Rising star, Katie Speller, records home-away-from-home win in Hickstead’s main arena
Wednesday 26 July 2023
Katie Speller and BE Warnham claimed victory in the SEIB British Showjumping Winter Novice Championship at the Longines Royal International Horse Show.
Katie has a busy week ahead of her at Hickstead, but today’s class was the one she really wanted to try to win. And that’s exactly what she did: riding the six-year-old BE Warnham, she was one of five to go through to the jump-off, which she won by three-quarters of a second.
“I've jumped in there a few times now and it's never actually gone to plan – so it's nice to finally have a good result! It’s the horse’s first time in there, and he just seemed to love it as well,” said a delighted Katie.
She has worked for Hickstead-based Irish rider Shane Breen for four years, specialising in producing promising young horses.
“Shane has really given me a chance and has given me some really nice young and older horses to ride. We work together and he helps me a lot – it’s a really good set-up as you're always learning something.”
BE Warnham, who Shane has long considered to have star quality, is one such ride.
“I rode him when he was a four-year-old, just for a little bit, and then I started riding him again this year,” said Katie. “He has a lot of blood, and we have to leave him out in the field, so he's a little bit more manageable, but he just has so much scope and he's so smart – he knows where his legs are, and you know that you can turn and go as fast as you can and he's just going to try.”
That willingness meant that Katie’s primary job in the tight jump-off was simply to let him do what he does best.
“I had to just kind of trust him. Michael Quirk said to me, ‘He's a quick horse – don't do anything silly. Just stay tight and feel what he's telling you he can do’. So I did that, and then had to just keep my cool and steady again, so as not to have the last fence down.”
Tickets for the Longines Royal International Horse Show (25-30 July) are available at the gate or can be bought online from www.hickstead.co.uk. The action will be livestreamed throughout on ClipMyHorse.TV and Hickstead.TV, with additional coverage on Sky Sports and FEI.TV on Friday and Sunday.
Image: Elli Birch / Boots and Hooves Photography
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