The Team

Meet the team behind WGRC.

The Committee

Lottie Parkin

Social Secretary and Safe Guarding Officer

After jumping ponies as a teenager, Lottie went into Carriage Driving and later started to train her own horses and ponies to drive aswell as ride, she has spent time with the British Driving Society but in the last few years moved back towards the jumping and Riding Club activities. Lottie is most known for her collection of spotted horses, she currently owns 3 along with a couple of others. On Smartie Party and his son Roulette she enjoys jumping and eventing and with Orion’s Chino a bit of dressage.

Lottie joined Wessex Gold Riding Club not long after it formed but didn’t become the Social Secretary until the middle of 2013, having met and made so many friends from joining a riding club her main aim as the Social Secretary is for other new members to join in, make new friends, have fun and hopefully find the enjoyment from the club that she also receives.

Now her late 30’s, Lottie’s other enjoyments in life include being the happy person on the end of the phone to her delightful older customers at Wiltshire Farm Foods. After work and horses, she is also a Rainbow Leader (next one down from the Brownies).

  • lottie_parkin@hotmail.co.uk

  • 07749 540574

  • Barchester, 3 Blakehill View, Malmesbury Road, Leigh, Wiltshire, SN6 6RB

Jo Manning

Secretary

A late developer within the horsey world, Jo did not start her life with horses until she was 16. Realising just how addictive they were she went on to work with them and train as a groom and riding instructor. After taking 6 years to realised that the industry was not for her Jo vowed to give up horses and left everything behind her, including all her coats, jackets and hats. Fate was not meant to be for a certain golden Welsh D named Bella who refused to be left behind without her partner in crime.

After being gifted to her by her previous owner and rebuying a whole wardrobe Jo and Bella became regular on the local show jumping scene competing for WGRC at the Nationals in Lincoln, rising through the ranks and competing nationally in showing, flying around team chasing and generally travelling at 100mph together, generally cackling away. In conjunction, Jo grew her partnership with her chestnut mare Bryony. The horse that originally taught her how to ride and continued to teach her how to ride, Bryony enjoyed showing her when she was doing something wrong with a good chestnut mare buck, preferably mid-air over a jump.

Sadly Bryony lost her fight to a two year battle originating from mud fever and Bella, after recovering from liver damage developed ring bone, ending her career but ensuring that she was and still is the most expensive and beautiful lawn mower in all of Wiltshire.

When one door closes a window opens and Jo decided to double her herd. Along came Libby, a 6 year old 15.1 Welsh D x TB who had never been off the island of Anglesey and has a penchant for bread. Since Jo and Libby have been partnered she has rebroken her and produced her. She has very rarely been out of placings since her very first show. The pair have represented WGRC on many occasions in show jumping, horse trials and now are specialising in the dressage phase, which they also do at BD level.

Jo joined WGRC from the very beginning eventually joining the committee to develop the showing side of the club with the experience that she had picked up through showing with Bella. This position soon developed into becoming Secretary for the club.

  • jom314@gmail.com

  • 07780 464084

  • Flat 1, 33 High Street, Cricklade, Wiltshire, SN6 6AY

Jenny Hughes

Treasurer

Jenny has ridden since a young age, where she enjoyed a pony filled childhood participating in a variety of equestrian disciplines. She was an enthusiastic member of the pony club, representing them in a variety of team events. Jenny still has her first pony whom she shared with her sister Anna. Although well into her 30s Chrissie at 12.2hh is still a handful at times and regularly has the human family running around the yard trying to catch her.

During her teenage years Jenny moved onto horses. She has generally bought and brought on young horses, included several ex-racehorses. During this time she acquired a 15.3hh Chestnut warm blood mare, Carmel. Known as Millie to her friends, she could be a very tricky ride. However she and Jenny struck up a great bond which was to last 10 yrs, until Millie sadly passed away. During this time they competed successfully, acquiring many wins, in Show Jumping, Eventing and Team Chasing. Millie built up quite a reputation locally as being quick against the clock in Show Jumping. However, her first love was cross country and in the ten years they competed, Jenny and Millie only had faults in this discipline twice. Jenny and Millie represented Wessex Gold Riding Club on numerous occasions

Jenny currently has three horses, Eddie, Indie and Lucy. Eddie is a 16.2hh ex racehorse who is currently beginning to compete at a low level having been off injured. Eddie is quite a character, described by one instructor as a lovable idiot!

Indie is a 16.3hh ID/TB mare. Indie had done very little when Jenny purchased her but the pair had a great time competing until injury struck, making Indie a rather large, expensive pet. The newest edition is Lucy who is proving to be a successful show jumper, winning the summer 80cms qualifier.

Jenny juggles her horses with a career in e-commerce, where she works for a local environmentally friendly gardening company.

  • jenny.wgrc@hotmail.co.uk

  • 07780 464155

  • 15 Sherrer Lane, Tadpole Garden Village, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN25 2UN

Jo Howse

Chair Person & Show Jump Chef d’Equipe

Jo fits her riding around working for NAF as an Area Sales Manager, running Knappside Stud, as well as fitting in some time for her husband Simon, and Jack Russell’s Lola and Twig. The stud keeps Jo busy with both her own horses and ponies and the young stock and foaling liveries. Jo mainly rides Mylee, and although mostly rides for fun, hacking around the local roads and tracks, she does still attend some clinics and loves going to camp each year.

Jo was part of the original team who created Wessex Gold, taking the club to BRC affiliation. Jo has taken the role of Chairperson for Wessex Gold RC since its conception and takes the responsibility for the show jumping teams, and any other jobs which need doing.

  • joanneehowse@icloud.com

  • 07881 817904 or 07776 258797

  • KnappSide Stud, Malmesbury Road, Leigh, Wiltshire, SN6 6RH