One really striking 148cm showjumping pony is catching the eye in more ways than one this season. Nine-year-old Eden Ace and his young jockey, 16-year-old Imogen Rome, have qualified for the winter JC final at the Royal International next month, as well as two finals at next week’s Royal Highland Show. To top it all, Imogen has fulfilled a long-held dream by securing two tickets for this year’s Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in both the pony newcomers and pony Foxhunter finals.

But while Ace is proving a real superstar in the jumping ring, he was actually bred by Robert Bowman, brother of carriage driving legend George Bowman, as a driving pony and has had quite a journey to the winner’s enclosure.

“We only got him in March 2022 and he hadn’t done any British Showjumping (BS) at that stage,” says Imogen’s mother Joanne. “He was originally bred to be a driving pony by Robert Bowman at Penrith, so he’s a Dutch warmblood-Gelderlander kind of pony.

“He’s quite unusual because he’s chestnut with loads of white on him, so he’s almost skewbald because he’s got white flashes on his belly and a big white face. So he’s quite different looking!”

Ace had been sold through a Cumbrian horse sale, near where the Rome family live close to the Scottish border, but Joanne only later heard about him through a friend, who happened to be teaching a girl who was riding Ace.

“The lady we bought him from had purchased him from the sale as an unbroken four-year-old – he was a bit wild and I think he was too spirited to pull a carriage – and she broke him in and did a bit of Riding Club before her friend’s daughter started riding him,” reveals Joanne, who was by that time looking for a 14.2hh pony for her youngest daughter Imogen.

“My friend Chloe said: ‘I’ve seen this pony who is absolutely perfect for Imogen’. I watched some videos on Facebook and I really liked him but we heard from the owner that he had a rider so he wasn’t for sale. Which was so disappointing!”

‘The viewing couldn’t have gone worse’

However, in February last year the owner was in a position to sell Ace.

“We were so excited to go and see him, we were so expecting it to go really well,” recalls Joanne. “Well, it couldn’t have gone worse – he stopped and Julie [his owner] fell off him. That wasn’t how we thought it would go! I did really like the pony, I was just worried about his temperament and I was conscious that Imogen only had two years left in 14.2hhs.

“I just felt that we weren’t going to get to where we wanted to get to with the pony in that short period of time.”

Joanne left to consider her options and a couple of weeks later they were offered the chance to ride Ace again, this time at Morris Equestrian. However, in the meantime, Imogen was offered the ride on the brilliant 148cm Chivaz, a super pony who has helped many young riders during his 25-year career.

“Of course she jumped at the chance to ride Chivaz, but I thought I don’t need two ponies and I’ve already agreed to try Ace again at Morris,” remembers Joanne. “Anyway, Ace went really well for us that time and I could really see the potential. So we ended up with two ponies arriving in March last year!

“She learnt so much from Chivaz and she’s taken that on to Ace. He came on way quicker than we thought he would and we actually went to our first show two days after we got him. We started at British novice, then put him in his first newcomers at the beginning of April and he got his double clears for that. He did the newcomers Masters at the nationals last year, he just missed out on HOYS, and he jumped in the JC/JD at the Highland. He progressed so quickly and did everything we wanted him to.

“This year we went to South View and he stepped up to do all the bigger classes, and that’s when we thought ‘OK, this is really exciting!’ So after qualifying for two finals at Horse of the Year Show we’ve just been left thinking ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe this!’ That was the wish list at the start of the season but he’s just ticked them off as he’s gone.”

Eden Ace: “Buzzy and excitable – always keen!”

Imogen describes Ace as “buzzy and excitable”, but “he loves his job – he’s always keen!”, she says.

“He’s a bit nervy at first but he’s comfortable and trusts us now,” says Imogen, who is just finishing her GCSE exams. “The bigger the jumps, the more he respects them.

“He’s such a good boy!” adds Imogen, who is also producing another 148cm pony, Llansansior Seren, who she got in September.

The teenager has represented her native Scotland on 128cm and 148cm pony teams, but this will be Imogen’s first time competing at HOYS.

“It’s so exciting. Ever since I was on 128cms I’ve wanted to go to Horse of the Year Show,” says Imogen, who is already preparing for next month’s Royal International. “I’ve never jumped him on grass before and he doesn’t have shoes on, so I’m going to practice with him on grass soon. He likes a big atmosphere, he goes really well in it, he quite likes the attention, so hopefully he’ll like it at Hickstead.”

Ace competes barefoot, a decision made originally because he kept getting his foot stuck in the field fencing, but he’s clearly thriving on jumping without shoes.

