Mount St John Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary with special Open Day

Wed, 06/14/2023 - 19:11
Open House
Emma Blundell with flagship mare Mount St John Freestyle and her embryotransfer foal by Glamourdale

Over the last decade, Mount St John (MSJ) has established itself as one of the leading dressage studs worldwide, with a focus on elite mare quality and embryo transfer from mares actively competing in the sport.

Mount St John Freestyle catapulted the stud into the limelight when she became the follow up lead ride for Charlotte Dujardin after her world record holding stint with her former ride Valegro. Together, Freestyle and Dujardin achieved numerous British National titles from 6 year old Championships to Grand Prix, as well as representing Team GB, becoming the 2018 Bronze individual medallists at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon, at only 9 years old.

Celebrating Ten Years of Success

Alongside the flagship mount, the MSJ brand has had a number of other notable successes which includes;

  • 2016 when the stud claimed 1st-3rd in the 5 year old British finals with Mount St John VIP, MSJ Top Secret and Mount St John Furstin Fugger
  • Amy Woodhead represented MSJ in 2017 at the WBYHC after winning at Bolesworth International with Mount St John Zonetta and went on to win the British Inter 2 National Finals 2021 with Mount St John Fairytale.
  • Whilst Woodhead was pregnant during 2022, Finish rider Stella Hagelstam took over the reins of Fairytale mid season and quickly qualified for the WEG 2022 and became the Finnish Grand Prix National Champions of the same season.
  • In 2019, Mount St John Valencia claimed victory at the Future Elite Championship at Horse Of the Year Show with +78% and competed very successfully up to Inter II before being sold as a Paris 2024 hopeful
  • Mount St John VIP together with Charlotte won 8 British National titles from 5 year old to Inter I.  One of VIP’s older offspring, MSJ For VIP’s, ranked as the most highly scoring 5 year old in USA dressage in 2022 under rider Rebecca Rigdon of California.
  • MSJ Viva Dannebrog became the British 4 year old National Championship, and has recently won the Wellington International 5 year old World Breeding Selection trial. Viva is the offspring of former WEG 2018 ride for British Para rider Natasha Baker OBE, who leased the mare Mount St John Diva Dannebrog from MSJ, and within only a few months together became the individual Silver medalists and leading FEI world ranking for their para division.
  • This year, MSJ Top Secret has come of age and become the studs first homebred to compete at Grand Prix, where she scored 73.6% on her debut with British rider Alexander Harrison, finishing in 3rd place at Somerford Park Premier League, behind Carl Hester with his two current horses campaigning for the British Team selection.
Mare Power

Holly Woodhead on MSJ Viva Dannebrog
Uniquely from other traditional mare breeding farms, all the MSJ mares actively competing in sport are also simultaneously used in the MSJ breeding program via the modern reproductive technology of embryo transfer (ET).  The stud has run their own ET centre at the beautiful Yorkshire base for the duration of the business, growing to producing 50 foals this season.  This total includes a large proportion of ET foals as well as traditional broodmares carrying their own pregnancies. 

The stud is renowned for their top damlines and have acquired over the last decade a world class broodmare line up which includes the only full sister to Totilas, as well as full sisters to top sport horses Vivaldi, Desperados FRH, Desperado KWPN, Cosmo, Rose of Bavaria, and close relatives to Dream Boy, Toto Jr, Johnson, Capri Sonne Jr, Furstenball, Jameson, Cennin, Don Schufro, Atterupgaards Orthilia and Victoria’s Secret.

Open Day on 1 July 2023

Mount St. John foal crop of 2023
MSJ is now celebrating its 10 year anniversary at their annual Open Day to be held on Saturday 1st July 2023 in Yorkshire, UK, along with their team, supporters and clients of the last decade.  The 2023 crop of foals are a stellar group, with highlights including:

  • MSJ Glamourstyle, the Glamourdale from Freestyle
  • MSJ Skillz, a Skyline to B from Jillz
  • MSJ Kaseko Musik, by Kjento from MSJ Swing Musik

As well as a parade of this year’s stunning foals, attendees will also be treated to a ridden demonstration of the sensational Mount St John Freestyle, in addition to other ridden Mount St John bred horses.

To secure your ticket for the event follow the link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk