box develops. Careful observation of 

foals’ feet in the summer months can spot 

this happening before the hoof actually 

becomes boxy, if they are then housed 

for a period of time on a soft bed and 

given pain relief the deep digital flexor 

tendon contracture can be reversed. 

Careful trimming by the farrier may be 

required, in some cases toe extensions 

are applied to protect the toe and also 

to stretch the deep digital flexor tendon. 

In some cases surgery is required to cu 

the check ligament of the deep digital 

flexor to allow the musculotendinous unit 

to stretch allowing the hoof conformation 

to correct. 

d. Physitis - inflammation of the growth 

plates. This too occurs normally later in 

the summer and is also affected by rapid 

growth and excessive trauma on hard 

ground. The growth plates are located 

at the ends of the long bones, they are 

rows of cartilage cells that multiply and 

as the cells move away from where 

the originated they become bone, thus 

increasing bone length. These cartilage 

cells are delicate and affected by shock 

forces of loading through the growth 

plates, the resultant inflammation causes 

visible swellings and lameness. The 

typical sites affected are the ends of 

the canon bones and the ends of the 

radius above the knee, usually seen as 

a swelling on the inside. Inflammation 

causes the growth plates to close and 

stop growing, often this will happen 

on one side of the limb more than the 

other, typically the inside. If the inside 

of the growth plate stops growing and 

the outside continues to grow then a 

deviation through the adjacent joint will 

develop, this inward deviation is referred 

to as a varus deviation. If the fetlock 

is affected then the foal will stand toe 

in. If the knee is affected then the foal 

will look bow legged. Again careful 

observation of growing foals can spot 

this happening and if appropriate action 

of rest, anti-inflammatories and farriery 

are employed many such cases can be 

corrected conservatively. If conservative 

management fails to correct the limb 

conformation then there are surgical 

techniques that can be applied, in this 

age group of foals a screw is usually 

placed across the growth plate on the 

Osteochondrosis of the femur 

Placing a screw 

during surgery to 

correct a fetlock 

angular limb 

deviation 

side that is still growing (less inflamed) to 

slow the growth on this side allowing the 

inflamed side an opportunity to continue 

growing and straighten the leg. Once 

the limb is conformationaly correct the 

screw is then removed. 

e. Wobblers syndrome - cervical 

vertebrae stenotic myelopathy - this can 

affect foals and developing youngsters 

from 6 months of age, but is often not 

noticed in very mild cases until the 

horse is in sport at an age when it is no 

longer regarded as being “weak”. A 

malformation of the vertebrae in the 

neck occurs resulting in a narrowing of 

the canal that the spinal cord runs in, 

the result of the cord compression is a 

varying range of symptoms affecting 

the nervous systems control of the hind 

limbs, ataxia. If detected in foals and 

yearlings, restricted exercise and diet 

modification to reduce carbohydrate 

and protein intake, supplementing 

with Vitamin E and selinium can help 

reduce the severity of the condition, 

in conjunction with the use of antiinflammatories. 

Diagnosis is confirmed 

Weanling with carpal 

varus deviations 

by a combination of radiography, 

myelography and CT imaging of the 

neck vertebrae. In some severe cases 

surgery could be considered, placing an 

implant across the affected vertebrae to 

stablalise them. 

It is important with young developing 

foals and yearlings to carefully monitor 

their conformation and growth rate, 

early detection of some of the conditions 

described above can prevent permanent 

career limiting problems. Advice 

regarding appropriate nutrition should 

be sought and paddocks carefully 

maintained to provide a good surface 

for young stock to exercise on. 

www.sussexequinehospital.co.uk 

BRITISH BREEDER| 53

No Wi-Fi — No Electric — No Problem 

Livestock Eye can provide a camera that works ANYTIME, ANYWHERE 

4g Sim & Wi-Fi cameras 

Can be powered by mains electricity or a 12v battery 

View live footage on a phone, tablet & computer 

Record, save & playback all the footage 

Infrared night vision 

Pan, tilt & zoom options available 

Suitable for indoor or outdoor use 

Prices from £95 

info@livestockeye.co.uk www.livestockeye.co.uk 

DO YOU HAVE 15 HORSES OR MORE ON STRAW? 

