'Championing our young horses'

William Funnell on finding a venue to showcase the best of British

- Jennifer Donald

THE recent Al Shira’aasponsored British Young Horse Championships at Bolesworth showcased the best of British-bred and British-produced horses in a fantastic setting. But it was sad to hear from organiser Nina Barbour that, as a stand-alone show with high set-up costs, it is no longer financially viable to run.

Having chaired the committee that established and spearheaded these championships 15 years ago, we wanted to ensure we had a qualifier in this country for the World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Lanaken.

We set up bonuses for breeders as well as for jumping clear rounds, to encourage people to jump clear all week rather than racing their horses round, and it works really well.