Annabella Pidgley’s Champion Mare Espe Sold to Australia
British dressage rider Annabella Pidgley has confirmed the sale of her exceptional mare Espe to a young rider in Australia, drawing to a close one of the most successful partnerships in recent youth dressage history.
The 11-year-old Westphalian mare by Escolar x Dimaggio, bred in Germany by Hedda Droege, has been sold to 14-year-old Abby Weel, who will now campaign her in junior ranks under the guidance of Australian rider and trainer Matthew Dowsley.
Espe played a central role in Pidgley’s meteoric rise through the youth ranks. Together, they claimed six European Championship medals across two seasons: team bronze, individual bronze and freestyle silver at the 2022 Junior Europeans, followed by team bronze and double individual gold at the 2023 Young Rider Europeans — the first British individual golds at this level since 2015.
“Espe was a once-in-a-lifetime horse for me,” said Annabella. “I couldn’t be happier to know she has gone to the best home with Abby in Australia. It has been the most incredible journey and I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved together.”
Their final competition together was the Wellington Premier League in June 2024, marking the end of a record-breaking run that also included 23 international class wins, two national titles, and several months ranked as world number one at Young Rider level. Espe also became British Dressage’s second-most decorated youth horse of all time, behind only St Lucci.
Espe began her career under the Danish Helgstrand Dressage banner with Eva Möller and was a finalist at both the Bundeschampionate and World Young Horse Championships in 2019 before being acquired by the Pidgley family. She was initially campaigned by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour before Annabella took over the ride in 2022.
The sale marks a new chapter for both horse and rider. While Espe begins her Southern Hemisphere journey with a promising new young talent, Annabella now turns her focus to Grand Prix ambitions with horses such as Gio and Vamos Amigos.
Feature image: Annabella Pidgley. Image credit Łukasz Kowalski / British Dressage