T HERE will always be people who have a love for spotted horses, and Katrina Brent is one of them.

Her bubbly personality is expressed through the colour of her horse – a leopard spot Knabstrupper colt who she describes as a "Warmblood wrapped in leopard's clothing" – for those who don't know the breed. But not all Knabstrupper's are spotted and they vary in type. They range from completely white to varying spotted patterns and roaning to solid colour and are bred to four standards (Sports Horse; Classical Horse; Pony and Miniature).

Katrina's love affair with spotteds started three years ago but a serious riding accident where she broke her spine put pay to any more riding.

"If I couldn't ride again I knew I'd had to breed," says Katrina from her Altarnun home, near Bodmin.

"The colt I had was gorgeous but I wanted a purebred to start my breeding programme. It's been a fascinating journey of research as I'm totally absorbed with the spots and you have to be careful what you want to breed with to produce the colour you want."

Her foundation colt comes in the shape of Amadeus Nørmark (Maddy) by Ravaldi from Hangaard Stud in Denmark.

"I was fortunate that I knew someone who breeds Knabstruppers in Scotland and she was visiting Denmark at the time and was able to go and see him," explains Katrina who was tied to home due to her injury. "I literally spent the summer of 2007 hunting around on the Internet, with a friend who is a breed expert. Maddy had just the right breeding combined with Oldenburg lines and the loveliest head – as soon as my friend gave me the nod after viewing him I ended up buying him on the Internet through the breeder."

One year later Katrina took her yearling colt to the UK Southern Grading held by the newly formed Knabstrupper Society GB (KSGB) at Centyfield Stud in Honiton, Devon. Knabstrupper gradings have been held annually in the UK since 2005 but earlier this year the KNN (Danish mother studbook) approved the KSGB as a daughter society.

A total of four expert judges were flown in from the KNN to assess the horses presented and grade stallions and mares for breeding approval. Maddy won best yearling colt and best yearling before achieving the "extremely rare" feat for a youngster, of winning Best Horse in Show against 24 entries from across the country.

He got 8's across the board for all judging categories, which gained him an overall mark of 8 and a first premium.

"It was all a bit surreal really. The standard of Knabstruppers is increasing all the time and I was absolutely gobsmacked to take the title. We were up against some really good stuff."

Katrina adds: "The judges were bowled over by his correctness and paces, they said that to be this good as a yearling they felt he would surely go on to become something very special in the future – he has grown on really well which I put down to the good Cornish grass."

But not all has been rosy for the spotted colt.

"Prejudice is still immense against spotted horses in the showing world and there are few classes to show them in but you have to try otherwise people will never recognise them.

"I entered a youngstock class at a show near Plymouth and the judge didn't even ask me the age or breed of my horse and when he was trotted up she didn't even bother to watch – I honestly think she believed that his brand meant he came from the moor!"

The Knabstruppers are already making their mark in the dressage arena with Anne Cathrin Lubbe, two times Paralympics winner on her white few spot stallion, Zanko.

"He's a classic bred Knabstrupper but it's not just dressage they are doing well at. They make great riding horses – go to any sale and you'll see spotted horses commanding the highest prices. Teenagers love them as they see them as bling. What is so lovely about them is that no two Knabstruppers are the same, plus they are renowned for their trainability and good temperament – they are still used in the circus today."

Katrina adds: "I think they will take off in this country it's just that people don't realise they are out there, Knabstruppers are often mistaken for Appaloosa's, the Appaloosa is an American breed and not a colour and the Knabstrupper is a rare Danish breed. We have studs in the UK already breeding top quality Knabstruppers, while also outcrossing them to top Warmblood performance stallions such as De Niro. They are as good as any Warmblood but with the benefit of colour – people tend to think these horses are bred for their colour but this is definitely not the case, Knabstruppers have very strict breed registration and grading requirements, the colour is just the icing on the cake."

Temperament was paramount for Katrina because of her accident and the Knabstrupper fits in perfectly. "Maddy takes everything in his stride. Even my husband loves him and trains him and he's not horsey."

The KSGB has formed a new membership package for the UK which includes a performance scheme aimed at every owner and breeder. The society is keen to sponsor new classes across the country for 2009 aimed at Knabstrupper owners either full or part bred. Show organisers interested should e-mail Katrina at EnglandPerformance@knabstruppersociety.org.uk