Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 99

Freya & Jack
8-year-old Freya Wilson from
Norland, Halifax, West Yorkshire
has come from a horsey
background, growing up
around mum, Rachel’s horses.
She is very dedicated at such a
young age, riding her homeproduced ponies after school
and competing at weekends.
They have recently joined the
BSPS (British Show Pony Society)
to compete at county level and
they qualified on their second
outing for the Longines Royal
International Horse Show at
Hickstead on 3rd August. They
qualified at Area 2B Lancashire
Championship Show in Preston
and also won the Novice M&M
Lead Rein, 3rd Open M&M Lead
Rein and took Champion that
day. Freya has also qualified for
Equifest, BSPS Championships,
Ponies UK and the North West
Showing Championship.
Freya qualified on her pony Jack,
Bronycoed Popstar, a 12-yearold Welsh Section A Pony and
this is his first year (they only
started training him in March) as
a lead rein pony as he is an Open
ridden/Working hunter pony
but they have worked very hard
with him and he has excelled all
expectations of him so far.
They travelled down to the RI on

2nd August, the journey taking
8 hours to find there were 24 in
their class, ‘Pretty Polly Leading
Rein Championship’.
Said Rachel “We did not expect
to get anything as it is still all
new to us, we got pulled in 8th
from the initial trot-up which
we were over-the-moon with.
Then we did our show and went
before the conformation judge.
I was hoping to stay in the same
place but I didn’t think we would
be that lucky as there were
some amazing ponies there
competing against us, many of
which have done it for years and
qualified HOYS already. Jack was
an absolute saint as always and
stood there soaking up the rays,
falling asleep.
When the steward called out the
1st and 2nd places I was even
more so hoping to stay where
we were but then he called out
our number and I could not
believe it, even now it amazes
me how well we did! He is such
a special pony and he is never a
minute’s bother at home or at a
show. He is extremely mannerly
and we love him to bits. To say
he was a stallion until he was
7 and sired 3 foals, you really
would not tell as he is such a
gentleman.”
Freya & Jack Photo from Lancs
Champs by Real Time Imaging

Jo Ball
is back in action
I had a very bad accident in
July 2011 at Buckminster Show
where my horse and I fell at
a fence, the ambulance men
took great care of me not sure
of what I had done but must
have known not good, they
were fantastic, as it was a very
hot day and we were stuck on
the ground for a