A previous Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) winner and Olympia Best of Breed has passed away aged 18 after a short illness.
The Connemara gelding Sydserff Lord Of The Dance (Dancer) was one of the most successful ridden Connemaras of his time.
Owned by Joan MacCallum, Dancer was partnered by show horse producer Kirstine Douglas and together they won at every major county show in the country. His tally includes four Royal Highland Show wins and three championships and three Great Yorkshire Show wins and three championships. He also won at the Royal Show.
The grey, who was by Cocum Camelot, stood at just under 14hh
“I had ridden ponies for Mrs MacCallum for a while and I first met Dancer when he was two,” said Kirstine. “He came directly from his breeder, Eileen Simpson, but he didn’t start his ridden career until he was five.”
The gelding’s destiny was cemented on his first outing where he won and took champion.
Kirstine added: “If you actually went through everything he had won you would be there for hours, he had amazing success.”
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
In his first season, the pair qualified for HOYS. They took second at the final on two occasions and ended up winning the class in 2007. He was also Best of Breed at Olympia.
“Judges would say that they just couldn’t take their eyes off him and that he just owned the ring; for such a small pony he didn’t half cover some ground. He was a proper pony.
“He was always such a good boy but I do remember, on the morning of his HOYS victory, he threw me off in the warm up arena before the class; he was piaffing around and as I gave him a small smack on his neck he proceeded to put me right over his head, before going onto win the class — we still laugh about that to this day.
Nimmerdor, one of the top sport horse stallions of recent years, has died aged 31
“He was just the most fabulous pony and we had a great partnership.”
When Dancer was retired from the ring he spent two years at Kirstine’s yard in Dumfries before returning to Joan’s yard when he spent his final days.
For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
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.
