About my horses and I – Megan Alecock

 

So, it all started with a rescued coloured welsh section B, who I ironically called Cookie…I was 5! Of which we went on to be the CHAPS reserved supreme champions held in Germany in 2007 when I was 6. From then, I purchased a cheeky, grey new forest pony called William who undoubtedly dumped me in the dirt much more frequently than he carried me anywhere! However, when he decided that everything wasn’t a monster, we competed in national pony club activities, tetrathlons and gymkhana.

It wasn’t untill April 2012 when I purchased Hamlin Ester, my; 14.1, coloured (yes, another one!), Welsh D x Cob who went on to compete at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Grassroots championships in 2015 when I was 14, which we qualified for when I was 13 after the most phenomenal event season after taking 3 consecutive wins at: Pontispool, Nunney and Treborough to then progress to actually qualifying for Badminton after being placed at the regional finals held at West Wilts Equestrian centre.

My story really started when I bought Ester, she was definitely not cut out to be an eventer, or an established pony of any sort! However, she went on- as did our partnership – went on to excel all expectations and constantly astound those who supported us. She went on to win so many titles, local and nationally – she really is a super cob! We went from jumping round 2ft clear rounds and walk and trot tests to doing BD novice dressage and BE100U18 eventing within 2/3 years!

Although I have always aspired to be a world wide eventer (just like anyone else who’s involved in the brilliant sport) and enjoy every second of my job, I now do NPS showing for a native pony stud owned by Sabine Andree-Parsons. Although showing is an entire different ball game to eventing, in every single aspect… it’s just as rewarding! In 2016 we took the Stallion; Sabina’s Gold Sovereign, a cheeky, 14hh, strikingly chestnut stallion. And at the age of 24 (of 2018) he reverses the saying, and is a young head on old shoulders! He’s a true gentleman, but will always make his presence known… in full speed! We took him to the NPS Summer Championships, where he excelled everyone’s expectations ( even mine!) and went supreme veteran champion! Despite just coming off of the train from Mallorca, and being seriously jet-lagged, I knew it was moments like that huge win that makes all the early mornings, dedication from both I, Sabine and her family, aswell as the intensity of every line up so worth it! From then, Sabina’s Gold Sovereign (the stallion) and his son Sabina’s Monte Carlo have gone on to take so many big titles, championships and qualifying spaces all around the country. Gold Sovereign and I won the stallion ridden class at the New Forest and Hampshire county show, to then take the overall New forest ridden reserved supreme champion! At the New Forest breed performance show, Sabina’s Monte Carlo ( 14hh, bay, New forest Gelding) and I took home the titles of; Junior ridden champion, Junior dressage Champion, Junior working Hunter champing and the Combined training champion. As a result of this, we have been asked to represent the NPS at the national Dressage championship aswell as the South west for the Junior ridden championships! These successes do not include all of the wins in stallion ridden/novice ridden/New forest ridden/Olympia qualifying flat shows aswell as RIHS,HOYS and Topspec qualifying Working Hunter classes on all of the ponies at the stud!

 

So that’s me!

Thank you for reading ~ Megan Alecock