Samantha Thurman-Baker in Style on her International Pathway

Shows

Young Guns in Dressage

British junior rider Samantha Thurman-Baker and her bay gelding Spring Pascal were the only British combination to make it to the Kur to Music finals at the 2010 European Junior Riders Championships at Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff's Schafhof in Kronberg, Germany. The 17-year old rider not only excelled with her constant level of performance, but also with the pure harmony she achieved on her delightful horse.

Thurman-Baker rode extremely consistently in Kronberg and surprised friend and foe by being so resilient to pressure and keeping a calm and collected posture and contact with the bit. She finished 12th place in the team test (68.270%), 12th in the individual (68.421%) and 15th in the freestyle (68.815%) as highest scoring British rider.

"The Europeans were an amazing experience," Thurman-Baker told Eurodressage. "It was such a wonderful atmosphere and I was so pleased with Spring Pascal. He can get a bit hot in large atmospheres, but he stayed calm so I was so proud of him."

Home at Turville Valley Stud

Thurman-Baker's beautiful riding style inspired Eurodressage to look into the young lady's background. The 17-year old pale skinned young woman lives at Turville Valley Stud in Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom. Her family's equestrian facility is run by her mother Diane and the training there is influenced by traditional Portuguese Classical riding methods adapted to suit today’s competition horse. Young "Sam" combines her riding career with studies in biology, chemistry, English literature and ancient history at Henley College.

Samantha and Diane discovered a very inexperienced and peculiarly bred Spring Pascal as a 5-year old at Northcliff Stud in Wales. Spring Pascal is by the deceased Hanoverian licensed Pascal (by Pik Bube I x Duft x Der Löwe xx) out of Springtime Girl (by Penrhyn Gladiator), a Cleveland Bay mare who was the husband's hunting mare.

"When we got Spring Pascal as a just broken 5-year old he could only really do walk, trot and canter. He had been turned down for the PSI sales at Addington not long before and they had said he would never be a dressage horse," Thurman-Baker told Eurodressage. "Now he is competing at the highest level of all their horses."

Samantha reminisced that Spring Pascal was a sensitive youngster but with a positive attitude. "When we got him he was very sharp and worried about whips, but he has always been willing to learn and loves to work. Once he understood what I wanted he would try his best, but before that he tended to get very stressed."

Samantha and Diana have trained the powerful gelding up to small tour level with the occasional help from others. "Between us we have trained Spring Pascal from the beginning," said Sam. "However I have had lessons with Roland Tong and whilst at the Europeans Nicola McGivern helped warm me up."

Stepping Up to Grand Prix

The sensitive gelding is gifted for collection so much more lies on their international pathway. Most people of Samantha's age ride experienced schoolmasters, but she and Pascal progressed together from novice to FEI level with their eyes fixed firmly on a Grand Prix partnership.

"We are still working on his tendency to become too tense, but he is getting a lot better and finds most of the movements easy. I have competed him up to Inter I and am hoping to take him up to Grand Prix," Samantha admitted.

Next year Thurman-Baker aims for another European Championships though she is unsure whether she'll ride him at junior or young riders level. The 17-year old has already qualified Spring Pascal for Prix St Georges at the 2010 British National Dressage Championships at Stoneleigh in September.

"I am also hoping to try doing a few Intermediaire II classes," the eager Samantha confessed. "I have been doing quite well in small tour at the premier leagues this year and would like to step up again."