A Day in the Life of Rebecca Wright

A Day in the Life of Rebecca Wright

As the 2016 showing season gets into full swing, we find out what it’s like to walk a day in the shoes of speedi-Beet team member Rebecca Wright. Rebecca includes her show preparation routine starting at home to the event itself.

My name is Rebecca Wright. I am a member of British Horse Feeds’ Speedi-Beet Team along with my pony Pumpkin. Pumpkin is a 19-year-old Connemara. We compete in veteran showing under saddle with the goal of qualifying for Olympia Horse Show.

A TYPICAL DAY FOR REBECCA WRIGHT

Preparation for a show doesn’t just start the morning of the show. I will do any trimming or tidying of manes and tails a week before the show as this gives any obvious changes time to blend in and look natural. The day before a show, Pumpkin has a nice warm bath. When she is nearly dry I spray a lot of coat shine all over her and brush it in. I find this works best as she then dries all smooth and shiny and you don’t get the damp unnatural look of coat shine, especially as a pony of Pumpkin’s age doesn’t have the finest coat! Pumpkin always stays out the night before a show wearing her lycra bodysuit and full neck rug to keep her clean, she very rarely gets dirty overnight. After loading the trailer with tack and all the essentials I put Pumpkin’s travel boots and tail bandage on then load her up. When I get to the show I usually open the top door of the trailer so Pumpkin can look out then I go and enter or pick up my number. I then find where our ring is and where they are at in the schedule so I know when to get Pumpkin out. When Pumpkin comes off the trailer she has a brush and her feet picked out, then various products are used; hoof oil, mane and tail spray, highlighter make up etc. I then put her saddle on before getting myself ready. The final part is to put her bridle on and head for the warm up. Pumpkin doesn’t require much warming up as she is very chilled at shows, it usually just involves a wonder around the showground and a quick trot and canter on each rein in the warm up. We then compete in our class, usually only one now we are doing just doing ridden Olympia qualifiers, though I have never over shown Pumpkin as she needs to stay fresh and interested. Some days we have to wait for a championship later on but others it’s just simply a case of packing up again and heading home.

ENJOYABLE ASPECTS

I enjoy very much making Pumpkin look the best she can, this includes all the riding up to the shows making sure she is in perfect condition. Then the preening and polishing for the show is good fun. The more shows you go to, particularly in a certain society, you meet the same competitors so it is easy to find someone to talk to and make friends.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Lots of products to improve your look in the show ring. Over time you work out what works best for you and your horse. For the horse: well-fitting tack that shows your horse off positively. For the rider: hat, hairnet, jacket, shirt, tie, gloves, breeches, long boots and a show cane.

• Item you couldn’t do without

Supreme Products Sparkle Spray is fantastic for finishing touches on manes and tails.

• Societies/organisations signed to

Senior Showing and Dressage Ltd (SSADL)

• A moment in time you’ll always remember

Winning a veteran championship at Equifest was fantastic. There were some really top veterans in the line-up and when we were called forward as champions I couldn’t believe it!

Feed (s): Speedi-Beet, low-calorie balancer

“Speedi-Beet is the perfect feed for my show pony Pumpkin. She is a very fussy eater but loves Speedi-Beet; it is the only type of beet she will eat!

“Since being fed Speedi-Beet Pumpkin has always had a nice healthy shine to her coat and generally looks bright and happy. Pumpkin always has plenty of controllable energy as Speedi-Beet is a great source of slow-release energy.

“Pumpkin was diagnosed with Cushings when she was 15 so is at a higher risk of contracting laminitis, Speedi-Beet is suitable for laminitics and Cushings as it is starch free and low in sugar, making it the perfect feed for her.

“I also find Speedi-Beet really easy to soak and it doesn’t matter if I forget to soak it as it only takes 10 minutes! Once the poo picking is done it is ready to feed. I can’t recommend Speedi-Beet highly enough.”

For more information on Fibre-Beet or Speedi-Beet please contact British Horse Feeds on 01765 680300 or visit www.britishhorsefeeds.com.

Many thanks for Rebecca Wright and the team at Speedi-Beet.

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.