The eldest of four children, I was brought up on a farm in Northamptonshire and horses were always part of my life. My mother was an event rider and my father worked for Tattersalls, the bloodstock auctioneers. My parents had a hunter livery yard and a hunter dealing business, and my mother and I had a small pony dealing business. I graduated from riding Joey, a fiendish shetland to Smokey, a wonderful old grey pony who introduced the whole family to hunting and jumping. After that came the legendary Mrs Plum who was the most wonderful hunter and prolific show jumping winner, by which time I had started riding the young dealing ponies and the young hunters who my father bought in Ireland every summer while he was looking at yearlings for the Tattersalls’ sales.

My mother had trained with the great Lars Sederholm, and so although I was never aware of having lessons with her, I expect my grounding was very correct. Together with learning quick reactions and stickability by hunting a wide variety of young horses.

The Grafton Pony Club was lucky enough to have the late Delia Cunningham, an international dressage rider who had also completed Burghley as our chief instructor. I was lucky enough to be in teams with Judy Hancock, Anne Marie and Nigel Taylor, Philip Herbert and Douglas Weymouth, and to be in the winning team at the Pony Club Championships in 1979. 

Sadly when I was 16 my mother died. As a result I owe a huge debt to our great family friend the late Peter Fenwick and my mother’s head girl Christine Jackson, who saw me to the end of my Pony Club Career and through my first year of what was then BHS eventing.

After leaving school, and dropping out of university, I lived and worked in London for seven years, marrying Mark and moving to Sussex where Anna & Sophie were born in 1987 and 1989. Riding took a back seat during these years.

In 1990 used the money my Mum had left me to buy a horse of my own. This was Spring Spartan, an anglo arab, and what a fantastic buy he was. In just two seasons we went from nothing to 7th at Osberton CCI**. Spartan was then sold to Fiona Chesterton (nee Ranson) who was placed on him at Braham twice and rode him in the Young Rider Europeans at Blenheim. Spartan lived a wonderful old age with Fiona and was only put down last winter.

I had less success with Spartan’s successors until I bought Mossfort (aka Hungry) from Michael Drea. At 15hh he might not have seemed to most obvious star, but what he lacked in height he made up for in courage and opinions. Hungry really rekindled my love of competing, and with help from Jo Marsh-Smith I learned so much about not only riding him, but producing young horses in general. Hungry helped me win the Intermediate section at Eridge Horse Trials. I completed four three-day events with him, two abroad and Windsor and Hartpury CCI**. Hungry went on to enjoy great success with Helen Dunning who completed Blenheim CCI*** and Bramham CIC*** double clear and was placed in the advanced at Weston Park on him, and lived happily in Yorkshire to the great age of 26.

In 2005, having sold Hungry and sadly lost his replacement to an injury, I decided that I ought to have a back up plan as I was getting a bit old to ride young horses. I embarked on a Psychology degree at UCL in London in September 2006. Having got my 2:1 I worked as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Psychology for two years. I worked as Equine Manager at Old Lodge Stud for 2012/2013, Having worked part-time at Breen Equestrian for six years in their office overseeing their website, updating social media, beginning the marketing of their stallions and stud and helping Chloe with the very busy admin.

Alongside my work for Breen Equestrian I have helped set up websites for Michael Quirke, David Simpson, Biba McCaul, and Greg le Gear and help some of the working pupils with their own marketing. 

While I was studying for my degree I changed from eventing to show jumping and started training with Shane Breen, who has given me so much help, changing my riding and increasing my confidence.  Since starting training with Shane I have produced and sold Ordinary Boy, Castleview Bouncer, Homer, Wayfer, Little Penny. Espirito Santo, Luendi, Kvint, Askeaton, BE Khalissy, Hurricane Heidi and a few other hunters and youngsters. 

I was incredibly lucky to buy Doonaveeragh Emma as a three year old in 2010, she was successful in young horse classes and progressed through being prolifically successful in CSI1* Grand Prix to competing in our first 1.45 Longines Ranking Classes and being very successful in CSI2* 1.40 classes in 2018. She was also placed in very good company in the British Showjumping National 1.30 Championship in August 2018. She was undoubtedly my horse of a lifetime and took me places I could never even have imagined going. She retired in August 2019 is has had three lovely foals, Alchornes New Venture by Colmar, and Alchornes Pure Gold and Alchornes Gold Dust by Golden Hawk, she is now in foal to Opportunity. I am very lucky that Shane Breen continues to help me and facilitate my fledgling breeding enterprise and he has a half share in my youngstock and very kindly houses and produces them at Hickstead. My next fantastic ride was Askeaton II, by Golden Hawk, bred Breen Equestrian. Askeaton came to be as a just broken four year old in 2018. She was placed in international six and seven year old classes. She is now 10 years old and became a little hard to keep sound at a high level, so she is now back at Breen Equestrian as a brood mare. Once I was 60 I decided to stop riding four year olds, and now have Billy Arietta, a lovely nine year old mare who jumps up to 1.30/1.45 and seven year old Billy Breakdance, who has made a late start to his career, but is super talented and is doing very well at 1.20 level.

We have fantastic veterinary care with the expertise of Ed Lyall from Sussex Equine Hospital who is in particular an expert in lameness/soundness in competition horses, and his team. We also have the very best farriers, the Casserleys and Caitlin McCaffery the equine Chiropractor completing our team.

I also have a good group of pupils from eventing, show jumping and team chasing who I very much enjoy teaching.

 We are lucky enough to live in a most beautiful part of England, with Ashdown Forest, Sheffield Forest and the South Downs within easy reach, and have lovely facilities at home, so producing young horses and a job in show jumping is the best of all worlds for me.