So where do I begin… at the start is probably the best place. I was born in Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in 1967 (I’ll let you work it out), from a non-horsey background. The closest I came to horses was a relation who sometime back had a horse drawn milk float!
My first riding lesson
When I was eight years old a friend asked if I would like to take riding lessons as she had been given some for a birthday present, so off we went. She fell off on the first lesson and didn’t get back on so I had the rest of her lessons and loved it. I would not say I was a natural but I loved everything about it. The fear I sometimes saw on my mothers face was not worry for my safety, but the fact she could tell this was going to be expensive!!.
Six or so months past and I progressed from the beginner group with Julie Roland (who has been and still is a great friend) to lessons with the lady who owned and ran the yard Mrs Tess Phillips. Tess and my mother (Sue) had gone to school together and were friends. This led to Tess saying “think it’s time to buy a pony” Sue, and so a 12hh rather tubby palomino gelding named Champagne was purchased for the princely sum of £250.He was a little bugger as soon as it was fodder beet time he turned into a little demon. I spent more time on the floor than on his back, but still I loved it and bizarrely him.
My first competition
Champagne gave me my first taste of competition in the pony club gymkana. Very excited we arrived - the sack race was my first race. I was very confident being a particularly fast runner. Boy was I about to be brought down to earth with a bump! I galloped as fast as Champagne would go to the end of the field, leapt off, parents cheering us on. I hopped into my sack and headed back, pony in tow. I mistakenly thought hearing shouts and cheers that I had this one in the bag. Mistake - I crossed the line first, turned to give my pony a huge hug, only to discover I had the bridle and no pony. He was blissfully grazing at the other end of the field. Oh the humiliation!
I recovered from that and continued into show-jumping, cross-country and showing. The latter being Champagne’s favourite as he did not need to leave the ground. But he was a great pony to learn from and so we never sold him.
He went on loan to several children and taught them all the survival skills they needed. In a twist of fate he finished his days as an RDA pony, at which he was very successful. He was named RDA Pony of the Year several times and passed away at the age of 28. I will always remember him fondly being my first treasured pony.
Moving into show jumping
Still with Tess as my teacher, I moved onto 14.2hh’s. I was again very lucky, for as well as my own pony, I was asked to ride a couple of others. I believe it was Tess who said the more horses you ride the more capable you will become. On the whole they were a good bunch of ponies, but one immediately springs to mind-Golden Sovereign. He belonged to Tony and Val Benest and had been a fantastic servant to their son. When offered the ride I jumped at it. With Tess’s help we went on to claim many JA competitions. In the junior show jumping team we claimed show-jumper of the year trophies, several leading junior titles and the best junior puissance title in our sister islands Guernsey. Golden Sovereign was truly a pony of a lifetime. I then moved to horses and again had several great horses. Paxville, a mare brought off the racecourse that went straight to grade A. Ringo Star a 15.1hh German horse who was given to me by a lifelong friend Kim le Broq. He was so careful, like a cat, small in size and big in heart. He passed away aged 39 - a great horse! And Glens Orbit owned by Brian and Phylis Salsac. He was 15.2hh, careful and quick against the clock-he jumped literally anything. He would put his legs up around his ears and gave me countless wins and senior team caps.
I was still with Tess having regular lessons. (She is a very special person and one who I have nothing but respect for. She’s still teaching in Jersey and on visits home I see the same encouragement for youngsters to compete and have fun). Tess’s grandchildren Timmy, Clark and Lauren Philips are extremely successful in all spheres of equestrianism.
Getting the taste for dressage
After working in a couple of yards, Paul and Jenny Green asked if I would like a job looking after their daughter Gemma’s ponies. This seemed like a good move and I spent nine years with her. This is where I got my taste for dressage. Gemma decided after a couple of successful years showing and jumping that dressage was for her too. She went on to ride at the pony Europeans on Daphne and won a bronze medal. Into juniors and young riders she rode Maxwell. He was the most genuine horse I have ever come across and had a huge heart. When Gemma came out of Young Rider’s I decided it was time to move on.
Multiple Sclerosis diagnosed!
