Taking pony club into bright future

She will be building on a sound base established by Karen Armitage, who held the post for the previous seven years.

The new appointment is perfect timing for Caroline- her youngest daughter Charlotte (18) has just given up competing in different disciplines, having won countless major trophies and championships with her horses.

She was renowned for her achievements with her two greys, Smartie and No Regrets, and Caroline had been involved with Charlotte's spiralling success since she started riding at the age of eight.

"I had never had horses myself, but all my three daughters have ridden, and I never really knew where it had all come from. But I have driven Caroline to competitions and helped look after the horses, occasionally exercising them, and I was devastated when she decided to give up riding," said Caroline.

Her challenging role as district commissioner has come at a really good time for her, when she has the time and enthusiasm to take the club to an even higher level.

One of her aims will be to motivate parents into encouraging their children to compete and she would love to see the club represented in the Prince Philip Cup at the Horse of the Year Show.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette Sussex Horse World December 5