Equestrian Life May 2018 Issue

Reader Profile
East Yorkshire’s Verity Franks -
BORN TO RIDE!
Verity started her riding career at
an East Yorkshire riding school at
just four years old but didn’t get
her own pony until she was 14
following a dual effort with her Mum to work
and save up for Cinders, a 12 year old, grey,
Irish Sports Horse Mare.
On leaving school, Verity knew where her
career was destined and trained at Bishop
Burton College as a BHS Assistant Instructor
and achieved Intermediate Instructor status
shortly after.
After working with, and gaining valuable
experience from professional equestrians
for a few years Verity then set up her own
competition and stud yard at Flamborough,
East Yorkshire. Today, Verity produces her
own homebred youngsters and also takes in
client horses for producing. Verity is a wellknown
and respected horsewoman within
the equestrian world. Her patience, skill and
talent are testament to how horses learn trust
and confidence through their varied training
programme and always want to give their
best for her.
THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
Verity’s top horse is a 12 year old gelding
called Classical Challenger, bred by her
stallion Thornwick Challenger. Classical
Challenger has recently moved up to Inter 1
level and he has the potential to compete at
Grand Prix, dressage’s highest level. Verity
and Classical Challenger are sponsored by
The Saddle Selector Ltd and benefit from
a saddle for Classical Challenger and The
Saddle Selector’s own innovative Rehab Pads.
Verity is also sponsored by Nikki Moxon
Equestrian who supplied her beautiful Konig
Patent Leather riding boots.
Verity’s 2018 successes include qualification
of two of her homebred horses for the British
Dressage National Winter Championships.
Nine year old Flayne Dragon Slayor won the
title in the Elementary Freestyle to Music
at Bishop Burton College British Dressage
Regional Winter Championships, while 6
year old Daiquiris Jiggery Pokery won the
Pet Plan Novice Championship at Manor
Grange Stud. Both horses are by Verity’s
other prolific stallion Flayne Don Daquiri
(Dax). Dax, a stunning liver chestnut, by Don
Gregory, a son of Donnerhall out of Moet
Bewes, Atlantis/Mohican lines. He competed
successfully up to Prix Saint George level
before retiring to stud.
Verity also witnessed further successes at
this years’ Bishop Burton College Winter
Championships with two more Dax offspring,
bred by Tory Carr, also taking regional
championship titles at Bishop Burton: the
prelim winner, 6 year old Dora The Explorer,
owned and ridden by Pippa Beckett-Atkins;
and the novice silver winner, 7 year old
Delilah Rose ridden by Jess Ziae and owned
by Tory Carr.
It’s a huge achievement for an owner/
breeder/rider to compete at national
level on offspring from her own stallion
and next week will be a momentous time
for Verity having the above four horses
competing alongside the best in the country
at the British Dressage Winter National
Championships.
52 May 2018 Equestrian Life