Are you looking for a solution for your stable bedding without spending time? Please 

contact us and experience our excellent service. We will pick it up twice a month. 

Contact Amanda on 07788 368385. 

Take a look at our new website 

www.tunneltech.co.uk 


Product Feature - NAF Joints 

Keeping Stud 

Duties in Motion 

By Griselda Beaumont BSc (Hons), 

ANutr (Animal) 

Both stallions and mares have to endure 

different forces placed on their joints and 

surrounding structures. For the stallion, 

jumping onto the dummy or mare for a 

prolonged effort places unusual strains 

throughout the whole skeletal system. 

For the mare, supporting the growth of 

a foal for an 11-month period brings its 

own set of challenges, with the end result 

being a foal that usually weighs around 

10% of the mare’s weight when born. 

Stud duties entail increased forces 

placed on the joint and surrounding 

tissues themselves and as a result we 

need to support these areas from 

discomfort and accumulative wear 

and tear. 

Many broodmares are performance 

horses that obtained a weakness or 

injury that resulted in retirement from 

competition or ridden work, there may 

have been a pre-existing condition that 

accelerated this process and as such the 

mare will benefit from additional support 

in order to reliably carry the additional 

weight throughout the gestation period in 

comfort. We know the impact stress has 

on any animal, in particular those that 

are carrying young, the more we can do 

to safely minimise this helps ensure the 

overall growth, health and welfare of 

the unborn. 

The stallion may still be competitively 

active and the stud duties he is 

undertaking is additional work for him. 

Alternatively, the stallion may have had 

a successful competition career that 

has provided the kudos to benefit his 

coverings going forward. In both cases 

the competitive stallion will have the 

additional concussive forces that may 

accelerate the natural wear and tear 

processes, while the competitively retired 

stallion will likely already have a good 

deal of wear and tear throughout his 

skeletal system. Retaining the stallions 

interest and libido is vital to his covering 

performance, if he experiences any 

discomfort when performing these duties, 

it will have a negative impact when this 

behaviour is required to be repeated. 

In all these instances for both stallion 

and mare, it is important to provide 

nourishment for the joint capsule itself, 

there are a range of natural ingredients 

that have the power to slow down the 

wear and tear process and help provide 

a working lifespan nurtured in comfort. 

Understanding Five Star Treatment 

for joints: 

Flush out the free radicals 

• These can cause havoc in and 

around the joint capsule, feeding 

ANTIOXIDANTS will help to 

efficiently disperse free radicals 

and harmlessly flush them from your 

horse’s system, helping to prevent 

them from causing further damage 

and making way for the joint 

nutrients to get to work. 

Don’t forget to connect 

• The connective tissues require 

and consist of GLUCOSAMINE. 

Feeding around 10,000mg/day 

will help to maintain and support 

the regeneration of connective tissue 

and therefore, help keep the horse 

moving with ease, with increased 

levels for the older horse or those 

with predisposing conditions. 

Care and Repair 

• MSM provides a bio-available 

sulphur that is required and 

donated around the body to help 

support circulation and the antiinflammatory 

processes with further 

benefits provided to the immune 

system. For joints MSM helps to 

sustain the health of both cartilage 

and collagen which has been 

widely trialled and reported. 

Stimulate the production 

• CHONDROITIN is naturally present 

in healthy cartilage as it helps to 

stimulate the production of cartilage 

or joint surfaces. 

Additional care for the aging joint 

• OMEGA-3 fatty acids have proven 

to be effective in supporting the 

recognised joint nutrient capabilities 

and have positive effects of joint 

cartilage, one trial supported a 

more productive trot stride. 

Synovial fluid support 

• HA helps to keep synovial fluid 

healthy and provide a protection 

from invasion of unwanted 

molecules. 