The family’s nearest arena is several miles away so “we only tend to jump at shows or at arena hires when training” reveals Joanne.

“He’s a pony many other people wouldn’t even have looked at,” she reflects. “But he’s a really springy pony, I’ve never seen a pony bounce and extend the way he does, he’s so athletic.

“We’re competing against so much money in this game, so to have produced a pony ourselves makes it special,” she says.

“This really is a dream come true.”

You might also like to read…

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‘I thought, let’s go!’ tiny rider takes second HOYS ticket against top pony jumpers

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George Bowman Snr is recovering after a fall at the Lowther Horse Carriage Driving Trials last month (9-10 August).

Mr Bowman, 79, was hacking quietly up to the stable area after the dressage when his horse, Barney started to kick out.

“He’d been bitten by a horsefly and suddenly kicked his leg over the trace and went mad,” said Mr Bowman.

He was knocked out for 15 minutes in the accident but was conscious when taken by air ambulance to Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.

At the hospital scans showed were clear, bar some bruised ribs.

After a few days of painkillers Mr Bowman was back in full training for the National Championships later this month (19-21 September).

Barney has been in the Bowman stable for three years and was used in the Queen’s Jubilee.

At Lowther he was on the rear offside wheel in a team of four when the accident happened.

A similar incident happened a couple of years ago when Barney was in a single carriage.

“He’s been such a good horse,” said Mr Bowman, “but as soon as he gets his leg over the trace he goes into machine gun mode.”

Barney has since been sold as a riding horse and his replacement is currently being sourced.

First published in H&H magazine on Thursday 3 September

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Members of driving’s Team Bowman swapped their top hats for cowboy hats as they raced chuckwagons in the Calgary Stampede (8-17 July) earlier this month.

George, 76, his sons George Jnr and Barnaby, and his brother Robert took part in a demonstration race over ‘The Half Mile of Hell’ against the clock.

After completing they all received individual trophies for taking part.

Although the Bowmans are highly experienced drivers their techniques are quite different from their American counterparts.

Driving trials are about control and sensitivity, whereas chuckwagon racing has been compared to a ‘controlled runaway’ in which four horses pulling a wagon reach speeds of 40mph, creating up to 6 Gs of force.

George Bowman said: “It’s a very strange feeling not having the control we have — I admire the courage of the drivers as they go head to head with three other combinations.”

Robert Bowman said: “From being a little lad I have always wanted to visit the Calgary Stampede, but to be invited to be part of it and have the experience recorded for TV is a dream come true.”

A film crew has been making a four-part life-swap documentary, chronicling the Bowmans’ adventures in Calgary and then challenging chuckwaggoning’s first family, the Sutherlands to take part in a British driving trial.

It has not yet been confirmed which channel the documentary will be shown on, although it is expected to air later this year.

Having taken on the challenge of training the first Europeans to take part in the Calgary Stampede, the Sutherlands will compete in the British Horse Driving Trials National Championships (9-11 September) later this year.

The Sutherlands, who currently have three members in the top 20 chuckwagon rankings, will also drive a 150-year-old 10-seater stagecoach between Newcastle and Carlisle.

Eleven-times World Champion Kelly Sutherland won a record 12th Calgary Stampede at this year’s event.

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Driving’s Team Bowman are to be the first ever European’s to take part in the Calgary Stampede.

The legendary driving family will be taking part in chuckwagon racing during the event known as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, which opens on 8 July.

George,75, his brother Robert and sons Barnaby and George left for the Grand Prairie on Wednesday (18 May) to begin their training with 11-times World Champion chuckwagon racing family the Sutherlands.

Each racing team is comprised of a driver driving a team of horses pulling a chuckwagon, followed by four outriders.

The race begins by ‘breaking camp’ as the outriders toss two tent poles and a stove into the chuckwagon before mounting up and following it as it completes a figure of eight.

There are normally four teams racing at the same time and they then continue around a racetrack with the first across the line winning if they are not given any time penalties.

The Bowmans will go head to head in a demonstration race over ‘The Half Mile of Hell’ against the clock just before the Rangemaster Derby.

The winner will be presented with a trophy in front of the estimated 30,000 strong crowd.

The family was invited to take part by the Calgary Stampede and the World Professional Chuckwagon Association.

Robert Bowman said: “I have always dreamt about attending the Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, but to be invited to actually be part of the extravaganza is a dream come true.”

The Sutherlands, who currently have three members in the top 20 chuckwagon rankings, will fly to the UK to take part in the National Horse Driving Trails at Windsor Castle in September.

