I have owned Morris (Dutch Warmblood x TB) for just under nine years and I think it’s safe to say he’s the love of my life. He is now 13-years-old and together we have progressed from BE90 to CIC2*, with plenty of highs and lows along the way. I bought him from the lovely Anna Beck (a showjumper based in Hampshire) in 2007 and haven’t looked back since. Over the years we’ve been to a few trainers and because he’s a quirky chap with his own ‘style’, he isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Having been told he was “stupid”, “ignorant” and “unlikely to make an eventer” by three separate instructors we’ve finally settled with Bruce Haskell, who knows exactly how to make us work hard! So, the moral of the story is, if you believe in a horse keep persevering… you never know where you might end up!

Rudi (Supporter Z) has been in our family for nearly 10 years and belongs to my sister, Jesse Dane. As Jesse is now living in Australia, I get to play the role of ‘fun Auntie Ali‘! He’s had a few injuries over the years, but he absolutely loves competing, so keeping him sound and happy is paramount. He does a handful of carefully selected events each year, but 2016 will see him concentrating mainly on arena-based eventing. Although on paper he’s the ultimate allrounder, he likes to keep us on our toes… if you’re a fraction in front of the movement upon landing after a fence he’ll gladly demonstrate his patented ‘land-drop-shoulder-buck-spin-gallop’ routine!

Ambra Paterno-Castello’s Legs (also known as Miss Sandro) is by Sandro Hit, 17.1hh, jet black and a dressage diva through and through. She’s fully qualified for the British Dressage winter regionals at Novice and Elementary, which, considering where she was a year ago, is an incredible achievement; she is now regularly scoring 70%+. I owe much of our success to our wonderful trainer, Adam Kemp, who has been amazingly supportive. 2016 will see us making our Medium debut, as well as trying our hand at some freestyle tests.

Four-year-old Sandrina is the latest addition to my yard. She’s quite a character and won’t be the easiest to produce, but she’s talented, so I do think she’s worth persevering with. Sandrina (Hurston’s Golden Sands) is by Diamo Gold (Dimaggio), out of a Sandro Hit mare. She’s just been having fun this year, interspersed with holidays to keep her interested and to make sure that her brain is in the right place for the beginning of her British Dressage career in 2016!

Keep up to date with what Ali Dane and her team have been up to in their latest brand ambassador blogs.