Exmoor Pony champions

Exmoor Pony riders are British champs!

Riders from Umberleigh and South Molton have scooped top honours at a British dressage championships, on locally reared Exmoor Ponies (pictured right).

Eleanor Lunn, and her teenage South Molton junior teammate, rode Anchor Buckthorn and Anchor Brown Ale to victory at the British Riding Clubs National Introductory Pairs Championships, which is run by the British Horse Society.

“It was a dream come true and it seemed quite incredible that a couple of ‘scruffy’ moor ponies could beat some much fancier horses!” said Eleanor, who lives in Umberleigh. “It was especially wonderful to win as we’ve had them since they were six months old and my sister and I have done much of the work ourselves.”

The 18 year old ponies, affectionately known by their stable names Galahad and Cookie, are owned and trained by Eleanor and her sister Verity Goss from South Molton. Sheralee Matravers at the Exmoor Pony Society said, “It’s wonderful that two moorland ponies have not only been able to compete at national level in dressage, but have shown horses considered to be of much higher breeding how it should be done!”

Eleanor paid tribute to her instructor Cheryl Mundy, “I couldn’t have succeeded without her”, adding that she is incredibly proud of their two Exmoor Ponies.

Proud winners - Eleanor Lunn (left) with her junior partner from South Molton & District Riding Club

Photo courtesy Action Replay Photography