They will also drive a traditional 10-seater stagecoach from Newcastle to Carlisle following the line of Hadrian’s Wall

Mark Sutherland said: “As soon as we heard about the idea we were so excited to be involved.

“It’s a unique opportunity for us as a family and the sport we love and have enjoyed for generations to get European exposure.”

Last year’s prize purse at the Stampede was $1.15 million, but the sport is controversial following injuries and fatalities to horses in previous years.

A spokesman from the Canadian Tourism Commission, which is supporting the family swap, said: “It’s a great opportunity to showcase Canada, the province of Alberta’s cowboy traditions and the upcoming Calgary Stampedes’ 100th Anniversary year in 2012, whilst fostering the great ties that bind Canada and the UK.

“Both families are sure of a warm welcome in the respective host destinations as they learn the horse riding skills and heritage of each other.”

The whole process is being filmed and will be aired later this year although the channel is yet to be confirmed.

More details about Chuckwagon racing can be found at www.wpca.com

More details about the Sutherland’s can be found at www.sutherlandracing.ca

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The Bowman family has successfully undertaken a 140-mile journey across Ireland in a 145-year-old stagecoach to raise money for charity.

The family – who are formidable competitors in the sport of horse driving trials – made the four-day journey in aid of Barretstown, a speciallyp-designed activities camp for children with serious injuries.

George Bowman, who has been British national champion 19 times, led Team Bowman along the highways and byways from Limerick to Dublin, retracing the steps of the coaching era, setting off on Monday 21 September.

Mr Bowman said: “The trip was very successful, it took a lot of organising but was well worth it.

“We are already planning the next trip in spring and hope to make these bi-annual events.

“We’re still not sure exactly how much was raised as donations are still coming in and everyone has been so generous.”

Team Bowman marketing director Tracey Dawes said: “We had the Mayor of Limerick on with us for the first leg of the journey — he was thoroughly impressed.”

“The coach is called the Molly Malone and did look magnificent with the horses and we had an old fashioned barrel of Guinness on the top — unfortunately it was empty!”

Team Bowman was made up of 22 people, 17 horses and three horse transporters with trailers, and was accompanied by a film crew and photographer.

“At each stop the locals were very welcoming and there was a lot of support for us on the road — many people beeping their horns and shouting hello at us,” said Tracey. “People were generous with donations for Barretstown.

“We did complete the journey on schedule and arrived in Dublin on Thursday as planned. We then did a trip around the city with the Mayor of Dublin on board and we had Steve Collins the Irish boxer with us who accompanied us on horseback as a highwayman and collected money and handed out leaflets.”

The team is now counting how much money was raised before handing it over to Barretstown.

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The Bowman family, formidable competitors in the sport of Horse Driving Trials, are to undertake a 140-mile journey across Ireland by stagecoach, in aid of Barretstown, a specially designed activities camp for children with serious illnesses.

George Bowman, who has been British National Champion a staggering 19 times, has meticulously planned the four-day trip, in which Team Bowman will travel the highways and byways from Limerick to Dublin, retracing the steps of the coaching era.

They will set out on Monday 21 September.

“We had always planned to drive from Galway to Dubin. It was only about two months ago that we decided on this route and so we have been a bit tight on time to organise things,” explained George.

“Luckily, we are entirely self-sufficient regarding the horses, as the horseboxes have portable stables and carry up to 500 gallons of water.”

The Molly Malone Stagecoach, which was recently discovered disused in a barn in County Galway with old musket balls embedded in the woodwork, has been fully restored to its former glory for the trip.

The coach, originally built by O’Shea of Mullinger in around 1865, once completed the journey from Limerick to Dublin in only 2 days, averaging a speed of 12mph.

During this more leisurely journey, the driving will be divided between the Bowman team, consisting of Robert, Barnaby, George and George Senior, with horses and drivers changing after seven- to ten-mile stages.

“With 16 horses, horseboxes, grooms, drivers, a bus and supporters coming from Germany, England, America, Belgium and France, it has been a tricky manoeuvre to organise,” explained Tracy Dawes, marketing director of Team Bowman.

“We’ve also just realised that the trip coincides with a ploughing campaign in Ireland so everywhere will be very busy — although that will be good for the fundraising.”

The team plan to stop at historic coaching inns and hotels along the way to make the most of the Irish hospitality, and are encouraging people to join them for social evenings.

“We have an Abba tribute band travelling with us, and they are planning to perform at several of the pubs so it should make for some memorable evenings,” added George.

For more information on the trip, see www.teambowman.co.uk

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