YOUNG RIDERS SCHOLARSHIP 2008

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BRITISH SHOW PONY SOCIETY 2006 AWARDS

SHOW PONY SCHOLARSHIP
Jane Hendy

This 11 year old girl has been riding almost as long as she has been walking.  She became interested in showing at local show and soon progressed onto a little first ridden pony (Shaldon Little Toff), which gave her lots of confidence to compete in this class at BSPS shows and county level.  During her last year in first ridden, mum and dad were wondering where they were going to find a genuine 128cm pony for her. However, whilst Dad was pumping up a mattress for the children to sleep on at Royal Cornwall show, a lady walked past called Jane Hoskins who found the whole situation amusing. She went on to find Bluegate Punchline or Bryan to his friends and Jane has continued to be a great help.  At Royal Cornwall last year, they were 2nd and qualified for the Blue Riband narrowly missing qualifying for the RIHS.  This is only the start and with help from the scholarship, Bryan and Jane are looking forward to a great future.

HERITAGE SCHOLARSHIP
Elliee Stunt

This 11 year old little girl has always been horse mad and has been riding since she could walk. Her first rides were on an arabian stallion as we had nothing suitable for her to ride.

She has always had ponies that were either on loan and have had to be returned as soon as they were ready to compete or had to break and school her own ponies. Despite this she has managed to qualify her fizzy section B mare (broken as a 9 year old) for the BSPS Winter Champs as a SHP and has narrowly missed qualifying her as a Heritage WHP.

Last year she was lucky enough to get some rides for other people due to her guts, determination and being willing to ride the most difficult ponies. She enjoyed this and her highlight was being second in a big RIHS SHP class at the winter champs with joint top marks.

Her sister Aimee rode several lead rein ponies and qualified for the RIHS and HOYS. She trailed around many shows watching her little sister take the lime light (she even worked her pony in for her) and never complained.

Her ambition is to have a career with horses as a rider and producer. More immediately she wants to improve the canter work of her current pony, a Dartmoor Lickfolds Saracen, as her aim is to qualify him for HOYS as a heritage first ridden.

WHP SCHOLARSHIP
Polly West

This 13 year old girl started riding almost before she could walk. Her first pony, Rumpole of the Bailey, a somewhat strange looking Shetland was her gymkhana pony. Being an independent child, on several occasions entered and competed in showing classes whilst her mum was busy in another ring.  Dereham show was one such occasion when mum was competing in a working hunter class when she looked across to another ring and her heart sank when she saw her daughter standing at the end of the line of 45 children in the best ridden class. It was with great surprise when an hour later, she came galloping over to the horsebox waving the biggest trophy and an even bigger grin. That was it, she was hooked.

Later that year she qualified for the BSPS championship in the cradle and nursery stakes and having never been to the championships before was totally unprepared for the size and length of the courses.  Undeterred by her lack of showing experience she managed to complete the course, although her round resembled a Janet Jenkinson cartoon.

Since then, she has gone from strength to strength winning many one day events and whp classes with her pony Cardine Crusader.

Last year she competed at BSPS Summer Championships on her new pony, Mighty Quinn III, who she had only owned for 6 weeks, and managed several placings including a first and reserve champion.

SPECIAL AWARDS
Janet Jenkinson and Ailsa Vines

These are a thank you to 2 people who continue to do so much to enliven the pages of our news review. The first award goes to Janet Jenkinson for her wonderful cartoons which always make us smile.

The second award goes to Ailsa Vines who does a tremendous job as junior editor of the news review as well as coming up with fantastic competitions at both the Summer and Winter championships. She devotes much time and effort to the BSPS and well deserves all our thanks.

PONY PERSONALITY
Nuthurst Snowbird

Nuthurst snowbird, always keen to go
Never sick or sorry, any type of show.
He can be a worker, show hunter or a friend
He carries a side saddle, his skills they know no end.
New jockies always lining up ready to take over
When anyone gets too big its “hey” move over.
When “sootie” leaves a yard its always very hard
Mothers seen in floods of tears wishing back those magic years.
Jockeys all adore him, even when he’s gone
They can still remember, where he’s been and won.
Now another family, have taken on his care
To groom to ride and cherish, this pony with such flair.

