HorseHage is a keen supporter of equestrianism at both international and local levels and continues to provide sponsorship to several riders.

Mary King

Mary is one of the world’s top event riders and has numerous prestigious championships to her name. She has been British Champion four times – more than anyone to date, and has also won six team gold medals at World Equestrian Games and European Championships. Mary also has a wealth of Olympic experience, having competed for Britain at Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004 – Team Silver medal) and Beijing/Hong Kong (2008 – Team Bronze medal). She has also won twice at Badminton.

Her current top horses are Imperial Cavalier, Apache Sauce and Kings Temptress and she also has several younger horses that she is bringing up through the ranks.

Lucy Wiegersma

Another of the world’s top event riders, Lucy Wiegersma is the only British event rider to have won all three national eventing titles (Junior in 1995, Young Rider in 1998 and Senior in 2006). With wins over the years at Blenheim, Blair Castle and Bramham three-day-events under her belt, Lucy narrowly missed adding Badminton to the list when she finished in second place in 2008. She was selected onto the British three-day-eventing team for the Olympics in Hong Kong but sadly had to withdraw due to lameness affecting her horse, Shaabrak, which was a huge disappointment. The pair were also runners-up at the International Express Eventing Cup at Cardiff.

Her current top rides are Woodfalls Inigo Jones, Granntevka Prince and Simon Porloe.

Georgie Spence
Georgie is one of our most talented, young event riders. She was the British National U18 Champion in 2006 and was also a member of the silver-medal-winning team at the Junior Europeans in Necarne. She was a member of the Gold Medal winning Young Rider teams in both 2007 and 2008. In 2008 she competed at her first 4* events at Badminton and Burghley, where she finished clear and was the best U25 at both events.
For 2011 Georgie has two new rides – Kings Rock (Rocky), a nine-year-old Intermediate horse bred by Mary King, and Bow House Mandalin (Tomi), a 14-year-old 4* horse, owned by Rachel Gough.




Jeni Gilbert

Huddersfield-based endurance rider, Jeni Gilbert, won the Novice Championship in 2002 and was the Endurance GB Supreme Champion 2007. With her grey Connemara-type horse, Flurrie, she has completed more than 6000km in nine years – a great achievement in a sport that is dominated by Arab horses. In 2008 Jeni achieved her aim to complete a 160km ride and not only did she achieve this, but won the Dukeries EGB National Class with a speed of 13.97kph. She was also placed 3rd at Kings Forest, Thetford (100km ride) and 4th at Berkshire Downs (2 day 160km race ride).

Despite missing some of the past two seasons due to injuries, the pair were placed 5th in the overall Senior Championship in 2009 and were 2nd in the 120km race at Hayward Oaks in Nottinghamshire and 3rd in the 160km at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire in 2010. In all Flurrie has been in the first three on 11 occasions!
 
Flurrie will be 16 years old this year and depending on fitness, Jeni will be aiming for a 160km in a day at Euston Park in June with a build up before then to include a 120km and a 2-day 160km.

Althea, Katie and Janou Bleekman

The three Bleekman sisters, Althea, Katie and Janou, are no strangers to the world of eventing, as their mother is former Olympic event rider, Clarissa Bleekman (nee Strachan). Based down in Devon, the girls are all making their mark on the British Eventing scene and both Althea and Katie have already represented Great Britain on the Pony teams in 2008 and 2009 respectively, where they both brought home team silver medals.

Althea’s rides this season will be Billy’s Lad, Meepswood Conquestor, Ziomf and Anmarsch, and she will be aiming for selection onto the Young Rider team for the Europeans.

Katie is studying hard for her A’levels this year but will still be competing on Prince Apollo at Intermediate level and is aiming for selection onto the Junior team. She will also be introducing the seven-year-old mare, Maylyn, to eventing and hopes to be competing at Novice level with her by the end of the year.

Janou, the youngest of the girls, is still working hard at school for her GCSE exams but has four ponies to compete on as well – Cregaan Scenic, Lisnalea Grace, Jamiraqui and Toberpatrick Larry. She is just going out there to try her very best this season but would love a place on the Pony team for the European Championships.

Beverley Brightman

Grand Prix dressage rider, Beverley Brightman, began her career in horse trials where she evented at up to four star level. In 1995 she had a horrific accident when her horse fell on top of her. Left with serious injuries and unable to hardly walk, let alone ride, she proved how determined she was to get back in the saddle and a year later started the sport of dressage.
In 1997, she took over the ride of Master Doruto from Delia Cunningham, and progressed up to Grand Prix level.
Beverley has competed internationally and was on the British Team for the CDIO in Poland in 2003. She was place 10th in the final Olympic trials for Athens 2004 and in the past 10 years has competed in the Dressage National Championships every year bar one. She retired her well-known Grand Prix horse, Arlequin, in 2008. Her top rides for 2011 are De Delux, Gutsherr, City Spring Jet and Devil May Care.


Roberta Sheffield

30-year-old Roberta Sheffield has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for the last 15 years.  She is classified with the FEI as having a Grade 4 disability and is able to compete in para dressage competitions.  Bert has been successfully competing her own Wonderboy (Whoopi) in both Paralympic level dressage and Elementary level able- bodied competitions.  Recent training with the BEF Regional Foundation Squads and the world-renowned Conrad Schumacher has set her and Whoopi up for an even better season in 2011, hopefully qualifying for the National Championships at Hickstead and the KBIS Championships at the Dressage Deluxe National Championships.  She is aiming to compete in an International competition in the coming year.

Bert also has Double Agent, a fabulous four- year- old British- bred youngster to bring out in Young Horse classes this summer.  Double Agent will be aimed at Para competitions when she is six years old.

Helen West
Helen is an event rider based in Devon. In 1997 she was selected for the British Junior eventing team and went on to be selected for two consecutive Young Rider teams, winning team gold at the Young Rider European Championships in 2001.

She has continued her success competing at Bramham, Blenheim, Burghley and Chatsworth and now combines competing alongside producing young horses. Last season she won the CCI*at Hartpury International with ‘Mon Chapelle’, who is showing great promise for 2011. Her other rides are Strawberry Mojo, Never Forget, Windsurfer and Lady Coco, plus several young horses which she is producing.


Mandy Frost

Show jumper and BSJA Accredited Instructor, Mandy was named as Members BSJA Accredited Coach 2008. Her commitment to training and her enthusiasm to share her knowledge with riders of all ages and abilities is plain to see at regular clinics in the South West. Her launch of the Devon Junior Academy and vital input in setting up the more recent Somerset equivalent has had a tremendous influence on the growth of the junior membership in the region.

Julia Paterson

Durham-based rider and horse owner, Julia Paterson, is our most recent addition to Team HorseHage and is being supported for one year as the winner of our national competition to find an amateur rider to sponsor.

35-year-old Julia has been riding since a child and has had many ups and downs in her quest to find her beloved horse, ‘Spot Of Luck’, (or Marvin, as he is known at home). Julia and Marvin went back to basics at first to get to know one another but have progressed well and now, three years on, enjoy competing in British Dressage at Elementary level and at British Eventing BE90 level.

Like many horse owners, Julia has had to cope with many setbacks over the last three years, including almost losing Marvin through serious illness and a freak riding accident which almost killed him and then the extra worry of being made redundant from her job. But the pair have come through it all and Julia hopes to move up to BE100 level next season.