Biography
I was 30 something and in "the Shires" when I began riding seriously through hunting, team chasing and hunter trials. I had my first introduction to breeding at this time when, interested in the theory behind thoroughbred breeding and "black type", I decided to breed racehorses. This was crazy and unlikely but we bred six money winners from eleven foals including Pink Gin who won £56,000, ran in the Grand National and convinced me about line breeding with top dam lines.
I was a brave and risky rider and so I came to dressage under duress, because of the demands of my full time career as a Headhunter. With limited funds, I needed a better and more "suitable-for-me" dressage horse than my 17.2hh Irish Draught cross ex-teamchaser. This began my journey into warmblood breeding and dressage training.
For twenty years, funded by my day job, Headhunting in Formula 1 and the automotive industry, and courtesy of my family, I have used German mares to breed top competition horses. We produce our horses from foals to ridden but have also learned that you cannot know the quality of what you have bred without access to the best training and riding. We have bred over 200 foals.
The last few years have been incredible with great support for our horses from Carl Hester and the wonderful Eilberg family. Woodlander horses are performing at every level, and I am also learning to be an "Owner". The 2009 season came to a thrilling climax with Woodlander Rockstar and Woodlander Dornroeschen (Rocky and Rosie, under Maria Eilberg and Michael Eilberg respectively) winning titles at the National Dressage Championships.
2010 got off to an exciting start with Rockstar and Rosie sharing the spoils in all their classes at the Sunshine Tour in Spain, and Rocky winning at the Winter Championships. Both horses have also started at Small Tour. In addition Rosie's daughter, Farouche, is fulfilling her early promise by winning the Badminton Young Horse Championships, beating all the five year olds in the process, and our lovely young stallion Wavavoom was judged the second best four old.
However, first and foremost I am a breeder and now I am really busy with British Breeding and I work with the BEF Programmes as a participant and evaluator for The Futurity. I Chair the Lead Body for Performance Sports Horse & Pony Breeding and am very excited to have just become a Non Executive Director of the National Equine Database. I work also with the Warmblood Breeders’ Studbook UK and the BHHS.
I have four children, five grandchildren and a Jack Russell and my life is non-stop and packed full. It’s great.