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Pavarotti has been brought on from Advanced Medium and is now working at Inter I.  He has the talent to go to Grand Prix, an ambition they are hoping to achieve with the help of new trainer Spencer Wilton.      

Having achieved such success with Real Ruby, and loving working with a young horse, Francesca was keen to have another youngster coming along behind, recognising that it is better to produce your own horse than have to try to fix an advanced horse with its training baggage.   

Dressage Coaching with Francesca Walker

Francesca is willing to take pupils on a freelance basis either at Blackington Stud or at their own premises. Having completed a Child Protection Course and also passed her Equine Specific First Aid Course, she has the necessary 'bits of paper' to permit her formally to teach dressage, and she is fully insured.  She has been teaching a number of pupils at local riding club level for some months under the watchful eyes of an experienced instructor (in order to gain the Coaching Certificate qualifications) and will be registered with BD.

If you would like to contact Francesca for an informal chat about whether she could help you, she would be delighted to hear from you.

About Francesca and her riding - the story so far ......

Francesca started riding at the age of 8 and developed an interest in dressage at the age of 13, as a result of riding Ziggy, a pony that knew his job in the jumping and cross country arenas, but came without brakes.  She started training with a local dressage specialist and safely negotiated Pony Club Camp three weeks later. She then went on to compete in her first affiliated dressage test in 2001, aged 14, with Ziggy, whose tendency to buck for Britain taught her stickability. Having been selected for Central Training with Ziggy, her ambitions were ignited, riding alongside and watching lessons with GB squad riders also present at Central Training.  

Mercedes-Benz
National Dressage

Championships 2004: Prizegiving

With Ziggy outgrown, the search for a quality 14.2 dressage pony took us all over the country and finally to friends in Germany where Naturell was found. Peter Storr began to train Francesca and Naturell, and many long hours were put in after school and at weekends, driving from school for training, trailer and pony in tow.

Francesca competed on the FEI pony dressage circuit with Naturell in 2003. Together they achieved many high placings and percentages, and represented England and Great Britain, as well as qualifying a number of times for the Regional Championships and National Championships. They won the FEI Pony Team test at Central Training that year, became Under 21s UK Pony Rider of the Year, and won the U21s UK Summer FEI Championship. They came third at Go For Gold (final GB Team selection trial), made some amazing friends and learned a lot about dealing with pressure and the ups and downs of a highly competitive and subjective sport.

Unfortunately only having one year in ponies after turning 16 in 2003, Francesca was no longer eligible to compete in the FEI pony tests, so she never had the chance to go for the team. She continued to lightly compete Naturell at Medium level in 2004, winning the Midlands Medium Restricted Summer Regional Championship, and so qualifying for the National Championships, where they finished 7th.  Naturell was one of only three ponies to qualify for the Nationals that year.

Francesca and her Dutch-bred gelding, Pavarotti

Photo courtesy of Caroline Finch

Francesca with her young horse Real Ruby

at the Midlands Regional Dressage

Championships 2007

In November 2004 we bought Real Ruby (Rubin Royal x Davignon), as a three-year -old from the Brightwells Auction. After completing her A-levels in 2005, Francesca took a gap year to focus on horses. In 2006 she competed Real Ruby in young horse classes, qualifying for the Rhinegold British Young Horse Championships and Pavo Potential Young Dressage Horse Championships, all with over 80%. They were placed 4th in the Rhinegold National 5-year-old Final 2006, again with over 80%, in a class where Francesca was the only non-professional rider. In 2008 they became the Central Novice Open Winter Regional Champions and have achieved scores of over 76%. Real Ruby is being trained up through the levels, hopefully to Grand Prix.  

Pavarotti (Zeoliet x Ferro)

Photo courtesy of Caroline Finch

He proved to be an incredibly exciting young horse - in his first ever outing he qualified for the Shearwater 5-year-old Young Dressage Horse Championship. He also contested the young horse classes at Addington Premier League where he achieved scores of over 78%, placed in the top 5 in all 3 classes (all with more than 30 horses in), beating well known professional, international and Olympic dressage riders, and qualified for the British Young Horse Championships.  

Alongside the small horses she specialises in, she will be bringing along the young ponies that we breed and import.  We are shortly to undertake the re-starting of our 5-year-old mare Bella Bagira, who has 'wow factor' paces.  If she proves to be as rideable as her half sister Naturell, she will be a definite international team prospect.  Brandini, our first home-bred foal will, be backed next year and has the potential to be a great FEI pony of smaller stature (13.3 - 14hh).  Daisy, our Dornik B two-year-old, will be started next year, and possibly Delta B.  Francesca also has the exciting prospect of starting the two two-year-old colts that have gone back to Germany to contest licensings.

Peter Storr found Francesca a three-year-old gelding, bought as a foal in Germany and recently brought back to England by its owner/rider, for sale as it had not grown large enough for them!  Fürst Fritz (Fürst Heinrich x Rohdiamant) has again been brought on slowly and carefully under the watchful eye of Peter, and was not competed until Spring 2009, when he had matured enough to contest young horse classes.  

Francesca also competes Pavarotti, a Dutch bred gelding (Zeoliet x Ferro), and qualified him for the Regional Championships at Prix St Georges in only two outings at that level. Pavarotti was purchased to replace her original schoolmaster who, sadly, had been found to have advanced osteo-arthritis, which not only affected his soundness, but also his temperament.

Fürst Fritz (Fürst Heinrich x Rohdiamant)

Photo courtesy of Image Point Event Photography