At the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships and Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships held together at Addington Equestrian (16-20 March), more than 700 riders went down the centre line – on everything from native ponies and cobs to retrained racehorses and warmbloods.
Yes, it’s exciting to spot future team stars and watch the polished warmbloods climb the levels – but dressage isn’t only about that. It’s also about the personal victories: showing up with the horse you have, building a partnership, and measuring progress against your own journey.
Whatever the size, shape, or breed, what matters most is the connection between horse and rider.
Here are three stories from last month’s championships that capture that spirit…
From the field to the finals: why one rider swapped a warmblood for a native pony – and never looked back
When Hannah Bown lost her warmblood, she never imagined her next dressage partner would be a 14.2hh New Forest pony who’d been turned away after recovering from a broken leg.
“I’d competed up to PSG,” said Hannah, who works full-time as an NHS diagnostic radiographer. But after losing her horse – and everything the pandemic brought – she wasn’t in the right place, emotionally or financially, to start again.
Hannah Bown and her Winter Dressage Championships ride, Buckland Bonnie Lad, who is a New Forest pony. Credit: Kevin Sparrow
“Then Rodney’s owner said, ‘I’ve got a little native pony in the field – take him on loan, see what you think.’ And I thought, ‘Why would I go from a warmblood to a pony?’”
Four months later, that little New Forest pony – Buckland Bonnie Lad – had completely won her over.
“It’s been a massive culture change but the enjoyment is exactly the same,” Hannah adds. “Sure, you might not get nines for your mediums – Rodney’s only got short little legs – but if you train them correctly, the judges can’t ignore it.”
At this year’s Winter Dressage Championships, they scored 67.07% to finish 11th in the Equi-Trek elementary silver.
Hannah credits her trainer, Sara-Jane Lanning, for giving her the confidence to aim high.
“I told her, ‘We’ll forget about proper dressage,’ and she said, ‘No, we’re doing this properly,’” says Hannah. “At the nationals, I was the smallest in the warm-up by a country mile – and you do worry about showing yourself up.
“But Sara-Jane never doubted us. She’s so focused on correct training and always says, ‘If it’s right, the judges can’t not give you the marks’.”
Hannah’s not setting hard targets, but she says getting back to PSG isn’t out of reach.
“If you don’t tell them they’re a native, they don’t know. Rodney wears his bling, goes out and does the job. Just trust them, train them well, and enjoy it.”
From showing cover star, to centre lines: Sam Roberts’ surprise winter dressage championships ride
In the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships, all eyes were on a 13.2hh Welsh section B stallion – Moelview Prince Consort – dancing through a PSG test with rider Sam Roberts. Small in size but big on presence, the 15-year-old show ring star is now proving just as successful between the white boards.
Former Horse & Hound showing cover star turned PSG star, Moelview Prince Consort.
The pair’s first career was in showing, where they won the mountain and moorland supreme at Olympia in 2014, just months after qualifying at Windsor. They’ve also taken top honours at The Royal International and Great Yorkshire.
But after an injury sidelined him from showing, Sam turned to flatwork as part of his rehab.
“I’d never even done dressage before,” she says. “We just sort of fell into it. I’m a proper one-pony wonder!
“By pure luck – absolute fate, really – Jennie Loriston-Clarke judged our first affiliated prelim at Sparsholt. He scored 86.74%.
“From there, I got completely hooked. I love the technical side of dressage, how it always pushes you to improve. The feedback has made me more disciplined in my show riding, too.”
They’ve won at every level of the Associated Championships, prompting the step up to PSG. “It’s fast-paced and I still feel very green,” Sam admits.
“At Addington, I was meant to do five three-time changes… I did seven! There was still space left, so I just kept going. It’s all good fun though, isn’t it?”
Being on a pony has its perks. “I get more time in the tighter movements. Though in walk, it feels like forever to cross the arena.”
“At our local venues, everyone knows us, so I forget he’s a bit unusual. But at the winters, I had to ask my trainer Alice Oppenheimer, ‘Why is everyone looking at him?’ And she said, ‘Probably because you’re the only one under 16 hands in a tailcoat!’
“You just stop noticing after a while. But I hope he shows people that you don’t need a stereotypical warmblood to succeed. With a bit of luck and the right training, you can get there.”
Draughts can dance: how an Irish Draught helped his rider heal
When Ruby Walker entered the Prestige novice silver with her Irish Draught Moylough Cruz, she carried more than a competition number – she brought a story of recovery, resilience and an unexpected partnership.
Ruby Walker and Irish Draught Moylough Cruz en route to scoring 67.74% in the Prestige novice silver at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships. Credit: Kevin Sparrow
“I planned to bring Cruz on to sell,” she says. “But he’s been my partner through everything, including being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
Ruby’s life was turned upside down after witnessing a tragic lorry accident involving her previous horse. The trauma left her with months of flashbacks, nightmares and isolation. “I tried to bottle it up,” she admits. “But after four months, I sought help. Counselling helped a lot – and later, medical treatment made a real difference.”
During this time, her bond with Cruz began to grow. “Our first two years weren’t easy – we didn’t click. But after I started treatment, he quite literally held my hand through it all.”
Since then, they’ve become a team in and out of the arena. “He’s known as the horse who never stops giving. He owes me nothing, and I owe him the world. He’s my best friend and gave me back my love for horses.”
Stepping into the warm-up ring alongside top riders hasn’t been easy. “We were stabled near Jezz Palmer and his stunning warmbloods, and we almost felt like we shouldn’t be there – like we should be out on the beach instead!
“But when we do our tests and do well, it overrides all of that and any worries about what others might think.”
Now competing at championship level, Ruby hopes their journey shows others what’s possible. “Cruz proves it’s not about having the perfect horse – it’s about believing in the one you’ve got.”
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