Young Event Horses Impress at Aston-le-Walls as The Howden Way Series Continues
Britain’s next generation of event horses continued to impress at Aston-le-Walls as riders battled for top honours in the latest round of The Howden Way Young Horse Series.
The future of British eventing was on full display at Aston-le-Walls this weekend as talented six and seven-year-old horses took centre stage in the latest leg of The Howden Way Young Horse Series.
Designed to give promising young event horses valuable experience at established British Eventing venues, the series continues to provide an important stepping stone for horses with aspirations of competing at the very highest level.
Rawlin and Pieterado top six-year-old Section M
Will Rawlin partnered Pieterado (feature image), owned by the WRE Partnership and the Eastbury Syndicate, to victory in Section M of the six-year-old class. The pair produced a polished double clear to finish on their dressage score of 27.0.
Rawlin described Pieterado as “a really smart, talented horse” with plenty of ability for the future, adding that the gelding’s main target this season is the six-year-old championship at Cornbury before progressing to two-star competition.
Aoife Clark finished second with Poulaphoucha on 27.9, while Kate Rocher-Smith claimed third aboard KMS Dassett Envoy on 30.5.
Pinkney secures second six-year-old victory
Section N belonged to Jack Pinkney and Barrington Candy Kid, who combined an excellent dressage score of 25.5 with just a single showjumping time penalty to take the win on 26.5.
Pinkney praised the six-year-old’s trainability and believes the horse has developed strongly throughout the season, with Cornbury House Horse Trials now firmly in their sights.
Ben Way and FGF Vino finished runners-up on 29.3, while Caroline Harris completed the podium aboard Crackington on 29.7.
Warburton claims seven-year-old honours
The seven-year-old class saw Max Warburton continue his excellent form with Monbeg Condor, producing a faultless double clear to win on their dressage score of 28.4.
Warburton also finished third with Earl Dorado, while Gemma Stevens and Chilli’s Joker secured second after another impressive dressage-led performance.
Following the event, Warburton confirmed both of his seven-year-olds will now target Cornbury House Horse Trials before aiming for the FEI World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d’Angers later this autumn.
Developing the stars of tomorrow
The Howden Way Young Horse Series is designed to identify and develop Britain’s future eventing stars, with six-year-olds competing at Novice level and seven-year-olds at Intermediate.
The 2026 Young Horse Championships will be held at Cornbury House Horse Trials from 10 to 13 September, with standout performers also eligible for The Howden Way Development Days and Young Horse Academy.
For many combinations, the series also provides valuable preparation for the FEI World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d’Angers in October.