Horse bred at ARU Writtle is now a true 'legend'
Lordships Graffalo leaps into the history books with Burghley Horse Trials win
A young Lordships Graffalo at Writtle
A horse bred at ARU Writtle has achieved legendary status after completing an unprecedented double-double at the weekend.
Lordships Graffalo and rider Ros Canter entered the history books after winning the prestigious Burghley Horse Trials on Sunday for the second year running.
Earlier this year, the pair also won their second Badminton title, meaning Lordships Graffalo is the only horse to have won both of the UK’s blue riband horse trials on two occasions.
"I am so grateful to Lordships Graffalo for some unbelievable experiences. He is my horse of a lifetime and hopefully the horse of a lot of people's lifetimes.
"I hope he goes down as a legend of our sport, a legend of all time, not only for his performances but for his character as well. He's an unbelievable horse to have at home and he thrives on these occasions."
Ros Canter, speaking after their success at BurghleyLordships Graffalo’s early life was spent at ARU Writtle, near Chelmsford, which is part of Anglia Ruskin University and is one of the UK’s leading centres for equine education and performance.
Last year the 13-year-old bay gelding, also known as Walter, helped Team GB win Olympic Gold at the Paris Olympics, which followed on from his success at the European Eventing Championships in 2023.
“Walter is now widely considered the best horse ever in eventing, beyond some incredibly legendary names, so this latest success really is almost beyond belief. He truly is a legend of the equine world and he was born right here in Essex.
“A huge congratulations to Ros as well as to his owners Michelle and Archie Saul, his co-breeder Pennie Wallace, who is a former member of staff here at Writtle, and Ken Rehill of Stallion AI, who helped us with providing the stallion cover when we bred the mare Cornish Queen.”
Caroline Flanagan, Head of the School of Agriculture, Animal and Environmental Sciences at ARU WrittleAs well as offering courses at college, undergraduate and postgraduate level, ARU Writtle has a number of indoor and outdoor riding arenas, an Equine Academy for talented riders and livery facilities for students’ horses, with around 70 horses on campus at any one time.