Equestrian Life March 2018 Issue

veteran life
Give ‘em the
old Razzle
Dazzle!
Springfieldpark Razzle was
certainly a legend in the show
ring; with Natasha Taylor he
won RIHS and HOYS at just seven
years old, on very low mileage and
then with Katy Seedhouse, he went
on to be one of the most consistent
mountain and moorland working
hunter ponies around, winning
HOYS again as an 9 year old. He
jumped in a simple snaffle bridle, he
consistently scored 9/10 for manners
and he always had a smile on his
face.
He wasn’t always straightforward
though. Katy described him as “a
little fire breathing at times. He was
very vocal and squealed like a pig!”
He lost a few classes by not standing
still when the crowd cheered and
always made his presence felt. “We
had to keep him mega fit to jump the
big classes. He was always super safe,
just loud!”
When Katy qualified as a lawyer and
the class heights changed, it seemed
time for him to hang up his showing
bridle. “He had nothing left to prove.
A friend was having a bit of a tough
time so he went on loan to her for a
year. She loved him and he helped
her get her smile back.”
After that, Joel Higham, an 10 year
old boy who always loved Razzle,
took over and in a year took him
from a novice to a mad keen rider.
Razzle mellowed into his new career
and became the pony that even Joel’s
tiny little sister was able to lead
around.
Then came Grace Webster, so scared
that she wouldn’t even jump him
when she came to try him and then
within 3 weeks she was popping a
50cm course with a smile on her
face.
“Just because you aren’t jumping
the biggest, hardest, most expensive
ABOVE LEFT: With
Grace at a Pony Club
Championships
ABOVE RIGHT:
With Grace playing
horseball at an East
Cheshire Pony Club rally
ABOVE : With Joel Higham
BELOW: With new jockey
Eva Gould and family
courses, it doesn’t mean you aren’t
successful. Sometimes it’s not
about how big the jumps are but
how safe and happy the child is.”
Says Katy, adding “At 19, he would
still be capable of holding his own
in a HOYS qualifier but he is so
happy with what he is doing. Mum
and I get as much joy seeing him be
a PC superstar than we did winning
HOYS.”
He has is a regular at pony club
camps and on the teams and with
Grace was part of the winning
Musical Ride team at the pony club
championships in 2016, complete
with top hat and loving every
minute of it. And now is the turn of
Eva Gould.
He certainly hasn’t lost his Razzle
dazzle and always thinks a crowd is
there just for him....even hacking
past a bus stop!
As told to How Very Daisy
58 March 2018 Equestrian Life