Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2010/January 2011 | Page 132
the rider
Island Life - December 2010
Photo: Wendy,
Karen and Sharon
pictured at a hunt
meet, Newchurch,
2008.
Below: Karen,
Sharon and husband
Brian pictured at the
Hunt Ball 2008.
Island, staying with their grandparents
at Hickstead in a pairs
in Trafalgar Road, Newport.
competition.
It was they who got the girls into
“We didn’t have our own
riding when they were just five and six
horses so we were riding
respectively at Marks Corner with Bill
borrowed ones, but we
Moul, and later at Mountalifan Stables
still got into the ribbons a few times,”
with Sandy Bailey. In 1986 we trained
Karen recalls. They competed in Dubai
on our team horses with Robert Booth
most weekends, but after finishing
who was then at Pan Lane; Robert
school they returned to England to
continues to help us today if we have
attend university.
problems with any of the horses.
That provided the grounding to
Although their father sadly passed
away in 1986, their mother stayed
start riding in Dubai, where they had
in Dubai until 1995, seeing the girls
lessons at the Dubai Polo Club. Later
through school. When she returned
the Dubai Equestrian Centre was built
to the Island she brought with her the
by which time their expertise with
dogs, cats and team horses which were
horses had already become evident and
about 17 or 18 at the time, and were
they became part of the Dubai team.
brought back ‘to retire’. Karen recalls:
They often found themselves making
“Being turned out in a field did them
the long trek back to the Island for
good. They both came back into work
a month’s training before competing
and started competing again.”
for their school in the Inter Schools
Sharon also brought Smurf (Knock
team showjumping at Hickstead, which
N Agree) back to England when she
they did for a number of years, as well
left Dubai and we bought Wee (Four
as taking part in the Dubai Meeting
Seasons) from Jodie Warrick as we
132
needed another horse to hunt at that
time – they are both now well into their
20s but are still an integral part of the
20-strong team of horses in the stables.
With the family all back on the Island,
they decided they wanted somewhere
for the horses to be together so they
bought Cleveland Farm at Godshill
where Karen and Sharon lived and took
care of the horses. Wendy began riding
again, and all three still hunt regularly,
relishing the countryside rides even
though they agree hunting has never
been the same since the ban on fox
hunting was introduced. Karen became
Field Master in 2005, a position she still
holds.
When asked which one is the better
when it comes to competition, laughter
echoed around the stable yard. “We
are both better in different ways,”
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