Occupation Hospital Porter
Horse’s name, age and breed Adamfield Flashlight, 10 y.o. Dales Pony
Horse`s history, how did they end up being a superstar TREC horse!
We bought Flash as a 4yo from his breeder, where he had been returned after becoming unmanageable in his previous home. He was my first proper pony as a 13 year old, and he has always needed a job to occupy his mind- TREC seems to be that perfect job! We entered our first TREC competition as a L1 pair with my riding instructor in 2010. We then competed 2 seasons as a Level 2 pair, and have been riding as an individual at level 3 and 4 for 4 years now. Flash is a very chilled out pony who takes everything in his stride, but there is nothing he loves more than exploring new places at speed!
How did you get into the sport of TREC?
My instructor has competed in TREC for many years and thought it would be a good education for both me and my young pony to enter a competition. It was especially helpful because I worked for her as an assistant ride leader and a lot of the skills learnt through TREC are transferrable to this. I was hooked on the sport from then on and haven’t missed a season since.
What do you love about the sport?
I think the independence of the sport is fantastic, it allows both you and your horse to show off ability across a wide range of skills, and demands a good partnership between horse and rider, something I have always been interested in. The people who compete in TREC are generally very friendly and encouraging, and the competitions become like a little holiday, where you meet the same people all over the country.
What is your favorite Phase and why?
My favourite phase is the POR because it allows you to ride in places around the country which you wouldn’t otherwise visit or be allowed to ride across. I prefer POR to the other two phases as it allows me to spend a lot of time on my pony, which I love, but also time to think through decisions without so much time pressure.
What advice would you give some one wanting to get into the sport?
Start riding TREC as a pair so that the POR and map reading isn’t daunting. I would also recommend arriving at the venue with time to take an OS map and go for a walk around the area to get your bearings, if you know where home is on the map its much more comforting when you are out on the POR!
And the one moment of TREC you will never forget!
When competing in the European Young Riders Championships in
Holland this year I was determined not to knock off any branches on the low branches…I therefore went very low down Flash’s neck…so low in fact that I ended up on the floor!