NAF recommends Five Star Superflex 

and Five Star Superflex Senior to offer 

five star treatment and deliver flexibility 

for life. 

Feeding five star ensures the right 

nutrients at the right ratios are included, 

with new ingredients coming out 

regularly, it can be difficult to choose the 

right joint supplement for your case. You 

have to also address the joint products 

ingredients themselves, in many cases 

the molecular size may not be capable 

of being absorbed into the joint capsule 

itself and it may just be an addition to an 

expensive muckheap! 

NAF, experts in their field, support the 

proven formulation behind Superflex 

thanks to its numerous success stories 

and alliance of ingredients as well as its 

uniformity for upholding clean sport. This 

does not just apply to the competition 

legal status of the product but the fact the 

products are safe to feed and under EU 

legislation they comply with feed law at 

a given level. 

If you have any concerns about your 

stallion or would like to support your 

mare please contact NAF to discuss 

your requirements. 

NAF Superflex and Superflex Senior will 

help support the longevity of joints and 

their surrounding soft tissue, ligaments, 

tendons and cartilage without posing 

any risk to the unborn foetus or the 

stallions fertility. 

NAF Helpline: 

0800 373106 

info@naf-uk.com 

BRITISH BREEDER| 55

Product Feature - KBIS Insurance 

A Guide to Insurance: 

Foal Focus 

There is nothing quite like 

breeding your own foal. As a 

considerable emotional and 

financial investment, there is a 

lot to think about throughout the 

process. Whilst insurance may not 

be top of your ‘to-do’ list, there 

are advantages to getting cover 

in place for your new pride and 

joy as soon as possible. Here is 

a guide to Foal Insurance from 

KBIS on some commonly asked 

questions on this exact topic… 

What cover is available for 

my foal? 

When it comes to deciding whether 

or not you plan to insure your foal, 

this is completely down to personal 

preference. As a minimum, however, all 

horse owners should have Public Liability 

insurance. KBIS have seen claims 

for third party damages exceeding 

£2,000,000 so having protection 

against this is essential. Under the 

Animals Act 1971, you have strict liability 

for the actions of your animal, regardless 

of whether or not you were present at an 

accident or responsible for the animal 

at the time, so it is important to protect 

yourself by having suitable liability 

insurance in place. This applies whether 

the foal is based with you or perhaps is 

still at stud. 

At KBIS, you can cover your foal for 

Mortality (otherwise known as death, 

theft, and straying) from just 24 hours 

old. This means that, if you did sadly 

lose the foal, you may receive back up 

to the value you have insured him for, 

providing the claim is valid. The first 

45 days of this section are limited to 

accidental, external injuries involving 

an open wound only, to reduce the 

likelihood of pre-existing conditions 

being claimed for, and then after this, full 

cover for accident, sickness and disease 

is in place. 

When your foal turns 90 days old, 

there are up to 10 different vet fee 

options available, ranging from cover 

for accidental, external injuries only to 

up to £6,000 per incident for accident, 

sickness, and disease. Typically, 

foal owners are most worried about 

accidental injuries which often involve 

an open wound and emergency 

treatment by a vet which can be costly. 

Open Wound Only cover from KBIS is 

available from less than £202 per year 

and covered up to £3,000 per incident. 

Both the Mortality and Veterinary Fee 

section provide up to 15 months cover 

from the onset date of a condition, 

allowing you longer to claim when you 

need it most. 

When is best to insure my foal? 

As with all insurance policies, it is best to 

take out cover sooner rather than later 

so that you can sit back and relax once it 

is all sorted. Getting a policy underway 

means than any limitation period is over 

as soon as possible and therefore full 

cover is in place as early as it can be. 

Top Tip: If you have taken out a mortality 

policy with KBIS and wish to add 

veterinary fee cover on, express your 

interest on or before the foal turns 45 

days old and there will be no limitation 

period applied to the veterinary fee 

section once the foal is 90 days old. 

If there is no intent shown prior to the 

foal turning 45 days, a limitation period 

will apply to the start of veterinary fee 

section, again to prevent the likelihood of 

pre-existing conditions being 

claimed for. 

