Outstanding dales pony making history

A NINE-year-old dales pony mare bred in County Durham is making history after winning three major shows in just eight days.

Nipna Flora has qualified for The London International Horse Show, Olympia, in December, as well as the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) at the NEC, in Birmingham, in October and Hickstead, in July.

The pony swept aside some of the best in the country from all of the British native breeds to stand supreme mountain and moorland ridden pony at the Royal Bath and West Show on June 2, followed by taking the same title and beating more than 140 ponies at Midland Counties three days later, ridden by Tayla Lewis. Nipna Flora is owned and bred by the Pennell family, of Redworth, near Heighington. She was the first pony bred on the farm after the Pennells moved from Lincolnshire ten years ago.

Having finished third at the HOYS last year, this will be Nipna Flora’s first trip to London this autumn, where she will contest the final among the 30 best ridden native ponies in the UK.

Anna Pennell said the family were very proud of her.

She said: “We don’t believe any pony – dales or otherwise – has achieved so much in just a week at the very highest level.”