This year GNKfamily had the honour of sponsoring a very talented young British Showjumper!
Louise and Eve Nicolson have a firm fondness for horses and each year GNKfamily proudly attends the Blair Castle International Horse Trials. It made perfect sense to get behind Summer Edmond and her beautiful horse Donald as they successfully jumped their way through the season. Let's hear a little more from Summer about her riding career and sponsorship...
Summer Edmond: Horse Riding and Tartan
"Strangely enough I wasn't a big fan of animals when I was very young then at around 6 years old I visited a friends yard that had a couple of horses and I was shown how to look after and care for them. It was at this point I became hooked and knew I wanted to take things further. I then began to ride when I was seven years old at a little riding club not far from me and from there I started sharing horses and I became a member of the Edinburgh Pony Club. This was the gateway for me to start competing in various competitions as well as achieving certain Equine accreditations. I have now been a member for the past 5 years and so far I have achieved up to my B level exam which involves being assessed on specific horse care and different riding disciplines. After multiple shares and loans I was then lucky enough in 2018 to get my first horse Indie who I have competed with in many `Pony Club championships`. In our second year we managed the hat-trick and we qualified for the Championships in all three disciplines (Show jumping, Eventing and Dressage) This resulted in us having an article published in the Scottish Horse Rider Magazine. In 2019 we became a member of British Show jumping opening up a whole new level of competitions accross the UK this was also our first Blair International Horse Trails together and I have competed there every year since.This year Indie and I have also been trying to qualify for the `Aintree National Amateur Championships`. After our fifth and final double clear in August we qualified and got our ticket. Aintree here we come!"
"In 2021 I decided it was time to progress further with my showjumping by moving up the heights and this is when Donald came into the family. We have had several achievements over the past year and a bit together. This year we finished 7th out of 85 combinations in the Scottish Champions Tour and also had a great weekend at `Blair International Horse trials` finishing just outside the top ten. In the past few weeks we have just had our first Senior Discovery win together which was long overdue. We also have one final qualifiing attempt for Aintree on Donald so who knows November could be a busy month! This all doesn`t come without dedication and hardwork (and the support of my parents). I ride both horses 5 times a week in order to keep them in top shape and we have regular training sessions with our coach. This year has become even more exciting due to the recent support and sponsorship from Gordon and Louise. I can't thank them enough."