Your chance to buy Britain’s top foals
Brightwells Summer Gala Show and Auction will see top British-bred foals compete for the Best British foal title
If you’re looking for the chance to snap up an equine star of the future then don’t miss Brightwells Summer Gala Show and Auction at Addington Manor EC, Bucks, on 16 August.
The Summer Gala will include the jointly-sponsored Equilibra/Supporters of British Breeding Best British Foal Show 2002, which aims to find Britain’s top sports horse foals of 2002, plus a special evening auction of dressage horses, the top 30 sport horse foals and specially selected breeding mares.
The foal show has attracted a massive 135 entries, including some of Europe’s top bloodlines with more than 70 foals entered for the Best British dressage foal class alone.
“The breeding of this year’s entries reads like a who’s who of Europe’s top bloodlines,” says Richard Botterill of Brightwells. “We are delighted with both the quality and quantity.”
The Best British Dressage and Show Jumping foal classes will be judged by Bernd Richter (Westphalian Verband) and Englehard Crome-Sperling (Hanoverian Verband), while former international event rider Jane Holderness-Roddam and event horse producer Nicky Stephens will be judging the Best British Eventing Foal.
Under the hammer
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
The top 30 foals across the three classes, which are eligible for the gala auction, will then go under the hammer on the Friday evening. Last year, the colt Uplift realised a British record price of £12,000 for a sporthorse foal.
A range of potential dressage horses will also be available during the auction with three- and four-year-olds bought at the sale eligible for the 2003 Korenbloem £10,000 Challenge.
The top lot in last year’s summer potential dressage horse sale was Sensation, an entire son of Sandro Hit, who made £53,000.
Visitors to the event can look forward to gaining expert advice from Carl Hester and Nicky Barrett, who will be discussing auction lots on the day at 12.30pm.
For a full list of horses and foals entered for the summer gala visit www.brightwells.com
Read other auction news:
- New sponsor for elite dressage auction
- New challenge for young event horses
- Brightwells launches SJ sale
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.