Sootie was nominated by all his previous jockeys and all have many great memories of him and their successes together.  Jonathan Speight’s mother Carol remembers his first Disneyworld ride, Emily Giles remembers riding side-saddle around the arena at the RIHS at Hickstead and Elle Kivlochan remembers winning the 133cm shp at Royal Windsor. He is now 17 years old and still going strong with 2 new young jockeys.

EQUINE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
 Guy Fawkes III
Owned by Mrs Pearl Underwood and Ridden by Amy Underwood

Billy, as he is affectionately known at home, has been with this family since the year 2000. His owners were looking for a “foot perfect” intermediate and what an exceptional horse they found.

At fifteen years of age he is retiring from the show ring this year. Billy has had a prolific showing career in both small hunter and intermediate show hunter type classes moving from novices through to open classes.

He is the perfect gentleman in every way, no need for hours of preparation at the shows, you get him off the lorry, tack him up, then straight into the show ring … wouldn’t it be nice if every horse were like this!  At home, Billy has a habit of keeping everything clean and tidy and even washes his stable down after feed time by licking the walls, a bit strange but very funny to watch!

Billy major successes include:-  champion winter restricted intermediate at BSPS winter championships 2001, Ronnie Marmont supreme champion at summer champions 2001, HOYS and rihs open Intermediate champion winter championships 2002, supreme blue riband intermediate 2003 culminating into a finale at the the Horse of the Year show 2006 when he won the intermediate show hunter championship and for the first time ever, the intermediate winners were allowed to compete in the Supreme Horse Championship in the main arena which was fantastic.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Trevaylor Tiger Lily - Alexandra Hollings

This little girl first sat on a horse in the stable at 8 months, she then acquired a quirky little welsh pony before finding her first love – Tonka. At the age of 28, this wonderful pony had her cantering off the lead at five years old and gave her so much confidence that she wanted to show her. So off we trouped to the local riding club for Alex’s first show where she won the “best in-hand show” class and was 3rd in the “best figure of 8 in trot”.

In the 2003 season, she was asked to ride a novice lead rein owned by Liz and Brian Stanleick called Trevaylor Tiger Lily – and thus began a fairytale partnership.

She had a fabulous season winning nearly all of her classes and culminating with championships at the royal, Peterborough and HOYS. After was then out of lead rein but not quite ready to bring out lily as a novice first ridden, so that role fell to Chloe Willett for the 2004 season.

It was always hoped that Alex and Lily would be reunited, and they made their first ridden debut at the 2005 three counties show where they won, took the championship and then the supreme! Again they had a wonderful season from there on and won, among others, the championship at the Royal and the Blue Riband first ridden at Peterborough.

So our final season with Lily dawned, a combination of excitement for the season tinged with a bit of sadness knowing that this would be the last time that they would visit their “lucky” shows.

The two were much more confident in their final year and once again were champions at the Royal before standing reserve supreme (beating mummy on her riding horse!), taking the championship at RIHS and again standing reserve supreme, this time to Chloe Willett. Peterborough yielded 4 wins from 5 classes and so HOYS loomed. We had had such a fabulous time at the BSPS Summer champs that we all felt that come what may they had nothing to prove and if fate was against us then so be it. However Alex and Lily had other ideas and pulled out all the stops to give their absolute best and duly won the class before taking the reserve championship.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Okewood Delightful & Cleantha Kapadia

2006 saw this member of the family take over the ride on her pony nicknamed Twinks from her elder sister but as her birthday was at the end of December it meant she would only have one year.  With plenty of winter practise it soon became apparent to all concerned that this pint sized combination was the start of something special. Her first show of the season was to be royal Windsor where the duo became mini champions.  This was to be the beginning of a wonderful season, champion at staffs county, reserve champion Cheshire County, Champion Bakewell and many more but what makes this combination special was that they won the tricolour winning the lead rein pony at the Royal International Horse Show, Blue Riband mini show pony and overall Blue Riband supreme at BSPS championships and finally winning the lead rein pony of the year and mini champion at the Horse of the Year show.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Rossettas Fairholme Rhapsody & Chloe Willett

In 2005, she qualified ten different ponies for the HOYS and was also supreme champion Ponies UK, BSPS Summer championship and 1st and reserve champion HOYS.

