Dove and Gentle place at FEI World Breeding Jumping Championships

Following a top placing at the British Young Horse Showjumping Championships at Addington Manor in August, Barry Dove and the grey five-year-old Gentle SD09 were selected for the FEI World Breeding Jumping Championships for Young Horses, held annually at Zangersheide in Belgium.

Owned jointly by Barry and Rachel Thurlow, Gentle SD09 had an unlucky four faults on the first day of the show, jumping clear on the second day, before, on the final day securing a placing in a speed class.

Dove said afterwards: “He was placed in the five-year-old class in the main ring at Hickstead before we went to Zangersheide and that gave him a lot of confidence, but with 240 horses in each of the age classes, there was a lot of competition. The tracks were 1.25m in the first round, 1.35m in the jump off and he really was unlucky to have a pole down.”

 “Whilst Gentle will enjoy a holiday now, we’re busy building a new yard and then we will be preparing a number of young horses for competitions in January and February. I also have a seven-year-old, Flashpoint, being aimed at the Winter Novice Final at the Royal International.”

Gentle S D09 has since been selected by British Showjumping to be a member of the equine pathway, a lottery funded scheme designed to support and improve potential young stars of the future. Dove uses Sue Carson Saddles fitted with a Flair air-flocking system.