Foundation News
Emily Myrtle, Horse of the Year Show Competitor
Congratulations to Emily Myrtle whose team qualified for one of just six team places at this year's Horse of the Year Show, a prestigious national championship. About 250 teams tried to qualify, so this is quite an achievement for Emily and her team.
The team comprising Emily from Bedford High School for Girls, Katie Barrett, Jess Russell, Jess Warner and Jess Cox participated competitions across the country throughout the year. Winning at the Zones at Wincanton Racecourse in July secured their place at the Horse of the Year Show. Vicky Cox (Jess' twin) will be joining them as 6th member. This will actually be the 4th year in a row that the Oakley Hunt (West) has qualified.
The team is now practising indoors again on a weekly basis for the lead up to the Horse of the Year Show and really looking forward to October. As Emily's mother observes: "It will be exhausting but great fun as well. I have to say that Bedford High School for Girls have been very supportive and understanding!"
Emily and The Oakley Hunt (West) Team
Emily joined Pony Club when she was 6. Her two older brothers were already members so it just seemed a natural progression. The family lived in Cardington at the time and their Pony Club then was the Ivel Valley. When they moved to Stoke Goldington in 2001 they also moved Pony Clubs and changed to the Oakley Hunt (West).
To start with Emily just attended rallies and entered local shows and did most disciplines ie, show jumping, tetrathlon, cross country, - albeit at a small height! When Emily was around 8 years old, a mother of one of the junior girls in the PPC team (Prince Philip Cup) suggested that Emily should go along for one of the practices to see what it was like and they have been going ever since.
Emily started off in the junior team (must not have attained their 11th birthday by the beginning of the current year) and in her last year as a junior also started to ride for the senior B team. Seniors must not have attained their 15th birthday by the beginning of the current year). This is the first year she has ridden in the Senior A team.
