For this year’s dressage special issue of H&H we go behind the scenes of Elite Dressage, the new business venture of international grand prix rider Anna Ross.Watch this video of Anna answering some burning questions to find out a little bit more about her. Please be patient waiting for the video to load below…
Anna and her business partners, Lorna Wilson and Eddie Hosegood of Newton Stud, aim to help broach the gap between dressage breeders and riders in the UK, breeding and producing top quality horses at Anna’s new base, Barons Wood Equestrian Centre, deep in rural Devon.
They already have some exciting horses in residence and Anna highlights two mares in particular as ones to watch this year.
The first is Habouche, a seven-year-old grey mare by Ampere out of a Sydney mare.
“Beth Bainbridge will ride her this year and I will probably take over next year,” explains Anna.
“Then there’s Newton Flexitime, who is a very exciting four-year we have here.”
Anna also reveals what she believes to be the biggest achievement career, which she thinks may come as a surprise.
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“Probably on paper my biggest achievement was coming 10th at the European championships, but in my opinion my biggest achievement was actually coming eighth at the German selection trial at Balve, a big German show,” she says.
But for all her success there have been quite a few slip-ups along the way, including one particularly memorable incident.
“I have literally hundreds of embarrassing moments,” she admits. “One was when I was in a dressage arena next to another arena and I lost control of my horse and he ran into the other arena. There was a lady piaffing and passaging at the top end and there I was I was galloping round in circles at the bottom. She just seamlessly kept going — well done Kay Maxted!” Anna laughs.
Anna also reveals the answers to the most important questions in life: her favourite food — chocolate — and her favourite drink — champagne, on every occasion.
Don’t miss the full interview with Anna in this week’s dressage special issue of Horse & Hound, on sale now.
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