In 2002 I returned home to help take care of my mother who has MS. (My Grandmother had it also). I freelanced as a groom and taught because this fitted with my home duties. After a few years it became apparent that my mother needed more constant care so she moved into Jersey Cheshire Home, a great place full of life. She resides there still.
I needed a trip away so took myself back to the place I love, the Cotswolds. Whilst staying in Cheltenham I met my now partner of 5 years, John Gamlin. He is the person I consider to have made all this possible. Without his push and drive I would probably have taken to my bed and given up. For on my diagnosis in November 2004 I struggled to pull myself together. I couldn’t believe it had happened to me. Three times in one family just did not seem fair. Then things got worse when six months on, John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This seemed unbelievable. I really felt somebody was out to get me!
Rupert & Toby
We had 2 horses at the time, a nice 5 year old chestnut called Rupert and John’s horse Ocean Dream (Toby), a smart small show hunter with a great temperament. Rupert had a talent for jumping so I decided he would be wasted with me as I was already having trouble with balance, so I decided he should be moved on. He went to Julie Rowland’s daughter, Emilie, who was my first instructor-small world again. He is doing well and has a fabulous home, I would suspect for the rest of his days.
We kept Toby, John thought it would do me good to have a horse to potter around on and play with in the school. In 2005, after much coaxing from John and my best friend Catherine Peters, my arm was twisted into getting back into the arena. Not wanting to make a fool of myself I said I would compete off island, so Guernsey our sister island it was. I had a good show winning 5 out of 6 tests-prelim and novice. I thought ‘great’ now I’ve done it, I can retire. But, oh no, John and my friends had other ideas.
A lovely local show called ‘Oaklands’ run by the Sinel family was coming up.
The World of Para Dressage
Unbeknown to me, John sent off the entry form (he thought I ought to look at the test before he’d put me in for). After a few cross words I agreed to have a go. Toby did us proud and we won a couple of classes.
Unbeknown to me two judges, Chris Porterfield and Mary-Anne Horne were watching. Chris at the time was a para-selector. A few days after the competition Chris phoned me, I remember it well. John was balanced on a stool changing a light bulb and I was holding onto him when the phone rang. I abandoned him and ran to the phone. A voice said ‘Hello, my name is Chris Porterfield’. My brain not being the largest tried to put this voice to the name. ‘I saw you at Oaklands at the weekend’. Light bulb went on in head as well as the hallway. Chris went on to ask whether I had considered para-dressage. Answer: ‘no I hadn’t’. It had not crossed my mind as illness was still new to me. I really did not consider myself disabled (still don’t - I call it a little impaired.) I guess my view of para-dressage was cute hairy ponies being led around the arena. Yet again I was so wrong. She left me to think about it and discuss it with John, but she invited me to a global seminar at Hartpury College Gloucestershire for Para-riding.
John and I went, our minds were blown away. The first people I saw ride were Ricky Balshaw: Grade 1B, Nicola Tustain: grade 2 and Lee Pearson: grade 1B. This truly inspired me. The level of skill, ability and sheer determination was mind boggling. I went on to be classified at South Bucks RDA Centre where I met Clive Milkins who offered me help and support. He’s a real ambassador for the sport. I graded a 3 which initially puzzled me because I though I’d easily be a 4. Wrong again!
John and I returned to Jersey and decided to bring Toby over to do a couple of para trials. In late 2005, we did and he won four on the trot. I returned home thrilled to bits.
I was training with Jodie Lister at the time and on advice from several people including my ex- Jersey pony club DC Juliet Seas, (also a British Dressage judge & heavily involved with the para’s, small world again), it was decided I should find another horse as Toby had limits. Unable to find anything suitable John came up with a brain wave, he normally does, to post an advert on the internet. He told me to make a list of what I wanted, I did and John said ‘Can I put on the end I’d like a black one’? ( going back to his childhood and Black Beauty I guess)
The list was circulated on the internet and nothing happened. Then around a month later, we received a phone call out of the blue. I was in the arena in Jersey. A voice said ‘I have your horse’, with a German accent. Immediately I thought something was loose! He said he had read the list and had just the horse. The man was Dries Rouef. ‘When can you come and see him’ said Dries. A trip was set up for the following week.