How do I go about insuring 

my foal? 

Deciding on the current market value of 

your foal is necessary to be able to get 

an insurance quote and therefore an 

idea of how much the premium will be 

to cover him. The market value usually 

takes into consideration the stud fee and 

what price the foal would be advertised 

at if you were to put them up for sale 

at that time. Once you have a figure in 

mind, you can give your chosen insurers 

a call to be able to get a quote. You can 

discuss the various options available 

and perhaps ring round to some other 

companies to compare and see whether 

you are getting the best deal. 

It is likely that different insurers may 

request different information, but each 

provider will advise you of what they will 

need if you’d like to go ahead and insure 

the foal with them specifically. At KBIS, 

the documents needed are related to the 

market value of the foal, rather than the 

amount you choose to insure them for. 

For foals aged under 30 days, a copy 

of their IGG levels must be provided 

to prove they are a normal risk for 

insurance. For foals valued at or above 

£1,500, a ‘passed’ 2 stage Veterinary 

Certificate is also required. Once a 

foal is 90 days old, they are treated 

as a standard horse at KBIS, so vetting 

requirements change from this point. 

With so many available options, you can 

be sure that KBIS have the policy for you 

and your foal. Call their helpful team for 

a quote today on 0345 230 2323 or 

visit their website www.kbis.co.uk for 

more information. 


Product Focus 

Equilume Light Mask 

The Equilume Light Mask is an award-winning, revolutionary 

technology that delivers biologically effective light to the 

horse’s eye in order to optimise fertility, performance, coat 

condition and well-being. 

Designed specifically for breeding stock, the Curragh and 

Belfield Light Mask models stimulate summer daylight signals 

to advance the reproductive period while facilitating flexible 

indoor or outdoor management, helping to reduce the costs 

of electricity, labour and bedding while supporting the horse’s 

natural behaviour. 

Once activated initially at 4pm, Equilume Light Masks 

automatically provide extended daily light to your mare by 

shining a dim blue light into one eye from 4pm - 11pm 

each day. 

For barren mares, cyclicity is advanced in time for early 

conceptions. For pregnant mares, gestation lengths are 

optimised, post-foaling fertility improved and foals are born 

more mature. 

Equilume products are backed by science, and trusted by 

breeders and veterinarians worldwide. 

NAF Superflex Senior 

Deliver five star treatment for your stallion’s skeletal system, 

soft tissue, ligaments and tendons. Covering duties place high 

demands on the system, NAF recommends to nourish and supply 

essential nutrients to help maintain joint health and support 

movement, offering your stallion flexibility for life. 

Key indicators: 

• The aging process 

• Daily wear and tear 

• Natural inflammatory 

processes 

• Soundness issues 

• Exposure to concussive 

forces 

Key Benefits: 

RRP £32.55 for 660g, £92.40 for 1.98kg. 

• Help stimulate circulation 

• Promote thick Synovial fluid 

• Help sustain cartilage and 

collagen health 

• Provide nutrients for 

connective tissue 

• Help maintain consistent 

joint flexion 

Haygain 

Haygain High Temperature Steaming reduces up to 99% 

of the respirable irritants found in forage, adds moisture 

to the diet and produces hay with an appetising scent, 

taste and texture. Respirable irritants are the #1 cause 

of equine respiratory challenges and reducing them 

in the horse’s environment is the #1 recommendation 

for preventing problems. The extra moisture supports 

digestive health and hydration and Haygain’s proven 

palatability is great for enticing picky eaters or those 

recovering from illness to get their needed nutrients. 

