BRITISH SHOW PONY SOCIETY 2008 AWARDS
HERITAGE SCHOLARSHIP
Charlie Billingham
This young jockey started riding at the local riding school when he was four. He attended Pony Club with his first pony, Toytown Mr Spot to whom he was devoted. They were both progressing really well when very sadly Spot broke his leg in the field and he was devastated.
Had it not been for his sister’s Dartmoor pony he may not have ridden again. But he took over Crackerjack, who was a four year old novice and from there with no previous experience he started his ridden showing career in July 2006. After a couple of lead rein classes he competed in his first, First Ridden classes at the Eastern Dartmoor Show and won them both.
By the end of the year having proved his ability he was rewarded with a new pony, Crackerjack's full sister, Fernridge Miss Millie purchased from Scotland. Moving on to mixed breed classes was a difficult step but he persevered and it is with Millie that he has been most successful. Again with no previous experience for either jockey or pony they started to compete in WHP Classes in April 2007 and with his confidence and ability improving weekly he went on to win at PUK Summer Championships .He had a successful Heritage Championships with both ponies and is looking forward to the Winter Championshps where he has qualified in Open and Restricted Ridden and First Ridden and Novice Workers.
He has worked with a very determined effort to improve his riding skills with two totally different ponies with different abilities and overcome many obstacles and difficulties on the way. He has proved that determination and a willingness to learn can reap rewards which then boosts confidence.
In his own words this young man “wants to get even better” and knows that expert tuition would help him to achieve his aims of qualifying for RIHS and HOYS First Ridden.
I am sure that in winning this scholarship, it will help to equip him to achieve his dreams and give the groundwork for his future showing career.
INTERMEDIATE WH SCHOLARSHIP
Mark Davidson
This 14 year old young man has always loved horses and his first ride was on a cousins horse, bareback when he was very young and from there the seed was sown. His parents made enquiries about a riding school to take him for lessons but they would not accept children under 8. As it was several years away they thought it would be forgotten about. No chance! He looked forward to his 8th birthday so he could start! He loved his lessons and after a few years the inevitable happened and he was rewarded with a pony of his own. Like many inexperienced owners who find out too late, that the pony was totally unsuitable and unsafe, more likely to rear and nap than jump a course. Fortunately a Pony Club instructress advised the family to part with it and to buy a safe school mistress to restore confidence, which was by this time at rock bottom. A super schoolmistress was found that took him onto the next level and his first taste of WHPs which inspired him to want to do more.
At this point although only 13 he was rapidly heading towards 6 ft tall so the decision was made to move up onto a horse. Enter Master Ben who had previously show jumped and now had to get used to a new job as a worker, which he took to, like a duck to water.
Easter 2007 he was given the ride on Prince Concorde and the partnership developed so well he was soon purchased. They went to the Pony Club Area Dressage Competition and won their area and on to the Championships where they won again. They qualified for the UK Riders Junior National Dressage Finals in two classes and won them both! They have since won senior BSJA classes. Despite this he isn’t yet old enough to ride him in senior workers! They are looking forward to the Winter Championships having already qualified for the BSPS Ruth Lears Final. An intermediate has been bought now which is as deep as it is tall to carry him! He hopes to go on to do more BSPS classes with him.
He is like a sponge soaking up knowledge and has total tunnel vision where horses are concerned and hopes one day to work with them. He is quite happy spending his day helping to course build, steward or being a groom to an older more experienced rider to learn from their experience. As you can tell he is really looking forward to 2008 with his horses and what an exciting year it is going to be.
BHS/BSPS TRAINING BURSARY AWARD
Victoria Taylor
This award goes to a young lady who is already looking after show ponies as a groom but wishes to gain a qualification in showing which will develop her skills. She has been involved with ponies all her life and has ridden since she was 4 years old. She combines her love of horses with a love of cricket and run the 400 club for her local cricket club and plays regularly in the competitive league.
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 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, despite all her schoolwork, 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.
SPECIAL AWARD
Yvonne Mitchell
This lady has been involved with horses all her life. As a family they were very successful with their 2 daughters Amanda and Rebecca winning at virtually every major show with such Champions as Wingrove Stormaway, Roedean Rhythm and Blues and the legendary “Forge Gay Galliard”.
Amanda is now one of the Countys leading Judges and Rebecca runs a successful yard.
When her children came out of BSPS Classes she took a leading role in BSPS Area and National activities becoming Chairman of Area 2A and Council member in 1989 up till 2005, Chairing the Publicity Committee and on many other Committees. I know that many of you will have seen her at the shows and received her wonderful hospitality. She was also very involved in helping to run other shows including Smallwood, Midland Counties and Cheshire County. Her other huge passion was Pug dogs and very soon she was breeding and showing at top level having swopped the horse show ring for the dog ring and was awarded the high honour of being elected onto the Kennel Club Council. Our loss is their gain and I know it is with some sadness that Yvonne has handed over the reins of the Publicity Committee to me and I can assure both her and our Membership that I will endeavour to continue her work and the constant improvement our Society deserves.
Nothing can repay the gratitude the Council and members owe towards Yvonne but this is a small token of the high esteem in which she is held.
