With the season hurtling towards us it’s time for me to finally announce some of the plans for 2024 that I have hinted at over the last few weeks. This all came about rather quickly after a discussion a few drinks in at the Showing World Awards and has progressed into something really exciting.
I’ll not keep you in suspense now all my home clients know and I have done my first few days, which some of you may have seen on my Instagram stories, I am delighted to announce that I am going to be joining Team Elenor full time for the 2024 season!
After three seasons working shows for Team Elenor, Sara and Craig have convinced me to make the big move from Gloucestershire to Yorkshire to join the team in the exciting role of Assistant Producer. I am absolutely thrilled to have this incredible opportunity to join a yard that I feel is one of the very best in the UK with a phenomenal string of ponies for this season.
I am very much looking forward to getting stuck into my new role as assistant producer, we are looking at it as the show equivalent to the assistant trainer role in a racing yard. It’s not a role I have seen before in the showing world but it is one I would like to see more of. I think it would be really beneficial for anyone that would like to start producing but hasn’t had that experience in the running of a big yard and the ins and outs of all the behind the scenes work, not just doing the horses but the paper work, dealing with clients and everything else that is involved in producing for the show ring. I hope this prompts more producers to start offering something like this in the future.
I have absolutely loved being freelance over the last 6 years and I will miss doing shows with Team Linney and seeing all my home clients regularly but this felt like too good an opportunity to miss, especially for a team I respect and enjoy being a part of so much. I am incredibly fortunate that my amazing Mum is kindly stepping in to look after everything at home for me to allow me to take this opportunity, I don’t know what I’d do without her!
What does this new job mean for my blog and social media? Well you’ll be pleased to know that I will be continuing with my blog as normal with, hopefully, some exciting additions to it through the year. Sara and I have big plans for both the team Instagram and Facebook pages and my own this year, we are planning lots of educational and fun content to give you lots of tips, tricks and an insight into how things work at Team Elenor. We have lots planned but we would love your suggestions and requests for what you would like to see from us this year.
I recently did my first few days on the yard and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if the weather tried its best to put me off Yorkshire (fortunately, unlike my dog, I have realised that I won’t melt in the rain). It was great to get started with some of the ponies ready for this season, some very promising young ponies and some returning favourites, it certainly made up for the weather. I will be balancing my time between home and Yorkshire for the next few weeks until I head to Australia for three weeks in March then I hit the ground running when I get back heading straight to the BSPS Winter Champs.
I am so excited to be going back to Australia, not for as long this time unfortunately but I’m looking forward seeing all the wonderful people I met out there last year and doing Grand Nationals and Sydney Royal.
So now that you all know I can’t wait to bring you along on the journey with me!
Lead image by Emma Ohren. Find her on social media @emsohrenphotography
