Sponsored Riders
Anna Ross Davies
INTERVIEW
International Grand Prix dressage rider, Anna Ross Davies, did not have her first competitive experience until the age of 23. Her first ever dressage test was on a horse called Bunbury, who was renowned for being a bit ‘hot’ and Anna gained the ride on this horse because: “The owner had been bucked off and broken both of her arms.”
Anna’s passion for riding and horses began when she was bought a riding lesson for her ninth birthday by her mother. Anna then began riding once a fortnight and after a while, she became a helper at the yard and subsequently rode more and more. Anna then took her BHS exams and it was during this time that she met Sue Payne, who suggested that Anna would enjoy having lessons at the Talland School of Equitation in Gloucestershire: “Talland is the home of International rider and trainer, Pammy Hutton and it is also the place where many top riders started their careers. Watching Pammy ride was a real eye-opener for me at the time and I was desperate to learn to ride like her, so I decided at that point to hold down two jobs so that I could pay for lessons – one job was in a sandwich bar and the other was in a nightclub!!”
Starting out on the Dressage circuit
It was during Anna’s lessons that her talent was spotted and she got her lucky break. Pammy and a senior instructor, Adam Kemp, saw Anna’s potential and offered her a scholarship, meaning that she could train for free. Pammy and Adam were very influential in Anna’s career and under their guidance; Anna made a name for herself on the dressage circuit. It was whilst Anna was out competing at Patchetts Equestrian Centre that she was approached by Donald McTaggart to ride a horse that he had bought – the now well known Liebling II.
Anna produced Liebling II up to Grand Prix level and they competed all over the world. In 2007, the combination was selected as reserves for the 2007 European Championships. Only five days before the competition, another British horse had gone lame, meaning that Anna and Liebling II were on the team. The pair finished in 10th place overall and were the highest scoring Brits, giving Britain the result needed for Olympic qualification.
Sadly, Liebling II was sold on shortly after the Championships, but Anna had been working hard behind-the-scenes on producing another Grand Prix horse; Pegasus MK. In 2010, Anna and Pegasus MK were chosen for the British Nations Cup Team in 2010 following several Grand Prix and World Cup qualifier wins. Pegasus MK is now up for sale, but Anna is positive about the future: “There are always ups and downs with horses, but I feel lucky every day that I can do a job that I love. I’ve got some brilliant horses in training including some great youngsters owned by Southern Cross Stud.”
Anna uses the following products:
For Saferro
Build Up Conditioning Mix
Ulca-Tonic
For Gary
Foal Mix
Vital Stats
Birthday:
30th July 1972
Based:
Wiltshire
Number of horses on yard:
15
Favourite food:
Chocolate
Favourite TV show:
Come Dine With Me
Anna's Top Tips
- 50% of top riding performance is in the stable management, if you get that right, you’ll be halfway there.
- Wear a hard hat!! Without your head, there will be no rosettes!!
- If you want to succeed, find someone who is doing what you want to do and copy them. Watch videos of top riders and try and emulate their style - it really does work.
- Use the Dodson & Horrell Helpline, we use this all the time for invaluable free feeding advice.
