Dressage rider Katherine Bateson-Chandler will soon debut a new mount—Grand Prix mare Hexagon’s Wellnetta.
Longtime friend and owner Jane Forbes Clark purchased Hexagon’s Wellnetta for Bateson-Chandler to ride, with an eye on the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (France). The 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Labo—Ruby’s Sonetta, Rubiquil) was formerly competed—with scores as high as 75.20 percent at Grand Prix—by Dutch rider Laurens van Lieren.
Bateson-Chandler is a native of Great Britain but rides for the United States and is usually based in Florida. She’s spending the summer training overseas with Carl Hester. After seeing a video of “Wellnetta”, Bateson-Chandler decided to try her.
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“I was actually trying to avoid mares and stallions, but she has been so consistent as a competition horse. She has a fabulous temperament and years ago I knew her sire very well,” she said. “Wellnetta has lovely training and is very sensitive, which I love. If all is going well I would love to compete her a couple of times in Europe before we go back to Florida in the late fall. She’s only 10, so I think she will just get better and better as she matures.”
Clark also owned Bateson-Chandler’s 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (Ky.) partner, Nartan.
“Jane is the most fantastic owner anyone could ever ask for. She’s owned horses for so many years, and she knows everything there is to know about owning top competition horses. She gets that they are not machines and that there are highs and lows in competitive horse sport. She loves her horses more than anything and their needs always come first,” said Bateson-Chandler.