A HORSE and rider training in Chobham are competing in a European dressage championship.

Tania Grantham is riding Igloo for Team GB at the MCI event, which is for Spanish and Portuguese horses, in Opglabbeek, north-east Belgium from today until Sunday.

Tania has been training up to six days a week at Lovelands Farm in Lovelands Lane, where Igloo lives after being bought by Michelle van Meurs about five years ago.

Michelle has owned Spanish horses for many years and rode competitively until she had a serious fall shortly after Igloo arrived at her farm.

The accident meant she had to have a knee replaced and so literally handed the reins to Tania, who has been doing dressage for more than 20 years.

“Igloo is very good,” Tania said. “He made his competitive debut in 2019 on the British dressage circuit and we went to the MCI European championships in Paris that year at a lower level.

“During COVID, we were quietly training and later competed on the national circuit, and he’s been to the British dressage nationals a couple of times.

“We’ve now been lucky enough to be selected for the European championships.

Tania said she was excited to be going to the event.

“It’s always an incredibly fun, social show and it’s great to be going with a team. You’ve got so many people cheering you on and supporting each other, it’s really lovely,” she said.

Michelle said Igloo, whose competition name is Seni Ilustrisimo III, has performed very well against horses of higher breeding.

“I sometimes say to myself ‘oh my goodness, what are we doing here?’, when I see million-pound horses competing with wonderful movements and then along comes my beautiful boy and he holds his own,” she said.

Michelle said Igloo is typical of Spanish horses in being very sensitive but sensible.

“They are wonderful to work with and they try their utmost for you. They will keep going until they can’t go anymore. They are very kind horses and very easy to train.

“He’s a great horse with a wonderful personality. He’s a delight and easy to handle. When you take him to a show you don’t have to worry about anything,” she said.