competition news
Gillian and Meikle Rustler after their win in the Summer National Grade 5 Gold Championship
Standing Reserve champion at the TSR riders championship in 2015, winning a VIP all expenses paid trip to the Horse Of The Year Show as a result.
With whom do you train regularly?
I work with Angela Weiss, Albert Van Schie and Gwyneth Lewis.
What three tasks do you carry out EVERY day on the yard? I muck out four stables, feed the horses and ride three horses every day.
Tack room chat with... Gillian Brown
Introduce yourself I am 55 years old and along with my husband, am a partner in the family farm business. I have ridden most of my life and due to an accident which caused a long term injury, I became a Para Rider last year. I am the British Dressage Northern Para Representative.
Where are you based? I live near Berwick Upon Tweed. I have stables on the farm and the farm to ride round, with the beach not too far away.
What is your main
competition discipline and at which levels are you involved? I enjoy affiliated dressage and compete up to advanced level in able bodied classes and in Gold Grade 5 Para Dressage competitions.
Tell us a little about your horses I have three horses - ILPH Timely Teeto, Boulabeha Foxy Lady and Meikle Rustler. Teeto is a Welsh Section
D and he is 19 years old. Although he’s now retired from competition, he still trains at home practicing Prix-St-Georges level movements. He won the Petplan medium finals but sadly we didn’t get down to championships due to injury that season. Foxy is an Irish Sport Horse and 12 years old. She is training at advanced level, but due to various bouts of illness has not competed very much. She did well in showing classes with my daughter for a couple of years at county level and was runner up with me in the TSR rider championship in 2015. Rustler is a Welsh Section D, 11 years old and is a star! He is the silver winter Para champion and the summer national Grade 5 Para champion. He is also the Scottish Freestyle Music medium champion and reserve medium champion to name just a few of his successes.
What have been the highlights of the current season so far? There have been a few, including winning the Winter Para Silver Championship, competing at my first International competition representing Great Britain and then winning the Summer National Grade 5 Gold Championship, all in my first year as a Para rider. This year has been fantastic with Rustler. He has won so much both Para and able-bodied and moved up to advanced medium in less than three years, which is well above any expectations as I originally bought him for my daughter to ride, but he was too much for her.
What other major successes have you enjoyed in your equine career to date? Taking Reserve Champion at Medium level in Freestyle Music at the Scottish Winter Regionals (Scottish Freestyle Music Medium Silver champion).
What happens next? I’m hoping to be selected to represent Great Britain at the CPEDI International at Hartpury and Bishop Burton at Grade 5. I would love to qualify for the Winter nationals at Medium and Freestyle Music as I just missed out last year. Most of all through, correct training of both myself and my horses to produce tests which gain consistently high marks, allowing me to be competitive against the professionals.
Finally, thinking of just one horse or pony ... Name — Meikle Rustler Breeding — Welsh Section D Age — 11 years old Level of competition — Advanced medium (able bodied) and Para Grade 5 Gold
Feeding and management regime — Rustler is fed on Allen & Page Cool and Collected. He is also on immunotherapy for various skin allergies, which is given sublingually (under his tongue) twice a day. He is out at grass for at least two hours per day, is fed haylage and is stabled on rubber matting and shavings. He is washed with Nettex peppermint shampoo every day after being ridden to keep his itchy skin soothed. On a competition day, it’s only the turnout of Rustler that changes as when he is away, he isn’t out at grass for the same amount of time.
Gillian shares a quiet moment with Rustler
Equine Page 56
Foxy relaxing in her stable at home
Gillian and Meikle Rustler in competition
www.theequinesite.co.uk
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