‘Relief’ as rider who re-rerouted after Badminton disappointment takes Bramham under-25 national title

Tom Woodward, 23, topped the Defender Bramham Horse Trials under-25 championship this afternoon piloting his own Low Moor Lucky to secure the title.

The pair were sixth after dressage at Badminton Horse Trials last month, but Tom pulled up after an early run-out across country, so this provided some redemption for that disappointment, with the rider saying: “To be honest, I think relief is the biggest emotion. I’m delighted with him – he’s 18 years old and I just want to enjoy him for what he is now and try and make the most of him while I’ve still got him.”

Lucky – who was only backed when he was nine years old and was so named because he “was a nutcase as a young horse and was nearly disposed of” – has been with Tom since BE100 days.

Tom said: “I feel quite emotional about this whole weekend, because we actually came here thinking maybe he’d retire after this. I’ve always said I want him to finish on his terms – that’s not to say that he will retire now, I don’t want to decide today, we’ll just enjoy it for now and we’ll see how he comes out of it. He looks really good tonight, and as happy as I’ve ever seen him.

“He actually was not very well in the spring in the run-up to Badminton – he had a systemic infection that came out through his skin and legs – not that that’s an excuse that it didn’t go our way. But I think even these last couple of weeks, he’s gone up another gear, and that’s a great feeling to have when he’s 18 years old.

“He’s a very special horse and I owe everything to him. And actually, he was bred in Yorkshire, so it’s quite fitting for him to win here.”

This is the first year this Bramham Horse Trials under-25 championship has run as part of the CCI4*-S class, having previously been a separate CCI4*-L competition. Tom lay fifth overall after dressage, held that with two seconds over the time in the showjumping and eventually finished 11th with 6.4 time-faults across country. He was also 19th overall and third in the under-25s on Carole Broad’s Shannondale Varsity.

Tom said: “I was actually quite disappointed that the under-25 championship was moved to the short, because I was planning to bring Shannondale Varsity here for the long, plus I think a little bit it takes away that championship feeling when the classes merge.

“But it doesn’t take anything away from the result. How lucky am I to have a horse that’s won it and finished third as well? It’s pretty special. Big thanks to all my team that make it happen and my owners, we couldn’t do it without them.”

Anya Strilkowski, 20, and her own K, British young rider Europeans squad members in 2023, took second in the Bramham Horse Trials under-25 championship, having finished just a few seconds over the time in both jumping phases.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in: