I grew up in the Scottish Borders and have ridden for as long as I can remember. In my younger days, I was a long standing member of the Duke of Buccleuch Pony Club and, later, a member of Ettrick Forest Riders Association. I competed in various disciplines for EFRA and even made it to the Riding Club Championships on a couple of occasions. I moved to Stirlingshire about 10 years ago and have been a member of Glenbrae Riding Club ever since. Three years ago I joined the committee, was then given the dubious promotion to Vice-Chairman and have now become Chairman. I compete on a regular basis, hold my BHSAI and UKCC Level 2. I believe that Glenbrae offers everyone an opportunity to be part of a Club which is sociable, fun, educational and, above all, friendly to all of its members.
Heather MacGowan - General Secretary
I have always loved horses for as long as I can remember. As a child I had lessons at a local riding school but I never managed to persuade my parents that a pony/horse would be a great addition to our family. That had to wait for a few years longer than I had hoped - until I was 30 to be exact!!
My first horse was fast and fun loving Inca, a 7/8 thoroughbred chestnut mare who loved show jumping and x country but not dressage - no time!! Sadly she had to be put to sleep last year at the age of 24 after a partnership of 14 years.
The previous year I had purchased a new horse - Summer Breeze a 16.2hh skewbald thoroughbred/warmblood cross. Summer came into our lives with a bang throwing lots of tantrums and challenges at us. But pleased to say we are finally coming together enjoying some unaffiliated show jumping, hunter trials and even the odd dressage test.
Attending events run by GRC has helped us, as they aim to do, by encouraging all levels of riders in a fun learning environment.
As well as normal life duties such as wife, mother and fulltime nurse, I have been a member of Glenbrae for approximately 12 years and a committee member for nearly 10 of these. This year I appear to have landed the role of General Secretary - scary responsibilities!! I look forward to seeing old and new members at our club's training sessions, competitions or fun social events.
Jonathan Bagg - Membership Secretary
I have been involved with horses since the age of six, I have owned my current horse for the last 10 years and we compete at the members nights and local shows. I currently work for NAF so if you are worried about your horses diet or confused about supplements I will more than happily answer your questions.
Liessa Allan - Treasurer
Lorna Muirhead - Website Editor/Flatwork Training Officer/Flatwork Teams Co-ordinator
I have been riding since I was 11 years old, after I started getting lessons at a local riding school. I have owned or loaned a variety of horses and ponies over the year, from my first pony Hiccup who was barely broken when I got her after riding for 6 months (that was an interesting pairing), to my beloved Snoopy that I owned for 12 years - we didn't go to many things because he was too stubborn and I was too inexperienced to load him however I did used to hack him to Pony Club events, ride him in every class that I possibly could and then hack him home again without getting off his back once all day so he really lost out by not loading. To Abbie my first horse who helped me develop an enjoyment of dressage and cross country although Abbie is a bit too dainty to be brave enough for cross country, then came Bounce in 2000, a 17hh 5 year old (an odd choice for someone that is 5'3'') who is very aptly named. He introduced me to British Eventing and he was great fun, if a little accident prone often on competition mornings! I then had a horse called Paddy on loan from Oatridge College for a summer, he had the most twisted front pastern I had ever seen and didn't look like he should be able to walk never mind jump but he was by far the best jumper I have sat on. Next came Shannon on loan, a 15.1hh mare with huge amounts of talent but a highly active mind which means realising the potential was quite challenging at times, however although we may not have achieved everything we should have, we certainly had fun. And finally came Mel, another 15.1hh mare on loan. She was my pony club or thelwell pony. She could turn her hand to most things and we had success in dressage, showjumping, BE Intro and Trec. She was a very cheeky character who kept me on my toes. For the first time in a long time I currently have no horse to compete due to the recent arrival of my 2nd child Hamish, its very strange not mucking out every day however its been great to be able to stay indoors during this very wet and windy winter.
As I keep the website updated please let me know if there is anything you would like to see on here or anything you would like the club to try organising, you can email me at webadmin@glenbraeridingclub.co.uk.
Caroline Guy
Gill Sinclair - Newsletter Editor
I first went riding when I was 4. My mother thought it would be a nice once a week game for me and my sister. Unfortunately for her that was us hooked and I got my first pony when I was 11, Ashley a 14hh Arab 6yo. At 15 I got my perfect horse, Ciaran a TBxID 5yo from Ireland who I did most of my competing on – you name it I did it (ODE, SJ, WH Showing). I had loads of fun with him however I had to sell when I went off to University. I did not ride for about 6 years but the lure was too great and I got back into horses about 12 years ago. I bought
I have been a member of Glenbrae Riding Club for nearly 18 years and have been on the committee for most of that time. I am the contact person for our Dressage Members` Nights and take the entries for our shows. I don’t ride much these days because my horse is aged and retired, but we did compete for the club in team show jumping. I still enjoy being on the Glenbrae Committee because it keeps me in touch with so many lovely horsey people.
Jamie Stoddart
I had not been anywhere near a horse until 3 years ago, decided to give it a go as my wife, Ceri never seemed to be home. Could not understand what could possibly take up so much time........
Started getting lessons at Houston Farm in Uphall and was hooked straight away! Have taken part in a few prelim dressage tests on Lorna's mare Abbie. We now own Barney, a 6 yr old Irish Thoroughbred Cross. He is cheeky and far to clever for his own good. Looking forward to getting more experienced and working towards my Cross Country ambition.
Astell Easdon
Susan Crookston