Rescue pony Reserve Champion at Driving Trials (From Smallholder)

Rescue pony Reserve Champion at Driving Trials

8:40am Saturday 1st October 2011 in Equine

A World Horse Welfare rescue pony has become a driving dynamo, scooping Reserve Champion at the National Carriage Driving Championships at Windsor Great Park.

‘Yogi’ was rescued by our charity as a yearling in 2005, along with another pony, as they were found neglected in a muddy field. Yogi was rehabilitated at our Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Snetterton, Norfolk and two years later was rehomed by Equine Dentist Amy Last. Amy originally took Yogi home as a companion for her other pony, Cardi, but she soon saw his potential as a driving pony and at the age of three and a half she started to introduce him to the discipline.

Amy, who lives in Thetford, Norfolk says: “He is a fantastic pony who soon excelled and I started to enter him in local club driving and indoor driving trials. He loves to go fast so finds the dressage phase a bit boring when we do three day events but he’s always willing, and in just two seasons progressed from Pre-Novice Pony at club level to Open Pony.”

Driving two ponies became extremely time-consuming for Amy so she asked her friend Liz Harcombe if she would be interested in helping to bring on Yogi’s schooling and drive him at competitions. They have gone from strength to strength as a partnership and on the weekend of the 10th September 2011, Yogi and Liz won the Reserve Champion title in the Novice Pony category at three day event at Windsor, and the following weekend at Ashfields near Stamford he won the Open Pony class, taking the East Anglian Championship title.

Amy goes on to say “I was already competing Cardi and then started to enter competitions with Yogi, but it was proving too much to do it all. Liz is an extremely experienced horse woman who I trust completely so it made sense to ask her if she would be keen on competing Yogi. “He is amazing and it just goes to show that with commitment, hard work and a little bit of help, you can go a long way. I’m seeking sponsorship so hopefully someone will be able to help support us so we can continue to do great things. He’s not bad for a little hairy rescue pony!”

After Yogi’s success at national level this year, Amy is now planning to compete abroad in 2012 which includes in Holland.