Known for his snap decisions John said ‘We will have him. If it doesn’t work out we can move him on’. He was purchased and arrived in the UK shortly afterwards.
In the spring of 2006 unfortunately Toby (Ocean Dream) had to be retired due to a hock injury. So it was all going to be down to Derek. This was a lot earlier than we had anticipated. He was taken to his first para trial at Patchets in Hertfordshire. He won that and the next 3 para trials.
Manheim meltdown!
I was then asked to go to Manheim in Germany in May. This, I believe, was to see whether I should be put into the squad. I was thrilled to compete internationally. But unbeknown to me a huge change was about to happen. I loaded Derek and all his gear onto my lorry and delivered him to the Unicorn Centre, Stow-on-the-Wold from where he was going with the rest of the horses to Germany. John and I would fly out with the rest of the guys the following day. I did not sleep much that night. Up at the crack of sparrows we set off for Heathrow. On arrival at the car park I received a text from Jodie - saying she was unable to fly out due to circumstances beyond her control. To say I had a breakdown was to say the least - more like a melt down!
While checking in, saying I can’t go and generally having a paddy, John said ‘well phone someone to come out and help you.’ ‘Like who’ was my reply. The only person I could think of was Henriette Andersen who had been a friend for a long while from my days with Gemma Green. Still at check in, I phoned her and the conversation went something like this.
‘Hi Henriette, how are you doing?’ ‘I’m good thanks and you?’ ‘Henriette (Hen) what are you doing this weekend?’ ‘Teaching and going to Addington, why?’ ‘Jodie’s unable to come to Germany and I’m having a breakdown.’ ‘OK, let me juggle a few things and I’ll see what I can do.’
She did and she flew to Germany the next day. For this, I am eternally grateful. Without hesitation she came to my aid and quite frankly without her and Ulrik, her partner, I would not be doing what I’m doing nor would I have had the success I’ve had. On arrival, Henriette was straight on with the job in hand. She had not seen me ride Derek, knew nothing about him yet she got on with sorting us both out.
Michael Assoline, The Team Coach had been a friend for years so this was a bonus. Between him and Henriette they got me in the arena and we had a creditable 2nd in the individual. After the first day’s competition with good results I thought I ought to tell Hen I had no music for the next day. Oh and not much of a floor plan either. This went down well but again she rose to the challenge. Hen and I worked on floor plan and John downloaded music and ‘burnt’ CD’s on his laptop (thank God for technology). We got there, it was great and we pulled in a third.
‘Performance Squad’ team member
From there it was decided to move Derek to Henriette and Ulriks yard in Nether Westcote. This was logical as our home base in the UK is Cheltenham, only half an hour away. Derek moved in and with Hen as my new trainer things were back on track.
A couple of weeks later I had a phone call from David Hunter, our team manager inviting me onto the British Equestrian Federation’s ‘Performance Squad’. I could not believe it - I couldn’t get to the phone quick enough to tell John the news.
I went to my first squad training in May 2006 at the Unicorn Centre 10 minutes in the lorry from Hen’s - Perfect! I was nervous but was welcomed into the fold. I immediately struck up a great friendship with Nicola Tustain and suspect we will remain friends until I retire and beyond. I was then put on the team at Hartpury International. The team won, so I came home with team gold, two wins and a 2nd.
Then, onto Belgium with the team again. We won Team Gold, a first place and two seconds. At the National Championships at Stoneleigh we took the national title. Then a much needed winter break. Into 2007 and heading towards the World Championships I went to Manheim again in May and won 1st and 2nd. Then came the selection for the Worlds. I was lucky enough to get onto the team, a huge honour to represent Team GB and my native Jersey.
A shakey first two days but with Hen and Michael’s expertise they helped me to Individual Gold in the Freestyle on the last day. On top of that we took Team Gold. I think I’m still in shock! It’s been a whirlwind rollercoaster but I’ve loved every moment - the highs and the lows.
And so onto the National’s where we retained our title. Into winter with much training and a break for Derek and so now we’re in 2008 and Olympic year.
