Durable

This dreamy grand prix stallion has a temperament to die for and still amazes his rider every day, finds Polly Bryan

- Polly Bryan

RIDER NIKKI BARKER

“‘DANNY’ is a dream horse. People are often overawed by his size and think he is even bigger than he is at 17.2hh. It’s because he has so much presence that he gives the illusion of being so big and powerful. He doesn’t feel huge to ride – everything about him is incredibly soft, like riding liquid. He is superfluid in the body and very supple, and his offspring are the same. But he has a huge amount of power – his hindlegs never stop going.

“I rode him throughout my recent pregnancy, right up until a couple of weeks before I gave birth. I take him hacking in the woods near where we live around Thetford and ride him on the beach, too. He is such a gentleman and so trainable. I had never trained a stallion up to top-level before, and I certainly hadn’t had a working stallion to manage at home either, but it really is like having a gelding. I’m utterly spoilt with his temperament.