Portia was the horse who got owner Marie Spillane started with competing in TREC in 2003. 

Portia was an ex-racehorse who was a true all-rounder representing Pony Club and Riding Club at arena qualifiers and national championships in Eventing at novice level. Portia & Marie had a go at TREC after retiring her from Eventing. She took to the sport very easily and enjoyed several years competing at TREC before old age sadly caught up with her. She was super consistent at MA scoring full marks for canter and 15 plus for walk nearly every time. She often got one of the highest PTV scores too. She was a regular winner of winter series competitions. Portia & Marie’s best season was in 2008 where the pair won the Welsh, Scottish and British Championships as a level 2 individual. They followed this up with a win in the English level 2 individual championships in 2011 when she had to stand in at the last minute after Marie’s other horse went lame. 

Lily has been a great TREC partner to owner, Kate Gillam for many years, with highlights including competing in the European Championships in Italy in 2018 where they tackled the fearsome1.40m brush jump in the photo with an invisible 1 stride landing before heading down a steep hill, made even more difficult as it was the first obstacle on the PTV. Kate’s most memorable moment from the trip however was during a practice orienteering ride earlier in the week when she rode to the top of an Italian mountain:

“The shimmering, silvery view was breathless, spreading out over the mountains to the glistening sea in the distance far below. I was moved by both the splendour of vision and as I reflected upon the pretty horse that had travelled so far with me and who had become so much a part of my life.”

With retirement coming earlier than expected, Lily will be remembered as a horse that always scored very well in PTV & MA, as well as being an excellent POR horse at top level. She has often been the only horse to jump a large or tricky obstacle at an event.

Moley is 28 years young and is now fully retired.

In his TREC career he won the English L2 individual Championship in 2005 in Wiltshire, followed by a couple of years off recovering from a significant wound. We gradually built back his strength and in 2012 he won the L2 individual British Championship in Scotland. This was followed two years later in 2014 where we paired with Katie Holmes and the wonderful Fenn, to win the L2 pairs at the British Championship in Oxfordshire. Moley is such a kind and gentle soul, he adored TREC and was “renowned” for his ability to gallop the low branches and a super-fast PTV. In 2008 we were invited to participate in a TREC demonstration at Windsor Horse Show where he regaled the crowd with his fun loving antics.

Casey is Mary’s 3^rd TREC horse and this speedy pony has finally retired from TREC in the autumn 2022 at the grand age of 28. Casey and Mary were always fearsome competitors with amazing speed and dexterity, with their career highlight being winning the 2022 National Championships Level 2A individual class with a combined age of 103!

Burgundy Boy (known to everyone as Bugsy) came into my life as a just backed 4 year old off Exmoor. His TREC career started in 2004 as the guinea pig for a TREC judges course, my introduction to TREC, and his first competition.  From there we sped up the levels and competed at Level 4 from 2006 until 2014 and thereafter at Level 3. Living on the edges of Exmoor until 2013 meant that we had wonderful TREC training country. The highlights of his career were a top five placing in the Level 4 National Championships in Pembrokeshire in 2007 and reserve Level 3 champion on home territory at Treborough in 2018. Other than TREC, he was a fixture on many riding club dressage, show jumping and eventing teams, and had a presentable collection of British Dressage novice and elementary points. He loved his work but was happiest bowling along on a loose rein on a POR. He always knew the way back to his trailer wherever it was parked, which was useful on the occasions when I had lost the plot with my map.

His breeding was a mystery on his dam’s side, although his sire was a full thoroughbred racehorse from whom he inherited his weak and flat front feet.  There was definitely naughty pony and a bit of Arab in his mix. His TREC career would have been more illustrious if only he could have been kept sound more consistently. It says a lot for his big heart and cheeky character that he was still enjoying dressage, jumping and fun rides (albeit on good going) almost to his 25^th birthday. We did not quite make a combined age of 100 but he gave me 21 years of fun and companionship and always tried so hard to do his best at everything.

Barney has shown throughout his twenty year TREC career that small ponies with adults can compete with (and beat!) the full sized horses. His character and soundness have carried him to GB Championship wins and successfully from Level 2 through to Level 4. He is a great ambassador for tough native ponies ridden by adults enjoying TREC.

Barney joined the Thurnell family in 2001 as an extremely nervous seven year old Welsh Section C. He competed at Level 2 and 3 initially in pairs classes, gaining confidence from his much larger horse pair. At only 13 hands and ridden by adult Sarah, he was expected to do everything the big horses did despite his small size.

Barney continued to grow in experience and confidence and won, and competed at, numerous GB Championships from 2002 onwards, including Level 4 individual and night sections. He was placed 5th in the Level 2a class at the 2019 National Championships, his most recent competition aged 25. He has covered more than 1000km in TREC events and only retired once, after losing a shoe in a boggy river. A cheeky legend in his own lifetime, he is often the smallest pony at the vetting. He knows all the PTV obstacles and most of the judges personally.