British Eventing is delighted to announce the 2022 winners of The Howden Way Young Horse Leagues.
Launched earlier this year, The Howden Way Young Horse Leagues recognise the achievements of young horses as they develop, with leagues for 5, 6 and 7-year-old horses, plus a combined league for 8- & 9-year-olds. The leagues, powered by Equiratings, are based on a Power Based Average algorithm (PBA). Taking the average of a horse’s three best finishing scores at their respective level, the PBA highlights consistency.
THE HOWDEN WAY 5-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE
Our first ever 5-year-old League Champions are Sam Gillespie and the Irish-bred mare, Lochdown Cruise owned by the rider, Christine Baxter and Kevin and Sarah Gillespie. For this league, the PBA is calculated using the three best finishing scores from all 2022 British Eventing competitions at BE100, BE105 and CCI1* levels. All three of Sam and Lochdown Cruise’s best finishing scores were sub-30, including a 17.50 at West Wilts in September, leaving them with a superb PBA of 22.4. Sara Squires and her own, Van Kaunitz finished second with a PBA 23.9, and Ros Canter and Margie Ward-Read’s gelding, DHI Wingman finished third with a PBA of 24.
THE HOWDEN WAY 6-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE
This year’s 6-year-old League title goes to Sarah Bullimore and the British-bred gelding, Corimiro owned by Brett Bullimore, Bruce Saint and Christopher and Susan Gillespie. The three best finishing scores for the 6-year-olds are taken from results at Novice, CCI2*-S and CCI2*-L. With two CCI2*-S wins at Burgham and Cornbury on sub-30 scores, plus a 18.30 finishing score in a Novice at Great Witchingham, Sarah and Corimiro ended the season with a winning PBA of 22.1. This impressive PBA, however, was matched by Laura Collett and Killossery Kaptain owned by Fiona Rutland, Laura Glynn and Margaret Silver. In the event of a tie, the fourth-best finishing score of each horse becomes the tie-breaker – and this went the way of Sarah and Corimiro. Third place went to Yasmin Ingham and Goliath Du Loir owned by The Sue Davies Fund with a PBA of 24.8.
THE HOWDEN WAY 7-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE
This league counts the three best scores from Intermediate, CCI3*-S and CCI3*-L. Wills Oakden took an early lead in this league with his Blair Castle winner, Stephanie Oakden’s Irish-bred gelding, Keep It Cooley. Three strong runs at Kelsall Hill, Floors Castle and Alnwick Ford gave the pair a PBA of 25.0 – a score that no one was able to better for the rest of the season. Saffron Cresswell and Barratt Eventing’s Vivendi Hero got the closest, finished second just 0.5 of a mark behind Wills with a PBA of 25.5. Third place went to Oliver Townend and Chris Gould’s Samiro Cruze MC with a PBA of 28.7.
THE HOWDEN WAY 8&9-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE
For the 8 & 9-year-old League, the PBA is calculated using the three best finishing scores from all 2022 British Eventing competitions at Advanced, CCI4*-S and CCI4*-L levels. Our 2022 Champions are Ros Canter and her own and Alex Moody’s 9-year-old Dutch-bred gelding, Izilot DHI. Their best three runs, which included CCI4*-S wins at Burgham and Bramham, gave the partnership a PBA of 29.0. Hot on their heels in second is Caroline Powell for New Zealand with Chris Mann’s 9-year-old mare, Greenacres Special Cavalier. Their third place in the CCI4*-S 8/9YO class at Blenheim, finishing on their dressage score of 28.0, helped them to a PBA of 33.8. The final podium spot in this league goes to the winners of that CCI4*-S 8/9YO class at Blenheim, Piggy March and Jayne McGivern’s stallion Halo, with a PBA of 34.2.
To access the leagues, visit The Howden Way Young Horse Academy page here.
For more information on The Howden Way and all that it offers all British Eventing members, from regional training through to talent and young horse academies, click here.
