Team Tottie Diary

Young show jumping trio Portia Howard, Jemma Kirk and Philippa Dobby are better known on the circuit as Team Tottie. This month we catch up with them.

Portia

Another quiet month, with not many competitions for the horses to compete at it gave us all a chance to sit back and relax for the Christmas festivities.

It was great to spend Christmas with my family and grandparents as we don’t get much time to do it over the rest of the year.

I was very lucky and received some new show jumps from my parents for my Christmas present so I’m really looking forward to using those in the New Year.

My new horses are all coming along really well which I’m pleased with.

I took them to their first show last week which was really worth doing as it gives them the chance to gain the experience and knowledge that they need to go further.

I also have a couple of other horses that I am just trying to get going again as they have been out of work for a while.

Macgarveys Choice is a bay, nine-year-old gelding currently jumping up to 1.40m and is owned by Alison Claxton; a really good horse to jump with a lot of scope.

Grand Cherie is a beautiful bay gelding who really loves to jump. He is eight-years-old and is currently jumping at the same level as Macgarveys Choice. He is owned by Danielle Smith and is a really nice horse with a lot of potential.

I have decided not to make any New Year’s resolutions just from the fact that I really struggle to keep them as last year I told myself I would cut down on chocolate and I never kept that up!

Happy New Year; will write soon – Portia

Philippa

This month I have started to play with my new young French horses.

I have one three-year-old and two that are four-years-old. I’m going to start to ride them and get used to them through the winter, and also give them chance to get used to me.

I have competed at some of the local shows and in unaffiliated classes to get them going with the general awareness of a show and what happens when they go out to shows and events.

It’s important they learn this at a young age as they then get to know the surroundings and what they are at the event for and what to do when they get there.

Some horses are quick to learn that getting excited at shows and events is the thing to do if they haven’t been brought up with it in their normal weekly routine.

If all goes well for the rest of this year, I am aiming to compete two of my horses in the five-year-old classes.

I competed these horses in the four-year-old classes last year and we got on really well.

This New Year I am really looking forward to my week’s training with Rodrigo Pessoa as part of my win in the Pessoa series. This will be in Belgium, so that’s really exciting.

At the moment I think I will be taking Utah VII on the training week.

Known as Lilly, Utah VII is a 10-year-old chestnut mare, by Phin Phin. She is originally from Holland and previously competed by Roleof Bril.

She has amazing scope, and has been placed in senior Grand Prix's, including an excellent second place to John Whitaker's CSI***** winner Utah Van Erpekom in the Braham Grand Prix.

Will write soon - Philippa.

Jemma

Quite a hectic month this time as I have just moved back up to Scotland for the winter months; which has been a long few trips back and forth from Billy Twomey’s yard in Cheshire.

I was lucky enough at Christmas to receive a new saddle from my parents as I have been longing for a new one for a while.

I also received some rugs for the horses and new travelling boots which are really nice and comfortable. Very important for the long journeys in the lorry which often take place when we enter big shows.

Unlike Portia, I am quite good at keeping my New Year’s resolutions and this year mine is going to be to go to the gym more often; well, a lot more than last year!

This month I also competed at Hands in Bristol, where Miss Saigon took third place in the 1.35m, Pieter won the 1.30m Grand Prix and Tosca took a fifth in the easibed qualifier for the British Open.

They all jumped really well and I was so proud of each of them.

I also competed at Ingleston where I gained a second place on Pieter in the 1.30m class and a third on Miss Saigon in the Grand Prix.

I am competed all three of the horses at Rowallan next month which is something nice and local to look forward to with it still being quite a big show.

After Christmas and the New Year I will be looking for another show jumping yard for the summer.

Best Wishes and will write soon - Jemma.