Six of Britain’s brightest rising stars gathered on a blustery March Monday for the sixth annual final of the Young Professionals Award. Hosted once again by Brian and Pammy Hutton at Talland on 02 March, the final this year was judged by two sporting legends, Jennie Loriston-Clarke and Paul Fielder. After a full day of being grilled in interview, riding strange horses and teaching in front of the judges, 22 year old Greg Sims came out on top to take the £4000 grant and coveted title.
BYRDS Director Janet Horswill welcomed everyone over coffee and introduced the judges, Jennie and Paul. Neither really needed much of an introduction and it was clear that they wanted to make the day as beneficial as possible for the eight finalists in addition to selecting an overall winner. Aimed towards the 18 – 25 age group, the Young Professionals Award is designed to discover talented individuals with the skill, temperament and drive to make a successful career in the ever-changing equestrian industry. Some may focus on riding, or teaching or running a yard or a combination and while many aspire to success, the programme aims to find those with the ‘x’ factor to make dreams a reality.
It’s almost a year-long process to make it to the final but there’s plenty of opportunity to learn along the way. Applications open early in the year and close in August but there’s always a training day in April to help potential applicants with the process plus some useful training. After the applications come in, those successful are divided into three groups to attend a day with a top trainer. In 2014, this was Dan Sherriff (Bayford Hall Farm), Becky & Hannah Moody (Far Broad Oak) and Richard Davison (Combridge Farm). From these fantastic days, six finalists are chosen.
New this year, was a change to the afternoon format where the finalists had to choose a teaching or stable management strand to showcase their speciality. To help with the change, an extra training day was put on at Kingswood Equestrian centre for the finalist which all agreed was a huge benefit.
Emily Harris, 23, from Sway in Hampshire – qualified at Bayford Hall Farm
Josh Hill, 18, from East Grinstead in West Sussex – qualified at Bayford Hall Farm
Victoria Maw, 20, from Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire – qualified at Far Broad Oak
Greg Sims, 22, from Hardwick in Gloucestershire (based Worcestershire) – qualified at Far Broad Oak
Ryan Todd, 22, from Halifax in West Yorkshire – qualified at Combridge Farm
Rob Trobridge, 24, from Ferndown in Dorset – qualified at Bayford Hall Farm
The morning was about riding and interview. All six had a session with BD Chairman Penny Pollard and Dr Moira Lafferty around their business plan, ambitions, goals and how to realise them. In groups of three they rode in front of the judges; the first horses were ‘young and problem’ rides and the second group of horses working at a more advanced level. Once again, the team at Talland did an amazing job to bring out beautifully prepared horses which gave the candidates plenty to work with. There were three horses in each session and the finalists rode each one. On several occasions, Jennie and Paul came into the arena to talk with the riders and even help with a few tips.
All 11 horses were on their best behaviour, so no major mishaps but clearly the riders have to work to find the right buttons to get the best from them!
Everyone was hosted in the house for lunch, personally cooked by Pammy, which was warming and very welcome on a cold day! It was then back to the school for the new afternoon format. All six riders had elected to do the teaching strand, so each one paired with a judge and was given a horse and rider combination from Talland to give a 45 minute lesson. Previously, the finalists just paired with a judge to discuss the way the combinations were riding openly but this time they had to actually deliver a lesson. Four of the finalists hold a UKCC Level 2 qualification and being involved in the YPA process has inspired the other two to study for it.
Download the full programme which includes the finalists’ biogs.
While the judges and officials went off for their final deliberation, Pippa and Pammy gave us an insight into Pippa’s new grand prix freestyle with Duela, who make their debut at that level at Addington CDI. It was certainly upbeat and modern (with music from Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran) with a ‘Hutton twist’; something to look forward to!
The final six assembled for the prize giving with Janet plus Islay Auty and Rachel Hillier, who have been instrumental in developing the concept from the original talent spotting. Also in the presentation party were Penny Pollard, who, as well as judging, supports the final through Core Context Consulting which enables BD to present substantial grants to the winners, and Mark Farmar from the Worshipful Company of Saddlers who presented a double bridle to the winner. The YPA also receives support from the BEF Excel Talent Programme, funded by Sport England.
With tension running high, the three runners up were announced as (in no particular order) Josh, Victoria and Ryan. All three are eligible to apply again this year (and we hope they will). Third was Rob Trobridge who has a £1,000 grant to spend. It was down to two…Emily and Greg. Janet announced Greg as the winner, which gave Emily runners-up spot and a £2,000 grant.
After receiving all his prizes, Greg told BD, “Everything I am, I owe to the Eilbergs. I’m grateful to them for giving me such an opportunity and winning this title gives me the confidence to go on with my dream of having my own yard. I’ve planned already to use my £4000 towards doing my HGV license and through the YPA, I’ve realised I really need to do my UKCC qualifications.” His employers, the Eilbergs, tweeted;‘Massive congratulations to our very own, Greg Sims on winning the Young Professional Award 2015. He works so hard on a daily basis and we are all so proud his hard work has paid off, well done Greg!!’
More about our winner: Greg started riding aged five in Gloucestershire at a local riding school and by 12 had his own pony. He was a member of the Minchinhampton Pony Club (along with Zara Phillips) but it was through the BYRDS scheme that his focus turned to dressage around 15 years old. He was lucky enough to work with Sandy Phillips in his teenage years before heading to the Eilbergs in Worcestershire where he’s been for the last three years. He rides a wide variety of horses at the yard and currently competes Tennessee for owner Henriette Cheetham at small tour level.
Huge thanks to all our finalists who made it such a special day plus to our sponsors, without whom we couldn’t run this key initiative. Also, we owe Pammy and Brian Hutton, and the entire Talland team, a huge debt for providing the facilities and amazing horses – there’s nowhere else in Britain we could hold the final and have access to such great horses.
We hope as many of you as possible will give thought to applying this year – the workshop is on Wednesday 22 April at the Windmill Hotel, Coventry and costs £25 which includes refreshments, lunch and a workshop pack. If you’re interested, email our BYRDS team for more information.