The central philosophy of Cornbury House Horse Trials is to encourage young talent and give it the best possible conditions to flourish. It is very rewarding, therefore, to see so many of the top horses from last year’s British Eventing Young Horse Championships, sponsored by The Howden Way, making an impact in the early part of the season.
The 2024 five-year-old champion Earl Dorado, owned by Nicky and Robin Salmon and rider Max Warburton, won The Howden Way six-year-old class at Barbury (21-23 March). Max was also second on Karla Wheatcroft’s Monbeg Condor.
Max said: “I’m thrilled to have these two very nice six-year-olds in the class that is kindly supported by The Howden Way. The whole idea of the young horse classes is brilliant, as it allows us to highlight the nice six-year-olds that we’ve got.
“Earl Dorado will do a CCI2*-S at Kelsall Hill next and then aim for this year’s six-year-old championships Cornbury House, and hopefully the world young horse championships at Le Lion d’Angers.”
Barrington Boy, winner of The Howden Way British Eventing National Six-Year-Old Championships at Cornbury House last September for owner (and Cornbury sponsor through his Hawkestone drinks company) Johnny Hornby and rider Izzy Taylor, has had a brilliant start to 2025. He won his first three events – Poplar Park, Tweseldown and Barbury, and finished sixth at his first attempt at a CCI3*-S at Thoresby, all with double clear rounds.
Oxfordshire-based Izzy said: “He’s cool. He has no idea he’s a giant and he’s beautiful to ride. I don’t know how he’s so balanced and controlled – he has a beautiful brain, he’s light on his feet, careful and scopey.”
Izzy will be aiming to take the national seven-year-old title at Cornbury House in September on her way to a shot at Le Lion d’Angers in France.
Double Olympic gold medallist Tom McEwen scored in The Howden Way British Eventing National Seven-Year-Old Championship at Cornbury House in 2024 with Maestro, owned by Fred and Penny Barker. The pair were placed at both Tweseldown and Barbury recently, and are consolidating at CCI3* level this year.
And Kantango, winner of the six-year-old class at the inaugural running of The Howden British Eventing Young Horse Championships at Cornbury House in 2023 with European individual silver medallist Kitty King, is going from strength to strength. The now-eight-year-old old, owned by Jane Tolley, Kitty’s mother Jane Boggis, Joanna Jones and Penelope Holley, was runner-up in the seven-year-old championships at both Cornbury House Horse Trials and Le Lion d’Angers in 2024, and won the advanced intermediate class at Lincoln on 14 March.