Page 21 - Phonebox Magazine October 2008

Good luck Emily for Horse of the Year Show
Congratulations to Emily Myrtle who lives in Stoke Goldington 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 who attends Bedford High School for Girls, Katie Barrett, Jess Russell, Jess Warner and Jess Cox participates in 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 sixth member. This will actually be the fourth 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 is 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 has been very supportive and understanding!”
Emily joined Pony Club when she was six. Her two older brothers were already members so it just seemed a natural progression. The family lived in Cardington, Bedford, 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, i.e., show jumping, tetrathlon, cross country, albeit at a small height! When Emily was around eight years old, a mother of one of the junior girls in the Prince Philip Cup team suggested that Emily should go along for one of the practices to see what it was like and she has 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. K
Right: Emily shows off her horseriding skills
You are warmly invited to our Open Morning
Tuesday, 25 November 2008 10.00am to 12.00pm
Guided tours will be available for our:
· Junior School · Senior School · Sixth Form
Contact: Diana Banham
Tel: +44 (0) 1234 360221 Email: admissions@bedfordhigh.co.uk www.bedfordhigh.co.uk
Phonebox Magazine 21