Biography
I started vaulting when I was eight. My neighbour vaulted and asked me to come along and try it (they needed someone small for their team!). At the time I shared a pony with my brother and sister but we had only had her for about a year so I wasn’t really a rider. I was into Highland dancing and was competing in that regularly. However, after I’d tried vaulting I was hooked!!
I vaulted with their club for a year and was then asked to join the Scottish Equestrian Vaulting Team. Although I was the reserve for most of that year I travelled with them to the World Equestrian Games in Rome in 1998. It was my first international competition and I was amazed throughout! By 1999 I secured a place in the team as a flyer, and we were selected to represent Great Britain at the European Championships. As I grew taller I moved up the team and became a prop - my turn to throw the little ones about!
As part of the Scottish Equestrian Vaulting Team, I was selected to represent Great Britain every year up to and including 2007 - excluding 2001 due to foot and mouth. The team went from coming pretty much last at most championships to 4th place at the Europeans in 2005 and 5th at WEG 2006 which was fantastic!!
During this time I was also competing as an individual. In 2004 I had been selected as one of Great Britain’s individual females. It was my first championships and I came 19th so I was definitely pleased as I was one of the youngest in the class. I was also selected each of the following three years coming 13th in Europe in 2005, 10th at WEG 2006, and 4th in Europe in 2007. After 2007 I had to choose whether to continue with team or individual as I was too old to compete in both. I decided my best option was individual and I was once again selected for Great Britain and came 5th at the World Championships.
Back in 2001 my dad had decided to buy his own horse and we had started our own club, Wee County Vaulters. We started with three vaulters, one horse and him coaching and lungeing! It has now grown so much we have 26 vaulters, two international horses, one national horse and a beginner and we have some more coaches, including myself. I’m also currently studying Dentistry at Glasgow University.
2008 was a good year. In January, I was invited to the Masters in Leipzig which I won and I came second in Saumur at Easter. At the CVI*/** in Ermelo, my sister Hannah was 1st in the Junior class and I won the Senior class - a first for Britain. I then came 5th at the World Championships and was the British Female Individual Champion and Pairs Champions with Hannah. To end the year, another invitation - this time to the Masters in Paris. It was a really good competition which I won, and a great finish to '08!
All my expectations were exceeded in 2009 as I had wins in Saumur, Ermelo, Wiesbaden, Aachen and America. A fantastic year was rounded off when I retained my British crown and won the European Championships in Sweden.
I was selected for WEG 2010 in Kentucky (as was my younger sister Hannah) and my preparation went well with wins in Saumur, Ermelo, Neeroeteren, Wiesbaden and Aachen. I was thrilled to top the International Female Individual World Rankings in June 2010, with Hannah in second place! Hannah and I won the first medal in pairs by being awarded the Silver at the European Championships. Later in the year we went to WEG which was a fantastic experience, and I won the gold medal! It was great to have lots of support from the large British contingent out there.
2011 was a really good year for me again. I was riding on my success after 2010 going into the year and luckily managed to keep up the momentum despite sitting my final exams at uni and travelling to Vietnam for a month to treat children. I had a great start to the year winning the CVIO** in Saumur, sharing the podium with Hannah in 3rd. We also retained our Nations Cup title. My success continued winning the CVI** in Ermelo and Belgium. I also competed Pas de Deux at both these CVI’s placing first in each, and Hannah and I made our debut doing our pairs in Belgium.
I won the CHIO Aachen for the third year, which was a definite highlight for me. The Europeans proved to be more of a challenge, as I had to come from behind in the first round to win the Championship overall. I really had to dig deep and control myself mentally to do it, so I’m exceptionally proud of this title. Hannah and I were just pipped at the post in the Pas de Deux class and our club Wee vaulters took the silver medal missing out on gold by 0.002. My year ended with the World Cup qualifiers. I competed in Salzburg and Paris, winning both competitions and hopefully qualifying for the World Cup final, which will be my first competition of 2012.
