So, who is the UK’s most famous four-legged dressage star?
A few years ago, Valegro was the name on everyone’s lips. Now, the most famous ears looking through a dressage bridle are rather larger.
Yes, it’s the wonder of Wallace. Wallace the Great, to give him his full title – the charismatic, lovable and talented 11-year-old mule who has won all our hearts.
Wallace might only be competing at Intro level, but he and his rider, Christie Mclean, have reached Grand Prix level in showing what can be achieved through faith and determination. They’ve even prompted British Dressage to re-define what it means by a horse.
At first, BD couldn’t allow this amazing pair to compete under its rules because it only admitted horses, and Wallace’s lovely ears are due to him having a donkey for a dad. But after mass support from the horse world, it adopted the FEI’s wording: “Horse: Refers also to a Pony or other member of the genus Equus unless the context requires otherwise. A Horse shall be born from a mare.”
So, thanks to Wallace’s mum being a horse or pony, he can now strut his stuff with the best of them. That’s great news, not just for owners of mules, but for all riders who pursue dressage dreams but don’t necessarily ride most people’s idea of what a dressage horse should be.
It isn’t just about diversity, important though that is in all areas of life. I don’t think British Dressage was necessarily prejudiced when it originally said that Wallace couldn’t join its ranks. Let’s be open-minded and assume that it merely applied a rule which needed to be brought into line with those for international competition.
The support Wallace and Christie have received is amazing and well deserved. Dressage supremo Carl Hester was one of the first to back them, pointing out that his first experiences of riding were on a donkey on the Isle of Sark.
If you watch the video of Wallace’s test, he works in a lovely rhythm and a correct outline. He and Christie are inspirations to all of us who want to do the best we can with the “ordinary” horses and ponies we love.
Full marks to the many judges who appreciate and reward correct work, whether it’s from a mega-money warmblood, a hairy pony, a re-trained racehorse or a cob. As for the very few onlookers who turn up their noses at anything other than mega-money warmbloods – they really don’t know what they’re missing.
Wallace and Christie are the ultimate ambassadors for us all, in and out of the horse world. They are also a reminder that while dressage is an Olympic discipline, the word translates to mean simply “training” – from dresser, to train.
That is within the reach of every rider, and every equine. So go for it, Christie and Wallace. Next stop – top hat and tails!