Five Pony Club members and their charges have earned a ticket to the SEIB Search for a Star Championship at Your Horse Live this Friday (8 November).

They are due into the SEIB Main Arena at 10.40am and the winner will be invited back to bid for the supreme sash on Saturday.

Here are the finalists for the Open Pony Club championship:

Bertie Basset

The Brookes family bought Bertie as a yearling and the 15-year-old pony is ridden by Layla Brookes.

The 17-year-old rider is a member of the Wheatland Hunt Pony Club and she has contested Pony Club Championships in all the disciplines with Bertie.

She says cross-country is the pony’s favourite discipline, but they also won at the Pony Club dressage championships in 2018 and have been placed third in the eventing championships in the past too.

Brynseion Montague

Twelve-year-old Emilia Stone rides this nine-year-old Welsh section B pony, who is known as Monty at home. He has been owned by the rider’s mother, Sarah, for two years.

Emilia and Monty are members of the East Cheshire Pony Club and Emilia goes to Lymm High School near Warrington in Cheshir.

They qualified for the Your Horse Live SEIB Search for a Star finals at Greenlands Equestrian Centre.

Cilsane Dyminiad Helen

Isobella Carolan-Hall has been riding ‘Mouse’, a Welsh section D, for three years. As well as showing, they compete in jumping and working hunter classes up to 90cm.

An accident last November, shortly after becoming a member of the Quorn Hunt Branch of the Pony Club, left Isobella badly concussed. She said she received “wonderful support from both the members and volunteers, which has really helped rebuild my confidence. Our DC, Julie Mann, has been brilliant”.

Isobella recently finished a year out working as a digital marketing Intern for the Pony Club. She is now in her final year studying digital marketing and data analytics at York St John University.

They qualified for Your Horse Live at Vale View Equestrian Centre.

Corringdon Annabelle

This five-year-old Irish Draught is ridden by 13-year-old Penelope Lea, who has owned the mare since last year.

The pair won their first Search for a Star qualifier, only to be disqualified owing to a passport irregularity. Penelope got the passport sorted out and returned to the next qualifier — at Vale View Equestrian Centre — which they also won.

Penelope is a member of the North Shropshire branch of the Pony Club.

Target

This veteran Appaloosa pony is owned by Rebecca Carter and ridden by Jessica Carter. He is 19 years old and competes mostly in showing.

Jessica has been riding ‘Henry’ for the last three years and says he is a well known local pony. He was acquired by the family from a yard in a neighbouring village and he has his own Facebook page so that his previous owners can stay in touch with him.

Jessica is a member of the Grove Hunt Branch of the Pony Club and qualified for  Your Horse Live at Arena UK.

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