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My name is Holly Norris and I am a dressage rider! I run HMN Sporthorses: a private professional yard near Berkeley in Gloucestershire, where I offer livery, lessons and training. I train with the best – Gareth Hughes and Richard Davison – and try to impart some of their knowledge to my pupils too! When you hear ‘dressage rider’ often the assumption is someone who has been riding since birth and has a yard of fancy warmbloods…that is not me! I have particular experience of working with ‘challenging’ horses, and have had a variety of wild and wonderful horses on my yard of all shapes and sizes. I think my background and success Novice Eventing has helped, together with my natural bravery (occasionally referred to as stupidity) and balance. Due to the ‘interesting’ horses I have ridden over the years, I pride myself on always using a calm and sympathetic approach, without gadgets or short-cuts. I may be quirky and unconventional but my methods are definitely tried and tested!

 

I am very lucky to run my family-owned yard, that we have developed over the last 10 years into a lovely establishment we are really proud of. We have great facilities: a spacious American Barn, top quality floodlit Andrews Bowen all weather arena with mirrors, a small floodlit indoor arena, plus a big field with XC jumps and a SJ course. Yes the dressage horses canter around the field and pop the jumps! I have hilarious photos which prove that not all are designed to jump! My yard network is pretty spot on, although one day I hope to be able to employ a full time groom. My liveries were handpicked (to make sure they could cope with my OCD tendencies) and they make every day a joy, so generous and always supporting me, earning top groom awards for sure! My dad maintains the farm with his compact tractor and my mum basically helps me in every way all the time – I’m sure she thought that role would stop when I reached 18! Sorry mum…

 

I have some fab horses, all ‘special’ in their own way. My advanced horse, Chancer, is now semi-retired but I definitely owe him a lot and he has helped equip me to deal with the rest of my crew. He’s an Irish Sports Horse who I bought from an Irish auction as a 4 year old and evented as a 5 and 6 year old, before focusing on Showjumping and then dressage. Now my main dressage horses are Bertie and Ruin, with a few youngsters kept under wraps.

 

Bertie (‘Beeches Alberto’) is an 8 year old part-bred Spanish horse (3/4 Andalusian, 1/8 Thoroughbred and 1/8 Arab – known as the three hot bloods so that tells you a lot) He came to my attention as a 5 year old when his loaner was struggling to get on him let alone ride him and I was recommended with the typical ‘Holly will ride it’ phrase! Fortunately we hit it off and I began riding him weekly and helping his loaner, Sarah Varney-Wiseman, until things changed the following year and we  bought him together from his breeder and he moved to my yard. The road has definitely been bumpy with Bertie – he shows a lot of ability but he’s the three ’S’s I love – sharp, smart and sensitive, possibly in excess! I’ve co-owned him for just over two years now and this year he’s competed successfully at Medium level, winning the GBPRE Dressage To Music Championship with 78% (in an Aladdin costume, obviously), winning the Midway Championships Medium Freestyle with 71% and coming 2nd at the BD Spanish Championships. Only Bertie can start the day with last place (no exaggeration – 29th out of 29) and finish being Champion! The winter will be spent continuing his progression with the aim of PSG next Summer.

 

Ruin (Rubuloo) is a 7 year old Hanoverian by Rubinero. I bought him as an 18 month old completely unintentionally! His owner needed to sell him to fund a riding school and was keen for me to have him, so I was very lucky to get him for a reduced price. He soon chose his own name because of his ability to destroy everything and all I ever seemed to say was “it’s a good job you’re cute!” This has not changed. He’s black, beautiful and can be very endearing. Fortunately he is also quite talented and we have high hopes for him. He’s the opposite to Bertie – very laidback and relaxed, almost impossible to excite, and often really idle. I haven’t competed him a lot as he won’t stop growing (almost 2 inches just this year as a 7 year old) but he did a little Novice in the summer, which was honestly a bit of a disaster but the judge seemed to love him and he won with over 75%! We’ll do a few shows with him to show him the World with the aim of him also stepping up to PSG next year.

 

So while I love Christmas I can’t wait for 2018 – there is so much to be excited about! Hopefully both Bertie and Ruin will step up to PSG at some point; it’ll be new for me  too competing at that level! We have a quiet bet on who will get there first… I also have fabulous clients and pupils who I’m so proud of and work so hard, I can’t wait to see what they achieve next year too. Bring it on!

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