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I am 25 years of
age and a professional event rider, my current British Eventing
National Ranking is 37.
I was the first rider to represent
Great Britain at all levels (Pony, Junior, Young Riders and
Senior).
I am on the World Class Potential
Squad, which was devised to recognise and develop potential
Olympic riders for the 2008, 2012 Games and beyond.
I am based at
Lower Stanton St. Quinton in Wiltshire, where I have wonderful facilities in which to produce and train
event horses to the highest level. I have an incredibly strong
support team around me, not least my mother Jane, who herself
was a Three-Day Event Rider completing Badminton and Burghley.
In 1998 I was a member of the British Pony
European Three Day Event Team, which won the team silver medal at
the European Championship in Le Touquet. I came 9th individually on
my home produced seven year old pony ‘Red Alert’ which I had
produced myself from a three year old. |
Kitty receiving the Best First Time Trophy at
Badminton from
HRH Prince & Princess Michael of Kent in 2005
At the end of the 1998 season I was offered the
ride on ‘Leading Edge,’ who was competing at pre-novice level
and I upgraded him to advanced level. In 2000 I was selected for
the Junior European Championships in Pratoni Del Vivaro, Italy,
where I won a team silver medal, as well as finishing 4th
individually.
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During the 2001
season I was offered the ride on Five Boys, who was an
ex-hurdler. He started the season as a pre-novice and by
October he had won Necarne CCI*.
In 2002 I won Punchestown CCIY** Three Day
Event with Five Boys, having lead from start to finish,
adding nothing to his dressage score to win his second
consecutive Three Day Event in as many starts. Five Boys
performance caught the eye of Captain Mark Phillips, who in
his Horse and Hound eventing column wrote:
“In the
young riders at Punchestown, Cressida Clauge Reading, Kitty
Boggis and Abi Walters make up as strong an array of talent
as I have seen in a long time.”
This performance along with wins at Intermediate
level and a top ten placing in our first advanced competition
meant we
were again selected to represent Great Britain, this time for the
British Young Rider Team heading out to the European Championships
in Austria, where we won a team sliver medal, and I finished 11th
individually.
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This was my third silver out of as many
championships, having represented Great Britain in Pony, Junior
and Young Rider European Championships.
In 2003 I finished 2nd at Bramham CCI*** and
in doing so became the U25 British champion. On the strength
of this performance I was again selected for British Young
Rider Team for the European Championships at Bally-Boir,
Poland. I rode as the anchorman, and due to one the team not
finishing the cross-country, my score had to count. We
produced a very solid all round performance which helped the
team win the gold medal and I finished 4th individually,
causing Nick Burd, the chef d’equipe to comment in the Horse
and Hound:
“It was a bloody good show with all three scores
needing to count. Kitty rode to team orders to the letter. It
probably cost her an individual medal but it brought us the
team gold. She couldn’t have ridden better.”
Five Boys missed the 2004 season due to injury,
but Ideal Image a new ride for the season excelled himself, having
previously only competed at novice level he upgraded to
intermediate and then to advanced by May. He won three
intermediates on the trot and was placed 9th at Windsor
International CCI** Three Day Event. |
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2005 is the highlight of my career so far. I
competed at my first Badminton with Five Boys finishing 7th. In
doing so I was awarded three trophies:
Worshipful Co. of Saddlers' Saddle -
British Rider with best score who is under 25 on 1st January 2003
and who is not entitled to wear adult Union Jack Badge
Laurence Rook Trophy - best British Rider
not previously competed Badminton
Cotswold Life Trophy – to the best
British rider, not entitled to wear the adult Union Jack and whose
permanent address is; Glos, Wilts, Oxon, Worcs, Hereford or
Somerset
On the back of this fantastic result and Five
Boys and I were selected to be a member of the British Senior
European team at Blenheim. In doing this I became the first rider
to represent Great Britain at all levels, Pony, Junior, Young
Rider and Senior.
I am very lucky to have achieved all this and
have huge ambitions to achieve more and I believe I have the
motivation to succeed at the highest level of my sport.
However, none of this would be possible with out
the support of my fantastic team at home and my brilliant owners
and sponsors, who are so understanding and supportive.
TRAINING
For the last three years I have been selected
for the World Class Start and Potential programme, which is
Lottery funded through UK Sport. The programme provides an
established development pathway for young, talented riders, with
opportunities and access that further my training and development
as a potential Olympic rider.
Through the World Class programme I am fortunate
to have access to top class training from:
Gill Watson – FBHS
Trainer of the Junior And Young Rider British Teams. Listed FEI
Dressage Judge and owner of renowned training establishment in
Oxfordshire.
Yogi Breisner
– FBHS
Performance Manager for the British Eventing. National Coach and
Overall Co-Ordinator for the British Event Teams. Chef d’Equipe
for the Senior Team.
Henriette Anderson
Henriette, an International Dressage rider has also been very
helpful to me.
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