BRIDPORT: Horse breeder Samantha Mowatt from Bridport has won top honours for her yearling filly.

The yearling filly, Dream The Way Back, owned and bred by Samantha, was judged to be an endurance star of the future after being awarded a higher first premium at a British Equestrian Federation (BEF) Futurity grading event at Bicton Arena in Devon.

Dream The Way Back attained the highest score awarded to a potential endurance horse.

A higher first premium indicates that the horse has the potential and outlook to perform at the top level of the sport – even up to Olympic standard.

The BEF Futurity Evaluation series aims to identify British bred young potential sport horses and ponies destined for careers in dressage, eventing, showjumping or endurance.

Samantha said: “I am delighted with Dream The Way Back.

“She was a bit short of preparation for the day but she behaved brilliantly.”

Dream The Way Back’s dam, Flying Dream is owned by Carol Legg who herself trains Arab racehorses. Samantha added: “I put Flying Dream to my own stallion, On The Way Back and Dream The Way Back is the first foal for either of her parents. We will possibly race Dream The Way Back although I plan to mainly compete her in endurance rides. “This was the first time I had been to the Futurity and we found everyone very friendly and the comments from the evaluators were good. “It was also useful to get Dream The Way Back out in public.”

Samantha’s stallion On The Way Back competed in both endurance rides and Arab racing.

He won an 80k endurance ride and came third twice in the Arab Marathon.

Head of equine development at the BEF, Jan Rogers said: “The Futurity is now in its ninth year and over this time we have seen it develop to provide real support to British breeders to help achieve their aims.

“Through their carefully planned breeding decisions, year on year we are seeing an improvement in the horses presented at the Futurity for evaluation.”

The BEF Futurity started in 2005 with 100 young horses to be evaluated and will see more than 800 competing in 2014.