About Me!
About Me....
Bumble and Me age 4 in the newspapers
Well ever since I can remember we have always had horses, the earliest memories for me started with a stubborn shetland that I regularly tried to get to go somewhere or other and was promptly carted back to where she wanted to be! She did however put my name in the papers when I was just 4 showing at county level.
I had a few 12hh ponies after Bumble, who I also carried on with showing up to county level winning numerous lead rein, first ridden and show pony classes. I also did local shows and gymkhanas. Gymkhana was the next thing to catch my eye after winning a couple of local ones I quite liked the idea!
I had a few 12hh ponies after Bumble, who I also carried on with showing up to county level winning numerous lead rein, first ridden and show pony classes. I also did local shows and gymkhanas. Gymkhana was the next thing to catch my eye after winning a couple of local ones I quite liked the idea!
Games Years.......
Zarek at MGA World Individaul Semi-Finals
So I transferred from Puckeridge Hunt Western over to East Hertfordshire Pony Club to compete in PPC (the games team) I competed on my show ponies at first in the novice teams, then as I moved onto Juniors I got my first games pony Strawberry when I was about 7, She was very quick and you couldn't do much with her on the way back! But she took me to the PC Junior Championships with the Junior team where we finished 4th and gave me a taste for speed! Then Before I turned 8 we brought Zarek who took me right through junior and senior PPC teams and Mini and Junior MGA. He qualified for the world individual semi finals where we finished 8th a long while ago! He also piloted me round area ODE's for East Hertfordshire and numerous ODE's at speed! Propably why I became quite hooked on xc even with no brakes! At around 12/13 I gave up MGA and just competed with our PPC team and competed in the odd competition until I was about 16/17.
PC/Showing/SJ and a bit of XC!...
Noel at Ely Intermediate Hunter Trial 2004
The next two main ponies in my career in amongst many others were Cheers and Noel both from Ada Cole Rescue Stables. Cheers was from a showing background with his grandmother being Holly of spring. He was a very flighty pony and hated xc! He probably was the one who turned me more into wanting to jump and xc as he preferred not to do much really! He competed in SJ and dressage mainly and taught me how to ride! A nasty accident meant he had to be re homed as we were never going to get on together again. Noel then became my main pony who is still with me! He is a superstar and after a winter of not getting over a fence he soon redeemed himself in 2003 coming 3rd at Chiltern and Thames Style and Performance Championships and winning Overall Champion at Ada Cole Rescue Stables Open Show, He also taught me to ride and I jumped around numerous Intermediate and Open hunter trails on him, I was desperate to event him but because he was so inconsistent xc mum made me wait!
Secret & The progress into eventing.....
Secret Dream aged 5, first XC at
Area Tetrathlon
We were slowly looking for a horse that had done a bit to take me into eventing when I saw an advert on horse quest, 4yo unbroken black mare, absolutely stunning! Well we took a trip to Derbyshire to see a very scatty TB who was skin and bones and awful conformation but had the kindest eye and after much persuasion dad allowed me and mum to buy her for £1750. So home she came this unbroken scatty 4yo! I broke her in and brought her on slowly, then at 5yo Noel had bone spavin and was turned away for 2/3years just as we were coming up to the area tetrathlon! So out came secret, still a very green baby! Her first xc around the novice girls tetrathlon course, none of us believed it when she went clear to take me to the championships in 2004! She went clear again and mum finally agreed to let us go BE! So that's how it all began!
Secret has taken me from pony club novice area competitions to open level pony club and Intermediate/CIC* BE and who knows how much further we will go, but for now I am concentrating on bringing her and novice horses up through the grades to one day be at 4* level.
Secret has taken me from pony club novice area competitions to open level pony club and Intermediate/CIC* BE and who knows how much further we will go, but for now I am concentrating on bringing her and novice horses up through the grades to one day be at 4* level.
College & Work....
Secret Dream & Me
A little bit about the education! So ...I also attended Shuttleworth College to do my National Diploma in Horse Management where I came out with DDM final grades. I through this time did work experience with Nick Turner and worked for Eddy Stibbe Part Time, after leaving college I worked for 6 months with Sarah Bullimore before coming home to set up my own yard and work freelance from home and part time at a Private Yard nearby. I have just started to gain more rides from owners and am looking forward to 2012!