Retired Gold Cup racehorse starts new career

People travel for miles to see Native River perform

A retired racehorse and Gold Cup winner could soon claim a new title.

Fans travel from miles around to see Native River perform in his new career of dressage - and he has now secured a place in The Horse of the Year final.

The 14-year-old horse will travel from his home in Taunton to Birmingham this October to compete. Owners, Anne and Garth Broom, said he is the perfect age to pursue a new challenge, and qualified for the show on his first attempt.

"It's been like a dream - we could never imagine all the places he's taken us to and the races he's won," Mrs Broom said.

Six years on from his Gold Cup win, his owners said it was the way Native River moved that made them think he was destined for dressage.

"It's one of the reasons we bought him because he was almost cat-like in his movements, he was so smooth and when he trotted he kind of floated," Mr Broom said.

"To be a super racehorse and then turn out to be nearly as good in his second career - I think it's absolutely wonderful."

Native River will be competing in Horse of the Year final this autumn

Trainer and rider, Emma Vine, said the new direction for the former racehorse "wasn't planned".

She said: "I just started hacking him out and realised what potential he had just trotting along the road.

"He moved so well that I just started gently schooling him and he's just come on amazing - every time I ride him he improves."

Native River unusually qualified for The Horse of the Year show at his first attempt.

"It was really special," she said. "People travel miles to see him - that's almost more important than the winning - people seeing such an incredible animal having a second career and doing so well."

Horse trainer Emma Vine said that "people travel miles" to see Native River