Michelle's Story

I'm Michelle Dawson, an anaesthetist in the NHS and the breeder behind Stolen Silver Sports Horses. I only breed 2 or 3 foals a year so to have two national winners at the Equine Bridge was a wonderful achievement. Stolen Beltara won best 2yo dressage horse in the Virtual Futurity (Belissimo x Rousseau) and Stolen Secret won the Equine Bridge and a £1000 training bursary (Uthopia x Riccio). 

Because I work very long hours (24 shifts are still a reality) I have to keep my broodmares at livery. They are currently at Embla Stud in the wonderful care of Yvonne Hill and her team. I have a small selection of foals and young horses there as well as two broodmares. 

Stolen Secret went to her first Futurity as a foal where she scored 8.8 with several 9s and lots of compliments. She returned when she was 2, scoring 8.75 and finished 2nd best 2yo in the UK. Her third trip to the Futurity was when she was competing at the Nexgen 4yo championships which is held at Hickstead. She got another Gold award and qualified for the Equine Bridge. 

I have always believed that Secret is special and wanted to find a talented rider for her. This part was very hard. In the UK there currently aren't any bridges between breeders and riders. I researched over 100 UK dressage riders before shortlisting 12. I contacted all of them with Secret's CV, offering to pay full livery if they would ride her. Only 2 riders replied to me. One of those was Sonnar Murray-Brown, who fortunately had been top of my shortlist and he has been riding Secret ever since. 

I'm very lucky to have Sonnar riding my horses. He's a truly world class rider, on the Potential Podium Squad. He's totally professional and completely focussed. He wants to ride on the British team and I want to breed a British team horse, so we share the same goal. I learn a lot from talking to him, finding out what the various bloodlines feel like under saddle. 

I use proven Grand Prix stallions as they have shown that they have the necessary soundness and trainability to make it to the top in dressage. I also only use strong motherlines. The mare is key for any breeder. I think one of the most important things a breeder can do is to critically appraise each horse they breed and reassess them frequently. The plain foal may blossom under saddle. The big moving foal may not have the ability to collect. No amount of big movement can compensate for a lack of rideability or soundness.