Showing Sister Act – Hayley & Becky Patterson
None of this would have been possible without the very valuable support of our mum and dad through Pattersons Horseboxes.
Hayley and Becky both started out their showing careers from lead rein, and have both progressed through show ponies and show hunter ponies and are now both in intermediates and coloureds. Initially they competed across Northern and Southern Ireland before moving across the water to England 16 years ago to further their showing. They are both unique in the fact that they have continued to show throughout each major chapter so far in their lives – school, University and now working life.
Hayley is 25 years old and graduated from University with a first class honours degree in Finance and Investment Management, which has led to a job as an investment analyst at Doherty Pension and Investment Consultancy based in Belfast. Her role involves fund research and portfolio construction for high net worth clients. Becky is 23 years old and also graduated with a first class honours degree but in Marketing Management. Becky is now a Sponsorship and Marketing Co-ordinator for the Ford
World Rally team. This job takes her all over the world to all the FIA World Rally Championship events. There is definitely never a dull moment.
Becky and Hayley have both qualified horses for the 2012 Royal International Horse Show. Hayley has qualified Shybont Bean Dance in the Lightweight Non Native Coloured and also Lochill High Society in the Large Intermediate SRT. Becky has qualified Lambwath Classic Moment in the Intermediate Show Hunter.
They usually have a four horse line-up with two each, generally one open and one novice. However with them both being in full time employment the 2012 season has had to bring about change. Hayley has been able to keep on two open horses; Becky started the season with a novice and an open, however due to travel commitments with work it was impossible to dedicate the time a novice deserved, so has just one open.
They are both keen to participate in horse classes and their intermediates are perfect to do this with. Becky competed for the first time at the Hack and Cob Championship show last year, taking her first horse class win in the restricted riding
Hayley and Shybont Bean Dance photo by The Event Photographer.
horse class. This is something they both want to replicate towards the second half of this season.
When travelling to shows, such as the Royal International, they often joke that they need a full time logistics department to accomplish the nightmare that they often incur in order to get to shows, with ferries, planes, trains and automobiles often being required just to get them there. Between them, close to 1000 miles worth of travel is taken to get them both to Hickstead and meet up with the horses.
Due to work commitments, Hayley will have to fly back after the coloureds on Tuesday and return at the weekend for the intermediates. Becky will travel down just for the weekend – prior to travelling to the FIA World Rally Championship event in Finland the following week. Mummy & Daddy Patterson, along with their dog Denzel, will also make the journey over to Hickstead in the horsebox on the ferry to
Becky in the driving seat
Hayley taking the SHP Championship with Highmead Graduate photo by Anthony Reynolds
Becky and Lambwath Classic Moment
Scotland and then make the long journey down south.
Without the luxury of having their horses on their doorstep to practice every day of the week, distance has meant that over the years they have both had to adapt quite a unique skill, “jump on and go” when they get to a show. They do spend as much time as possible, prior to the season starting, at Stretcholt, but during the season they meet the horses at the shows. Becky and Hayley have such hectic work schedules that they are not able to have their horses at home with them, and so they’re kept in Somerset. People usually think they are mad when they tell them that, with being based so far away, but they have always put their horses’ wellbeing first and facilities are paramount in their selection. They are produced by Sam and Julian Quiney and the rest of the hard working team at Stretcholt. Stretcholt Farm is like the 5* holiday resort of the horse world, with gallops, a swimming pool, indoor and outdoor arenas and, of course, vast grazing area. Luckily
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