International Judge, here I come!!
This has been a life long ambition that brings it round full circle for me.
Trotting up my horse “Countryman” in front of the 3 colonels at Windsor Intermediate ** back in the 80s aged just 14yo, was when I first became truly inspired by International Judges.
I ended up finishing on my dressage score and becoming longlisted for the GB team alongside William Fox-Pitt and Tina Cook. The feeling of achievement was incredible and so began the many Junior training clinics with GB trainer Gill Watson in Oxfordshire with a selected few that were earmarked to represent their country.
The 3 colonels were the selectors. They called the shots and we jumped to their tune. I can remember as clear as day the time that I was asked to trot up a second time after the cross country as Chippy put a few unlevel steps in. My heart was in my mouth as we were ‘held’ for a good 30 mins before we trotted up again. Thankfully he glided majestically the second time round as my mother told me to run a bit faster!!
Nothing was more exciting or meant more to me than eventing and reaching the very top of the sport for the next 5 years. The goal of every year on each of the 4 – 6 horses I rode competitively was a 3 Day Event, whether it be Tweseldown for novices, Osberton for Intermediates or Blenheim or Bramham for the newly Advanced horses.
These events at the time defined who I was. This was what I did and what inspired me beyond words. The boil on my bum from schooling so often on so many horses was insignificant to the satisfaction of progressing and achieving greater things on eventers!!
So at the time of my accident in 1990 on October 14th at 3.30pm at Weston Park Advanced on Major and the Hon Mrs Allhusen’s mare Lyryic V, my world as I knew it ended abruptly. The rotational fall rendered me unconscious for 8 days and my day to day life was transformed. It was to be a very very hard decade for me personally afterwards.
30 years on however, I find myself with the lovely Jayne, 5 kids and a thriving business that is fast changing the way people supplement their horses, ponies and dogs. Also as a list 4 judge, with part of my upgrade to list 3 completed too.
So this course in Lignieres in October signifies the start of what will hopefully become an exciting, enjoyable and challenging decade or 2, going in a round circle back to what made me tick as a teenager.
Spinning plates is what life is all about, and it takes a great team to keep them spinning when new plates get spun. We have an AWESOME team back at HQ that not only keep them spinning, but spin them faster and better than before.
So all in all ….. I’m EXCITED!!
