When Alison Met Boston!
Boston isn’t exactly your ‘average looking’ talented dressage horse, but his ability in the competition arena has already seen him clock up a number of high profile winnings partnered with his rider Jane Lavington, including coming second in the PetPlan Elementary Championships at the Naf Winter Dressage Championships recently – not bad for a horse that owner Alison Nye-Warden bought as a happy hacker! Equestrian Life caught up Alison to hear more about her story and find out how the Clydesdale Cob is taking the dressage world by storm!
Alison is a keen rider and also MD of premier on-line retailer Dressage Deluxe and has a real passion for dressage, as she explains:
Boston & Jane at the Winter Champs 2012
my arm, I really wanted a horse that was going to be safe for me to hack out on my own – something, which prior to my accident I really loved doing”
Alison started her search and spotted Boston on an internet horse sales site and after speaking to the dealer, booked an appointment to go and see Boston:
“When Jane and I went to see Boston, we went with a view of getting something that I could hack out on and enjoy and I suppose subconsciously having been around dressage horses for so long, I was also drawn to him not only by his fabulous temperament, but his long legs and for a very green wobbly 5 year old he also had good movement, which I also found really comfortable!”
Because of Alison’s injury, they decided that Jane should bring him on for a while, before Alison started to hack him out and it wasn’t long before both Jane and Alison both fell in love with Boston;
“Boston has such a lovely personality and tries so hard to please. His talent for dressage didn’t really start to shine through until Jane started schooling Boston more and more and we noticed that he had a real
“I love the sport and thoroughly enjoy competing, however I had a bad riding accident a few years ago, whereby I broke my wrist, elbow and shoulder and after five operations on my arm, my elbow can still dislocate and my shoulder is still very painful, meaning that whatever I ride, he or she has to be incredibly light in my hand and also safe. I have five lovely dressage horses at home, however they are ‘competition horses’ and with on-going problems with
Team Deluxe
capacity for learning and loved his schoolwork, so much so that Jane approached me to ask if I minded if she took him out. As with any youngster, its good for horses to see a bit of life, so I welcomed the opportunity, however it wasn’t long before both Jane and I sat up and went ‘Wow this horse has got something special’!”
Alison’s dressage trainer top rider Damian Hallam, who also spotted the cob’s potential, reaffirmed this and whilst Alison’s happy hacker
still gets hacked, he has been pursuing an altogether different career ever since and as Alison explains:
“ Jane still rides Boston, although I am allowed to occasionally ride him under her supervision at home!” She laughs “And, I suppose at the beginning I didn’t really think of Boston Deluxe (His competition name) as being your ‘average stamp’ of a dressage horse, being generally surrounded by warmbloods, but having horses like Boston breaking the mould is changing these very pre-conceptions. I have always believed that good horses come in all
shapes and colours and now we have a big Black and White one which has certainly come good and is still the very best hack in the whole of the South-East!”
www.dressagedeluxe.co.uk
Alison Nye-Warden with Boston
Boston in winning form
TURN TO ENTRY FORMTO ENTER
WIN A DRESSAGE DELUXE SELF TIE STOCK
If you find you are all fingers and thumbs when it comes to tying your stock, these beautiful stocks make stock tying beautifully simple! Featuring a Velcro attachment at the back, the stock is already tied with a neat stud, helping to keep it in place, helping you look like a pro each and every time you step into the arena!
3 x lucky readers will each win a stock in White.
RRP: £30.00 Available in White, Shell Pink and Ivory
www.dressagedeluxe.
co.uk
0800 321 3001
www.equestrianlifemagazine.co.uk
61
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68