Biography
My Mother swears that I was born wanting to ride horses! I came from a completely non horsey background although badgered my parents until they bought me a pony directly off the New Forest! She was called Silverlea Golden Bubble, a dun 13.2 hh pony who spent 2 years bolting with me everywhere, including across main roads!
Finally having tamed her exuberance we won the Owner Rider Working Hunter Pony Championship at the New Forest Show, the Trophy is still in my lounge......well it would be, it nearly cost me my life!! Bubbles led on to a few show ponies and the start of my breeding interest, as I breed from a 14.2hh show pony I had. I also bought a foal from Burley market with my pocket money for the grand sum of £28!
Then my professional career in technology started and I sold all of the horses although within a year I was hankering for another horse, so I saved up money and bought Solo Venture named because I did it all on my own. I evented and jumped her until I had a car accident and had to take a year off so she went to Catherston Stud. There my love of dressage started. I had 2 home breds by Catherston Dazzler, one of which I took to PSG level before selling it as an eventer.
I met my husband whilst working for the Foreign Office as a computer consultant, travelling all over the world. I just had the 2 youngsters at this time which was just as well as I was away more than I was at home. John was an amazing support and really pushed me to become the best that I could be. He was the one who suggested I give up work and concentrate on a dressage career. I realise how fortunate I am everyday to have met such a person. We found our home in Chalfont St Giles and set about buying and selling some youngsters and running a livery and training yard always with the plan that I would aim for the Olympics.
How stupid we were and how little we know then! Years passed and with "the plan" in mind John forced me into buying Royal Star, which was really to avoid the blind leading the blind! I already had a few horses that I had trained to PSG but that next step was a biggy. Royal Star set about putting me in my place and teaching me absolute and utter respect. He did not suffer fools gladly and clearly I was a fool to him. But as it turned out, if it were not for him, I would not have been able to work out the character that is Walero!
Tragedy brought Fiona James as my business partner into my life. The loss of three horses in a ten week period made us put our heads together with John and hatch a plan. To produce train and compete horses with the horses’ welfare as paramount and using a ‘soft’ way of training. That plan was called Active Equestrian and off we set travelling the world looking for a flagship horse. Walero was not an instant success and had only done one short training Grand Prix with Norbert Van Laak, but when I sat on him for the first time he was lazy slow and so strong! He is not your archetypal conformation for a Grand Prix horse and was timid and needed to be made to feel a bit macho.
We set about giving him confidence which when he got it, he got in bundles! He is still a horse who likes to know what is going to happen next and is the naughtiest to lead in hand as he has a great sense of humour. Our first International was at Norten Hardenburg in Germany (into the lions den!). It was quite a surprise then when we got 69% which at that point I believe was the highest score achieved by a GB rider abroad! Walero and I campaigned tirelessly around Europe and it soon came to be that he had his own fan club in Germany that used to turn out to watch and cheer!
The Europeans was a dream although could have been a nightmare as Walero was so hot! There were many pictures flying around with Walero standing bolt upright! He was so spooked as we first to ride after the break and everyone was returning to their seats. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he got into the arena and relaxed and was with me. Bronze for Great Britain was the first medal in 10 years for Team GB and on home soil!
Athens was a huge disappointment for us. We expected so much and I know now that if I was ever to represent my country again I would do things differently, but that is a whole other story! Now we have a hope for 2012 in Active Leo Fritz. In addition, I am now breeding between five and seven foals every year (I am a great midwife) and some are exceptional and exciting youngsters and I have high hopes for taking some of them to Grand Prix.