A coloured pony who was given to his current owner as a Christmas present has made his connections’ dreams a reality after he qualified for and is set to compete in the SSADL ridden finals at the Olympia, the London International Horse Show next week (16-22 December).
Twenty-four-year-old native gelding Whitaker is owned by Dominique Perry, and their journey to get to the final has not been a smooth ride.
“Whitaker was given to me as a Christmas present by his previous owner,” explains Dominique. “He became really tricky to ride and I seemed to be the only one who was happy to ride him.
“He wouldn’t hack out on his own and he was difficult to load and travel; he would jump the partition when the trailer was moving. He also suffered with bad separation anxiety and would often leap out of the stable to be with his best mate, Lionel.”
After a lot of patience and dedication to the cause, Dominique finally got Whitaker to her local show at Dipford in Devon. However, the trip was not without incident when the gelding panicked in the ring and bolted back to the lorry park.
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“It didn’t deter me,” continues Dominique. “We grew in our partnership and went from strength to strength at each show. Qualifying for Olympia has made my dreams come true.
“We’ve come a long way in 11 years and people are often shocked that Whitaker is 24 as he definitely does not act his age. It just goes to show that special horses are often quirky and need time and patience to get it right.”
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Former H&H showing editor and deputy features editor
Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.