She continued her wonderful success in 2006 when she qualified 11 different ponies for HOYS winning a total of 20 hoys qualifying classes.  On her pony nicknamed “Jasper” she has won a total of 33 classes and championships and six supreme including the Jill Genders Supreme Ridden Northern Horse show, supreme ridden at the RIHS, BSPS Winter championship culminating in winning the Horse of the Year show for the second year running and in 2006 winning the championship as well.

This young lady does all the riding herself and is never happier than when competing and spends all season competing at major shows for her family and other professionals. Her success and achievement was rewarded this year when she won the prestigious showing award at the animal health trust awards at Newmarket, a first for both a member of the BSPS and the youngest.

LONG SERVICE
Pauline Barfield

This lady came from Sussex, an only child from a non horsey background.  Her parents allowed her to go to the local riding school and so began her love of horses and showing.  She was offered rides by local people in return for getting their horses ready for the ring. She hunted regularly with the “East Sussex” but was never fortunate enough to own her own horse or pony. In her early twenties she helped start with Noel de Quincey only the 2nd riding club society in England.  She later got married to Graham and had two children Nicholas and Phillipa and moved to Derbyshire.

As Phillipa grew up she inherited her mothers love of horses, she was soon competing at shows and hunting with the Meynell pony club.  One of the many highlights was Phillipa and Tango being in the winning showjumping team at Hickstead.  Out of all the ponies Phillipa had, Tango was the favourite and remained with her to the end.

Phillipa was soon off to university and so this lady began her judging career. She was chairman of Area 4a for many years and still supports the area in all its events. She achieved one of her ambitions to judge the last HOYS at Wembley which was a great thrill for her. She has judged at most county shows in the country but is also still never too busy to steward.

EQUESTRIAN PERSONALITY
CLARICE WHITEWAY

Our next award is for our equestrian personality who began riding at a very early age. Her best pony was Pixie who was successful in all gymkhana events. She hunted with the Surrey Union and in 1938 took part in a hundred mile ride from marble arch to Bulford camp in Wiltshire.

Having been a member of the pony club throughout her younger days she became a district commissioner and later the visiting commissioner for the south-east region. In the early 1950’s she moved to the Chiddingfold and Leconfield country and hunted with them. At about this time she started to take an interest in show judging, an interest that has lasted to this day.

In 1957 she acquired a horse named young Ronnie that her brother roger trained and rode in point to point, he later progressed to winning hurdle races and was her first winner under rules.
She had a whole string of successful horses but by the late 70’s the show ring attracted most attention and, having inherited her father’s eye for a horse, could pull the scrawniest pony out of a field and turn it into a champion.

Her dedication to her sport knew no bounds and typically she would rise at some ungodly hour to feed the cows and then take the horse-box off to distant shows with her young niece and camp for days in the lorry which by today’s standards meant slumming it.
She has judged abroad on many occasions and continues to retain an interest not only in showing but in point to pointing and racing.

A PERSON WITH A LIFETIMES EXPERIENCE IN SO MANY SECTIONS OF EQUESTRIAN SPORT.

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION
Lizzie Bunn

This lady was born into a very well known equestrian family and was probably put on a pony before she could walk. She was a member of the Southdown West pony club and part of the Prince Philip cup Mounted Games team which competed at the 1978 HOYS finals. After graduating to horses, her main interest was Eventing and she qualified for the pony club championships at Stoneleigh on five consecutive occasions both as an individual and as part of the team. She was short listed for the British junior eventing team but missed out due to injury.  When she was 19 she sold her horse and went to Australia for a year, she saw the light (or was it the boys) and never went back to riding!

On her return to England she began painting show jumps and grandstands on the showground belonging to the infamous Dougie Bunn, and in her early twenties thought it was going to be a brief spell in the family firm but 20 years on she is still there and now show secretary and director of the All England jumping course at Hickstead and the RIHS which moved there in 1992.

As well as running this prestigious showground, Lizzie also finds time to ski in the winter, play tennis in the summer and coach netball at her youngest daughter’s primary school.

As I am sure you know by now who I am talking about, I wish to thank Lizzie for her continued support for the BSPS and say how very grateful the society and its members are for her enthusiasm and interest in the BSPS and say how much as a society we value the wonderful association with the royal international horse show and herself personally.  2007 will mark the Royal International Horse Show’s 100th anniversary – a full century of a glittering show which has left its own indelible mark not only on the horse world in this country but the world over and this is, in no small way, DOWN TO LIZZIE BUNN AND HER FAMILY.