Danny Nicholson and Morgan Henderson Shine in the penultimate NAF Bronze and Silver Qualifiers
Tuesday 24 June 2025
The penultimate NAF Bronze and Silver Qualifiers of the 2025 summer league took place at Northallerton Equestrian Centre last weekend.
Saturday saw the Bronze league riders take to the arena in a bid to compete for a coveted spot in the semi-finals next month. In the end, seven horses from a starting field of 39 advanced to the jump-off where Danny Nicholson emerged victorious riding his own Jarley VL, the pair racing through the finish in a time of 46.48 seconds.
Hot on Danny’s heels and jumping the only other treble clear of the class was Victoria Wood and her own Salvador V who took home second place, finishing exactly one second behind the winning pair. Although Eleanor Mercer rode the fastest jump-off of the day with her own Watsisname, stopping the clock almost six seconds quicker than the winning time, four faults dropped them into third place.
Despite having only owned the 11-year-old gelding since April this year, it is clear how he and Danny have formed the start of a great partnership: “It was such a fantastic day down at Northallerton, and for golden boy Jarley to win the Horse of the Year Show Qualifier was just the icing on the cake. I can’t thank him enough!” Danny said in a Facebook post.
On Sunday all eyes were on the Silver League riders who were also vying for a spot in the Semi-Finals and ultimately, the Horse of the Year Show.
Of the 27 starters, five horse-and-rider combinations successfully made it through the first two rounds clear, earning their spots in the jump-off. This time it was Morgan Henderson who claimed the victory with Sharron Henderson’s SSH Leagh, stopping the clock at exactly 40 seconds and setting a time that proved unbeatable. Second place went the way of Fred Rimell and Claire Inglis’ Kylemore Cool Hero, 2.26 seconds off the winning pace, whilst Phillip Curtis slotted into third pace with Rhiannon Woods’ Groome, finishing just 0.49 seconds further in arrears.
“I pulled her out of the field, and we went into it a little bit under-prepared, so I wasn’t sure how we would do,” said Morgan. “I work in a residential care home for children with disabilities so have to try and keep her fit around that. As the show was on our doorstep, I thought we would give it a go. She got better and better as the rounds went on and she felt amazing in the final jump-off. I was second last to go and knew we needed a clear and she pulled it out of the bag to take the win.”
Talking fondly about the mare who is known as Dutchy at home and has been with Morgan for nearly 10 years, the delighted rider said: “She has not long come back from an injury she had last year and I was a bit worried how she would bounce back as she is 15 now, but she seems to be jumping better than ever and we’ve even had had a couple of wins of the past few months.
“It’s everyone’s dream to go to HOYS. I’ve tried every year from 128cm classes until now, but I always just seemed to miss out by one or two places. Hopefully this is the year everything goes to plan. But I couldn’t ask for a better horse to be doing this with. I am based at Stainsby Grange Equestrian and trained by Peter Allen. I’m so lucky to have him on my team, he really is amazing,” added Morgan.
Northallerton Equestrian Centre – Saturday, 21st June
NAF Five Star Bronze League Qualifier
1st – Danny Nicholson & Jarley VL – 0/0/0 45.48 seconds
2nd – Victoria Wood & Salvador V – 0/0/0 46.48 seconds
3rd – Eleanor Mercer & Watsisname – 0/0/4 39.80 seconds
Northallerton Equestrian Centre – Sunday, 22nd June
NAF Five Star Silver League Qualifier
1st – Morgan Henderson & SSH Leagh – 0/0/0 40.00 seconds
2nd – Fred Rimell & Kylemore Cool Hero – 0/0/0 42.26 seconds
3rd – Phillip Curtis & Groome – 0/0/0 42.75 seconds
NB: Results pending official grading.
Images: Paul Dobson Photography
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