By Eva Maria Broomer / AES
Photography: © Ryan Bryers
The AES Young Breeders’ team enjoyed a fabulous time during the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses International Young Breeders’ world championships in Denmark at the beginning of July.
A special mention should go to Amelia Waterhouse of Hope House Stud who was the highest performing individual on the AES team, achieving a very impressive eighth place individually across all the senior participants. What a fabulous achievement, and testimony to her knowledge, passion, and sheer determination as months of hard work and preparation paid off!
We caught up with Amelia after the competition: “It’s been an incredible opportunity to further my knowledge on breeding and selecting horses with the conformation, movement, and qualities needed to succeed in top sport and ultimately produce the best equine athletes possible.
“The training and support provided by the AES team both before and during the championships was brilliant and exactly what we needed to perform. The championship itself was held at Stutteri ASK, a state-of-the-art facility and my idea of horsey heaven. Having the opportunity to gain hands-on experience running horses in Europe was invaluable, however it also made me realize just how much quality is coming out of British breeding. British-bred horses can more than hold their own against the horses bred on the continent if not better.
“I run Hope House Stud in Nottinghamshire and my main goal for the future of the Hope House breeding program is to see Hope House offspring competing successfully at a high level in showjumping and eventing. Alongside this, my goal is to build a reputation for producing high-quality horses with trainable temperaments and near-perfect conformation to ensure each Hope House offspring has a long and successful career in sport.”
One of the most impressive aspects of our Young Breeders’ performance was the wonderful team spirit they created, supporting each other at every turn and forging connections for the future. It was lovely to see this rewarded by the team gaining a perfect mark of 10 for teamwork in the horse preparation element of the competition, with a lovely score of nine for tail plaiting, no doubt due to senior team member Tia Lewis who, it turns out, has a particular talent for this task.
According to Tia; “It’s been a great experience and I’ve learnt a lot. There’s much room for growth in the UK. All the countries and participants are so passionate about breeding which is exciting for the future.”
Another senior team member with a lot of knowledge and experience is the eventing breeder and rider Emily Nicol: “The whole experience is one I won’t forget – I feel grateful I had the opportunity to be around like-minded individuals to discuss our thoughts and experiences as young breeders.”
It was also extremely gratifying to see our junior members really rise to the occasion with some great work shown in all aspects of the competition. Junior member Ava Fowler said; “It’s been so inspirational. The wealth of knowledge, and passion is contagious. I’ve loved meeting the other teams and making new friends globally. I hope I make the team again in two years time as it’s been such a fantastic experience.”
Ava combines her passion for breeding – which is inspired by Olwen Coope, an experienced breeder and family friend – with successfully competing in the BD Junior Dressage circuit... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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