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Lockdown progress helps cheeky gelding to glory at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships *H&H Plus*

Emily Bevan

    • From steering issues to national champion – find out who claimed the hotly contested advanced medium gold class at the Winter Dressage Championships 2020

    Kate Cowell and Rayban were on imperious form in the Charles Owen advanced medium gold at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships 2020 at Hartpury, scoring 74.73% to top the leaderboard in the 18-strong class.

    “He was really focused today which made my job easy. His changes felt very expressive and we had a good solid connection. I’m absolutely thrilled with him,” said Kate.

    “Over the last few months I’ve been pushing him on in his training and it really showed today. He’s strengthened up a lot and his self-carriage has really improved. There’s still plenty of work to do with our walk pirouettes however. They leave a lot to be desired!”

    Malvern-based Kate owns the 11-year-old bay gelding by Royal Duruto together with Jonny Clarke-West and has been riding him for three years.

    “I fell in love with him when I first rode him. He hadn’t done much and I couldn’t steer him or get him on the bit, but there was something about him and his cheeky personality that I loved and I haven’t looked back. He’s a very long horse, which I think put some people off, but he has wonderful elasticity and is very trainable.”

    Runner-up spot for Asian Games hopeful

    Calum Whitworth enjoyed a good day at the office at the Winter Dressage Championships 2020, occupying second place in the advanced medium gold with Hawtins Barolo with 73.90% and sixth aboard Hennessy T with 71.14%.

    Hawtins Barolo is a nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Belissimo M who Calum is producing for owner Viveka Rathore to hopefully ride for India at the 2022 Asian Games.

    “He hasn’t done a great deal which is why I wanted to do regionals and championships with him to give him the experience of competing at bigger shows. He seems to be taking it all in his stride and I’m really chuffed with him. He’s a real gentleman, is growing in confidence all the time and is very talented,” said the Hereford-based rider.

    Third place went the way of Matt Frost and the eight-year-old KWPN mare Helga, who posted 72.93%.

    Keep up with all of the action from the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships on the Horse & Hound website via our H&H Plus service with full reports from each winter championship class, plus a gallery of winners from the Petplan Equine Area Festival Championships.

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