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‘I miss him deeply – and look forward to having him with me again’: Annabella Pidgley shares Gio update

Becky Murray Becky Murray

    • Young dressage rider Annabella Pidgley has shared an update on her European medallist Gio, aka Pumpkin, who has not been out competing since last summer.

    Annabella, 20, and the 14-year-old Apache gelding’s most recent outing together was at the young rider and U25 Europeans at St Margarethen, Austria, in July 2024. They were part of the under-25 team that came fourth, and won individual gold in the freestyle and silver in the grand prix.

    On Sunday (8 June) Annabella, who is now based in Denmark, said she had been back in the UK, where Pumpkin remains.

    “So happy to steal a ride on my main boy while I am home for a few days. Many people have been asking if Pumpkin is okay and he is doing super well,” she said.

    “I always try to put him first; making the move to Denmark was a huge change for me, and I wanted to be sure everything was in place before bringing this special boy over. Since I’d already planned to focus on Vamos [Amigos] for this season, there was no rush to travel Pumpkin over.”

    Annabella added that Pumpkin has “been in the best hands at home surrounded by people who love and care for him, which gives me real peace of mind”.

    “That said, I miss him deeply – and I’m so looking forward to having him with me again after this busy summer of competitions,” she said.

    Annabella and Vamos Amigos enjoyed a double win on their last outing, the Aalborg CDIU25, Denmark, where they topped the grand prix and the freestyle.

    This month Annabella said her record-breaking six-time championship medallist Espe had been sold to Australia to be campaigned by 14-year-old Abby Weel.

    Annabella said the time had come to find the 11-year-old mare “a new home and to teach another young girl with big dreams just how she did with me”.

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    Becky Murray
    Becky Murray

    H&H senior news writer
    Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
    Becky Murray

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