‘He’s given me a lot of confidence’: amateur success at the Royal International for young rider

A 22-year-old rider scored the 2024 RIHS British Show Horse Association supreme amateur riding horse championship tricolour on a versatile gelding at the 2024 Agria Royal International Horse Show (RIHS).

Phoebe Price and Heather Rothwell’s large contender Happy Valentines oozed manners throughout both the class and championship.

Harley — as he is known at home — competes in both riding horse and ladies’ classes with Phoebe, and he’s appeared at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in both finals on multiple occasions.

Harley, an 11-year-old by Furstenball, has been a Royal Windsor victor on two occasions, once with owner Heather as a riding horse and also with Phoebe who showed him sideways.

“He was just amazing today,” said an emotional Phoebe. “We’re in our second season together. Heather had the ride in the riding horses last year, and I took him in the ladies’, but this year we’ve fully leased him and I’ve had both rides.”

Phoebe, a winner in the amateur hacks last year on St Giles Devole, was the youngest rider in the ring. Harley has been one of the horse who has aided her step into these competitive sections.

“He’s given me a lot of confidence to take on the horse classes,” added Phoebe, who currently runs Harley from home. “He’s a really lovely horse. We don’t over-work him as he knows his job so well; we mainly just hack him.”

The second placed large contender took reserve in the 2024 RIHS supreme amateur riding horse championship. This was Melanie Firth’s 10-year-old Romanno Anais Anais, a chestnut mare by Zirkon.

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