Horse_amp_amp_Hound__06_February_2018
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EXTRAORDINARY AMATEURS<br />
Cora Kwiatkowski and dressage horse Troy<br />
Sharon Polding gets up at the crack of dawn to ride her event horse, Findonfirecracker<br />
work because I know I only have so much time.<br />
Switching off completely [with horses] is good<br />
for your brain; the effects of fresh air and sport<br />
are well documented.”<br />
Lauren Innes admits that she only works<br />
to afford her horses — advanced eventer<br />
Monarchs Larko and promising eight-year-old<br />
Fision M.<br />
“I put off being an adult for so long, but<br />
I needed some real income to have the right<br />
training and support,” says Lauren, who<br />
recently started as a trainee auditor at KPMG<br />
in Reading. “I’m still feeling my way, but I hope<br />
to make it work. This will be a key season.”<br />
Lauren, who is also studying for<br />
accountancy exams, plans to be on the gallops<br />
in summer before she starts work at 9am. It<br />
helps that her horses are based at home.<br />
“Skipping them out at 10pm makes<br />
morning mucking-out easier,” she explains.<br />
“I save time with rubber matting and autowaterers,<br />
and cereal bars that I eat in the<br />
car for breakfast.”<br />
Day-to-day management is one thing, but<br />
how easy is it for an amateur to switch into<br />
competition mode?<br />
“Once I’m at a show, it’s all I’m thinking<br />
about,” says Claudia Rees, who is jumping<br />
1.35m tracks with Renkum Knopfler when<br />
not working as operations director at stem<br />
cell company Cells4Life. “But showjumping<br />
against professionals who ride a lot of horses<br />
every day can be difficult. When I start again<br />
after a winter break, I’ll feel a bit more rusty<br />
than I did in October.”<br />
Despite a lot of juggling, Claudia values all<br />
aspects of her busy life.<br />
“I never wanted to turn pro and was always<br />
keen to have a job,” she says. “Doing horses<br />
full-time is a different type of hard work,<br />
but I enjoy the more intellectually rigorous<br />
side of things.<br />
“Time management is key — and being<br />
prepared to get up early,” adds Claudia, who<br />
is also bringing Ashbank Arabella through<br />
Foxhunters. “At first, I paid someone to<br />
do the yard so that I could have a lie-in, but<br />
I couldn’t justify the cost. Now I set the alarm<br />
and get on with it.” H&H<br />
‘I’m knackered most of the time,’ says<br />
Sharon. ‘<strong>Horse</strong>s are how I de-stress’<br />
RALLYING SUPPORT<br />
GOING it alone can be tough. Two years ago,<br />
Emily Green set up a networking group of<br />
like-minded horsey friends.<br />
“I’d met a few girls through groups<br />
such as the London Riding Club and<br />
#twittereventing — lawyers, consultants and<br />
accountants who were working in the City<br />
and competing,” she says. “We’d get together<br />
occasionally to discuss how ridiculously<br />
busy our lifestyles were. Now there are<br />
50 or 60 in the group and we meet for drinks<br />
once a month.<br />
“It’s amazing to learn from these<br />
girls — many of whom have been through<br />
Pony Club, unlike me — and reassuring to<br />
have someone to text the night before if<br />
I have a big deadline and can’t do the horses.<br />
We synchronise competitions and discuss<br />
issues that often arise when you move<br />
somewhere new: a nice yard, someone<br />
to train with and the best vets or equine<br />
dentists. It’s a massive source of support.”<br />
‘Paying for the horses<br />
and planning the next<br />
competition is what<br />
motivates me,’ says<br />
Emily Green<br />
Picture by Lucy Merrell<br />
34 <strong>Horse</strong> & <strong>Hound</strong> 8 <strong>February</strong> <strong>2018</strong>