For further details please call the NAF Freephone Nutritional 

Advice line 0800 373106 or email info@naf-uk.com. 

www.naf-equine.eu/uk 

The HG ONE model pictured here is the smallest of t 

hree Haygain Hay Steamers. 

www.Haygain.co.uk 

BRITISH BREEDER| 57

Westgate Laboratories 

POSTAL WORM COUNTS & TESTS 

• SAME DAY testing 

and results 

• FREE, tailored 

veterinary approved 

advice from our 

friendly SQPs 

 

B RITA NNIA ROYA L 

Royaldik x Headley Britannia x Jumbo 

16.2hh Intermediate Eventing Stallion, liver chestnut (2013) 

Premium Graded with SHB (GB) 

£650 no VAT, NFFR, chilled (split payment terms offered) 

£500 no VAT, NFFR, frozen (held at Stallion AI) 

This talented, beautiful stallion is a son of Headley Britannia, the amazing elite 5* 

winner of Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky. He has superb world-class bloodlines 

on both sides of his pedigree with Royaldik’s dam Herka (TB) being a full-sister to 

ational sire Heraldik. 

Britannia Royal has a bold, scopey jump allied to a fabulous temperament, and is 

at BE Advanced. He is producing very smart foals who are 

inheriting his wonderful temperament,rear. 

Subscription Service 

A complete, bespoke 

test based worm control 

programme for your 

horse from £6.50 pcm 

*£3.50 P&P per order 

Tests you can trust to target parasite control 

Worm egg counts, 

EquiSal tapeworm, plus 

pinworm, liverfluke and 

lungworm tests. 

Season packs, 

discounts for multiple 

horses, commercial rate 

for yards of 10+ 

worm egg count every 8-12 weeks; EquiSal test every 6 months 

Annabel Blake 07870 358944 Email: brit.royal@outlook.com 

Fb: Britannia Royal 

contact 

us 

01670 791994 

info@westgatelabs.co.uk | www.westgatelabs.co.uk 

Building excellence 

for you and your horse 

Complete Projects | Indoor Arenas 

Outdoor Arenas | Stables & Shelters 

Gallops & Fencing | Horse Walkers 

Concrete Bases & Groundworks 

Design & Layout | 30 years’ Experience 

Planning Application Management 

Free Consultation 

A TOTAL design and build solution 

for all your equestrian projects 

01380 818216 • info@teconstruction 

www.teconstruction.co.uk 


Not all stallions are created equal 

and 

neither is their sperm 

 

EquiPure 

Density Gradient product designed to separates good from bad sperm 

and increases the quality and viability of equine sperm. 

BotuSemen Extenders 

Flexible extenders for fresh, cold transportation and pre freeze 

centrifugation. Choose the right extender based on the needs of your 

stallion. 

BotuCrio 

A freezing medium for equine sperm, with a novel and innovative 

formulation. 

The 2022 Performance Test Qualification window 

is now open. Final Days set for 30/31 August at 

Solihull Riding Club, Bentley Heath, Solihull B93 8QE. 

All breeds of horse and pony stallions and mares 

and – since 2016 – breeding geldings are eligible. 

Entries close 1 August. 

Stallion Owners – let your young stallion join the 

ranks of such stars as Catherston Decipher, 

Godington Hannibal and All That Jazz. 

If you want to promote your young stallion as a 

competition sire then the NASTA Performance Test 

is a must. Also useful for the older stallion who 

has not had a chance to compete. 

Flöjelbergsgatan 16 B, SE-431 37 Mölndal, 

Sweden 

Tel: +46-31-703 06 30, Fax: +46-31-40 54 15 

E-mail: contact@nidacon.com, www.nidacon.com 

For full details call 01869 277562 or see 

 

BRITISH BREEDER| 59

Image: Paul Ruffle Photography 

Committed to cutting the cost 

of Equine healthcare 

eVetDrug are an online Equine dispensary run by dedicated Equine vets. 

ü 

Supported by veterinary knowledge and the latest stud expertise 

ü Wide range of products ü Free delivery over £29* ü 

Price match promise 

To find out more, please contact us on 01344 283888 

or visit evetdrug.co.uk 

Enter code ‘BBEVET5’ at the checkout for a 5% discount off your order. 

EVetDrug Ltd 

@evetdrug 


*Exclusions apply, please see website for details.

British Breeder May 2022

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?