Former British Team Horse Hawtins Delicato Sold to Ireland

Dressage

Ireland

Carl Hester's former British team horse, Hawtins' Delicato, has been sold to Ireland. The British based Irish Grand Prix rider Fenalla Quinn has purchased him as a schoolmaster.

Hawtins' Delicato is a 14-year old British bred Hanoverian gelding by Diamond Hit out of Ravenna Elite (by Regazzoni). He is bred by Judith Davis

British Team Medalist

Hawtins Delicato made his first claim to fame under Charlotte Dujardin, who premiered him on the international stage at the 2017 CDI Hartpury, after winning the National Prix St Georges title in 2016.

In 2018 Carl Hester took over the ride and got selected for the British team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, where they won team bronze and finished 9th in the Special.

Carl and Delicato returned on Team GB for the 2019 European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam, where they were fourth with the team, 9th in the Special and 14th in the freestyle. Hester last competed Delicato at the 2019 CDI-W London, where they were second in the Kur to Music.

Fiona Bigwood

Delicato was quietly offered for sale since 2019 and rumours were already running rife that he sold in the summer/autumn of 2020. However at the time Hester told Eurodressage they were "just rumours."

The syndicate of owners - Carl Hester, Ann Cory, Ben Neal and Lady Anne Evans - did sell Delicato to British Olympian Fiona Bigwood who was looking for a 2021 Tokyo Olympic ride and a horse to continue at top levelwith.

The new pair made its show debut at the local show at Hunters Equestrian on 7 April 2021 and scored 69.90% for a second place. Their international show debut was a month later at the 2021 CDI Wellington Heckfield where they posted 71.848%. They continued at the CDI's in Compiegne, Hartpury, Sint-Truiden, Zandhoven and Aachen that year but their results were not high enough to put them on the highly competitive British team for Tokyo.

In 2022 Bigwood experienced some challenges in her communication with Delicato and their GP scores were around 68% at CDI's in Keysoe, Sint-Truiden, and Wellington Heckfield. In Compiegne they had to retire. The CDI in Wellington Heckfield in June 2022 was their last competition as a pair.

Fenella Quinn

Bigwood has now sold Delicato as an experienced schoolmaster to 28-year old Irish Fenella Quinn-Ross, who is based in Aberdeen in the North East of Scotland.

"It is very exciting," a thrilled Fenella told Eurodressage. "We will just get to know each other and see how we get on!" She added that the goal is to gain more mileage at Grand Prix level. "The aim initially is just to get to know each other at Grand Prix and we’ll take it from there."

Quinn has been riding since childhood and made her international show debut in 2019 at small tour level aboard Creatzo (by Johnson x Obelisk). In 2022 she moved him up to international Grand Prix level, while Empire B (by Sting x OO Seven) was shown at international small tour level and national Inter II level.