‘If she was human, she’d be Naomi Campbell’: beauty and brains score in young horse classes at nationals

“Over the moon,” was Tom Goode’s first thought on winning the KBIS National Dressage Championships five-year-old title at the 2022 LeMieux National Dressage Championships held at Somerford Park in Cheshire with Deborah Cunningham’s gorgeous Iceland Girl PS.

The Ierland/Londonderry mare arrived in the UK just before the nationals last year and for Tom it was ‘love at first ride’.

“She’s an absolute joy to work with every day,” said Tom. “She has the sensitivity to be brilliant but the brain is just as good. She’s the epitome of a supermodel. If she was human, she’d be Naomi Campbell; tall, beautiful and a good mover but luckily prepared to get out of bed for less than £10,000 a day!”

Tom was particularly pleased with how she coped with the atmosphere in the main arena.

“It’s by far the biggest the atmosphere she’s been in and she gave the ride judge such a good ride,” added Tom.

Team Tomlinson were in top form in the KBIS six-year-old championship taking home first and third with Mrs Bechtolsheimer and Laura Tomlinson’ home-breds Full Moon II (Moony) and Forest Hill. In the previous day’s qualifying round Sarah Rogers rode both horses into the top two places but for the final it was always going to be Moony that she chose to ride.

“We have a special bond,” said Sarah of the Furstenball/Gribaldi gelding. “He’s just the best character and is so trainable and can really sit which is so exciting for the future.”

Sarah has worked for the Bechtolsheimer/Tomlinson team for five and a half years.

“I didn’t quite get there to see these two born but I did lead them in and out of the field as foals and have watched them growing up; Moony always had my eye.”

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