3rd Mar 2007

Veteran Showjumps into Retirement

After winning five open competitions in a row, qualifying for four Championship classes and taking second place in the Cats and Pipes Pairs Challenge at this year’s Easibed Scope BSJA Festival of Show Jumping, the 24 year old mare Greenside Amy will return to her home in North Wales to enjoy a well deserved retirement.

Bought by Amanda Carpenter as a four year old who had just been broken, Greenside Amy qualified up through the grades winning competitions such as the Liverpool Ladies Championships and Manchester Ladies Championships before competing in National Grade A Show Jumping competitions at events including the Horse of the Year Show. “At the height of her career Greenside Amy would always be within the national top 10 rankings at the beginning of the season, or at least until the professionals started competing with their string of horses”, explained Amanda.

At the age of eighteen, Greenside Amy produced a foal and after a short while began to compete again. However, as a result of having the foal, age related conformational changes and an injury, Amanda found it increasingly difficult to find a saddle that would allow Greenside Amy to move freely and comfortably enough to continue competing at such a high level but without restriction.

After chatting to Sue at an event it became apparent to Amanda that the flexibility in the design of a Sue Carson Saddle coupled with the adjustability of the Flair® air flocking system would provide a solution to Amanda’s problem. “Sue was fantastic, she was very patient and knew exactly what we would require in a saddle”, said Amanda. “I tried three or four different saddles before I found a design that truly suited us both but the transformation afterwards was amazing. Greenside Amy was so much lighter and able to use her whole shoulder a lot better”.

This season really has been a superb conclusion to Greenside Amy’s outstanding career.