EQUESTRIAN PERSONALITY
Bob Templeton
As a small lad his favourite game was cowboys and Indians on his pony Ruby. His first grounding in showmanship started with him winning a gold medal at the age of 18 the only young farmer to win the Stockman’s competition at the world championships and the top award for production of animals for the show-ring. His stock from the Rotton-Roe herd of Ayrshire cattle won major prizes all over the world. He has judged cattle at every national show including Royal Highland. In conjunction with farming he acted as a consultant to Spillers Feeds. He showing family bred Clydesdale so the horse connection was always in evidence. On the death of his father and sale of family farm in the early 1970s he moved to Lincolnshire with his wife and three children and then relocated to Lancashire where he took up full time past as Chief Executive of the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society. In his spare time he became District Commissioner of Fylde and District Pony Club. By the late 70s he was showing in hand Arabs for a friend with great success and started producing a few horses under saddle, with then escalated. In 1982 he moved to Windy Ash Stud and started producing children’s ponies full-time. His numerous victories including 16 horse of the Year Show winners and at least 25 Royal International winners, best of breed at Olympia and hundreds of wins at BSPS Shows and Championships over the 26 years. He has judged at most county shows and was honoured to judge the Cuddy at the HOYS in 2003 having previously sponsored the class for a number of years
PONY PERSONALITY
CJ’s Tonto
This pony was spotted by his owners as a five year old, always looking well mannered and striking. After a couple of people had told how honest he was they were lucky enough to get him the following summer and quickly realized what an amazing little pony he is. To look at he may seem just an ordinary coloured pony, but it is not the colour, its what’s inside that counts. His attitude towards his work is always 'yes please', whether at a show, x-country or just plodding around the village. He is the original ‘old head on young shoulders’ always loving being out and about, and always so mannerly.
If there is one thing he loves more than going to shows, then that is his food! A perfect gentleman in the stable, no need for head collars, but at feed time he has to be fed first, letting everyone know that he is the most important person on the yard! His favorite foods- Polo’s after jumping, but he eats plums and nectarines, not forgetting to spit out the stones! His previous owner Jayne Hunnable, and daughter Chloe, gave him the perfect training ground in his early years. They came to watch him at the Royal International, and walking back to the lorry they rushed off to buy him a 'Mr Whippy' ice-cream which he ate in two mouthfuls. Apparently this was his special treat with them.
2007 was a special year for this pony as he qualified for the RIHS at Suffolk on the Thursday, for HOYS at Midland Counties on the Sunday – finishing second at the International and sixth at HOYS.
He was a member of the English WHP Team competing in the International event in Scotland, where he won the dressage, was second in the workers, and third in the Show Jumping. He won the overall 13 Hand pony award for his combined results. After walking the Desert Orchid, course both mother and rider were nervous, I think Mum more than rider, as the partnership had never jumped a course anywhere near as big or testing and while they didn’t doubt the pony’s ability, it had been a long week and both were tired. Of course no need to worry. He used his brains and jumped true to form helping his rider when needed, looking the perfect partnership and gaining that most coveted red rosette. He has now moved on to another new home, where two more little girls will benefit from his experience and temperament. This pony really has been a ‘mother’s dream’ honest, brave, scopey, a pleasure to look after and most important of all, he has let his rider learn from her mistakes without punishing her for them.
SPORTSWRITER AWARD
Nick Scholfield
This young man aged 7 years riding “My Little Cracker” won the All British Cradle Stakes at the BSPS Summer Championships which was his first major win. He followed this with wins on his 12.2 hh Show Pony “Rhos Velvet Ribbon” including winning the first Home Produced Class at the RIHS 2 years running. At the age of ten he went to ride for Ron and Debbie Thomas where he won nearly every major Championship including Champion at the Royal on both Coveham Illustration and Chiddock Over the Limit, Supreme Champion at RIHS with Posh Spice and Supreme Champion at the HOYS on Chiddock Over the Limit. At the same time, he also managed to qualify his own ponies for the showjumping finals at the HOYS. In 2005 he won the BSPS award for Outstanding Achievement. He also represented Great Britain on the Home Pony International in Ireland aged 15 and gained a bronze medal with his pony RS Blackjack.
He then left school and joined the Champion National Hunt Trainer Paul Nicholls as an Amateur. His first win for Paul came on his first ride. He went onto score last season another 12 wins including 2 at Cheltenham and third in the Bet Frech Gold Cup at Sandown. He also won the Leading Novice Total for 2007 and was the leading Hunter Chase Rider of 2007.
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO SHOWING
Horse Of The Year Show
2008 marks the Diamond Jubilee of this very prestigious show and the 12th Show in management for the organisers Grandstand Media. This Show was first staged in 1949 at Harringay Arena, London. It then moved to Wembley from 1959 until its highly acclaimed relocation to the NEC in 2002. In 1997 the Show hit the national headlines when it came close to collapse following the financial failure of the previous organiser. However, Grandstand Media stepped in and staged a highly successful “11th” hour rescue which led to the company securing the management rights until 2036.
Since taking control of the Show, Grandstand has rejuvenated the event with annual audience growing from 15,000 to 50,000. Our Society has recognised the contribution this Show has made to Showing by expanding the number of showing classes enabling every one of our members the opportunity to qualify and compete making their dreams come true. This year the Caldene Showing Arena is being relocated offering massive improvements with a large competition area and increased seating nearly doubling the capacity of previous years. This Show continues to go from strength to strength and remains a treasured national icon and the Show to which all equestrians aspire.