Young horse classes at Tweseldown: Harris wins title

The event, held over the weekend from May 23 to May 25, provided a platform for six- and seven-year-old horses to showcase their talent.

Caroline Harris emerged victorious in the six-year-old class with Cooley Riddle Master, owned by Lucy Matthews, Penelope Makin, Marie Anne Richardson, and Jim Chromiak.

They maintained their lead from the outset, finishing on their dressage score of 25.0.

Young horse stars shine at Tweseldown (Image: Spidge Photography)

The gelding, by Conthargos out of Chipie Van T'Ameldonk Z, has been maintaining a strong form since last year, and the early stages of the 2026 season have been no different.

Expressing her delight, Caroline said: "Cooley Riddle Master is one of the most exciting young horses I've ever had and he felt pure class in all three phases at Tweseldown.

"Rachel and her team had done a brilliant job on the ground and the courses were very educational.

"We might take him to Burgham for the 2* but our main focus this season is the six-year-old championships at Cornbury."

Fiona Kashel followed closely behind, riding Sofia Paul's Raphanus, with a score of 27.8.

Laura Collett secured the third spot on Lucy Nelson and Susan Shenkman's FLS Frenchman's Creek, scoring 29.5.

In the seven-year-old class, Cerys Macaulay took the lead on Odelia, a Dutch mare owned by Augustus Roberts and Cerys herself.

They finished on a score of 36.7 after adding just 0.8 cross-country time penalties to their dressage score of 35.9.

Rising stars impress at Tweseldown (Image: Spidge Photography)

Reflecting on the performance, Cerys said: "I was pleased with all phases, to be honest.

"She tried really hard in the dressage and is improving all the time in this phase.

"She is a phenomenal jumper and is still yet to have a rail down this season.

"I was most pleased with her cross-country performance as she was unbelievably straight and brave.

"I felt it was a really decent Intermediate track and the way she jumped round gave me a lot of confidence for moving on later this season.

"She covers the ground so well, so even though I didn't set off chasing the time, she was very close to it just jumping out of her rhythm.

"Andy Heffernan has been hugely influential in this phase and I'm very grateful for his training over the winter and throughout this season so far.

"I bought her as an unbacked and unhandled three-year-old and have done everything with her myself.

"She's always been sharp and a little tricky, spooky and sensitive, but she has always wanted to jump the jumps and get the job done.

"We plan to compete in a couple more seven-year-old classes before stepping up to 3* later in the year.

"She already has her 2*L qualification, so hopefully, that will stand us in good stead when we start thinking about potential selection for Le Lion d'Angers.

"Our main aim at the moment is the Cornbury seven-year-old championships."

Jodie Amos, riding Ballymolloy Bassoon owned by Davina Grundemann-Falkenberg, secured the runner-up position, while Andrew Nicholson came third on Ivan, owned by himself and Mary Channer.

The Howden Way series is an excellent opportunity for riders to give their emerging eventers exposure to the atmosphere of larger venues while competing against other horses of the same age.

These classes offer recognition for the top-performing horses.

The young horse classes occur throughout the spring and summer in some of British Eventing's most picturesque venues, with the six-year-old classes running at novice level and the seven-year-old classes at intermediate level.

The top three in each class receive an extra £250, £150, and £100, respectively, in addition to the prize money already generated and awarded by the prize money calculator.

For the dates of this year's young horse classes, please refer to the British Eventing fixtures list.

The performance of young horses competing with British Eventing is also acknowledged within The Howden Way Young Horse Leagues, which can be found on the British Eventing website.

The leagues display the average of a horse's three best finishing scores via a Power Based Average score, highlighting the ability to consistently finish on a low score.

The 2026 Young Horse Championships are scheduled to take place at Cornbury House Horse Trials in Oxfordshire from September 10 to 13.

For many, these young horse classes also prepare for the FEI World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d'Angers, set for October 15 to 18.