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It's time for another One Club member blog and this month we speak to member Teal Anthoney to find out more about her equestrian journey and how she has defied the odds to keep doing the sport she loves in pursuit of her dreams. We have known Teal for a number as years as she is a big Protechmasta fan and is often getting in touch to keep us updated with how Protechmasta is helping her horse Suzie. And it's a family affair as her mum Antionette is also a keen horse rider and Protechmasta fan! Over to you Teal:

 

Hello fellow Harry Hall members, welcome to my "meet a One Club member" blog! My name is Teal, I am a 24-year-old amateur dressage rider from Cornwall.

 

I recently became a Chartered Accountant and I am Manager at a local firm, I live with my boyfriend, Tom, (we bought our first house this year!), and I keep my horse, Suzie, at a livery yard two minutes from my house.

 

Before I get into the horsey side of it I should probably tell you about the one thing that tries to stop me achieving my dreams - my body! I have hip dysplasia and scoliosis which means that most sports are not available to me, I struggle to walk without a stick if I have to go any further than "around the yard". To add insult to injury, I had a car accident in 2018 (my other hobby is race cars but it would appear I am not so talented at it!!), this caused a nasty open fracture on my left arm which snapped my median nerve and resulted in a reduction in the mobility of my left arm and hand. It is a shame that my body hinders me at times, but I'm determined not to let it get me down - it just means I have to work that little bit harder!

 

I have been competitive in dressage since I was nine years old and have loved it front the first moment I trotted up the centre line. Unfortunately, it has not been plain sailing and my horsey story is filled with heartbreak and frustration. To be honest, if I wrote it down you would probably ask why I still have horses! So we will not dwell on the past, instead, I'd like to talk about what I am currently up to and what I'd like to achieve in the future!

 

In July 2019 (three days before my accountancy finals!), I had to have my "heart horse", Leo, put to sleep after two long months of trying to save him.

 

I could not live without a horse in my life, it felt like I had lost a limb. Tom and I were in the midst of buying our house and I could not afford to buy another horse so I set out on the impossible quest to find a horse on loan.

 

By some miracle, I found Suzie. Suzie is a 12-year-old British Warmblood by Don Schufro and had evented for the last six years. She was working at elementary level dressage at home and also knew shoulder in and travers so her owners were confident I could get her to Medium level quite quickly. I travelled up to ride her in lots of different circumstances and was assessed by the owner's trainer before they could be sure I was right for her. Thankfully Suzie and I got on well straight away and it was agreed that she would come to live with me in September.

One Club Member Teal and Suzie

 

Fast forward ten months and I can confirm that she is my horse of a lifetime. I am so grateful for every second I get to spend with her, she is incredible in every way imaginable. She took to dressage like a duck to water and, to my amazement, I have already got her working towards PSG. My trainer says Suzie has read the book "How to be a Grand Prix horse" and she's hit the nail on the head! Everything I train her to do, she takes on board with a huge smile on her face and dances her little hooves off trying to get it right for me - I don't know what I did to deserve her but I will cherish every second I have with her and treat her like a queen every single day.

 

I am hoping to do some premier leagues with her next year, as well as some para-dressage competitions. We also hope to debut at Prix St George - OMG I GET TO WEAR TAILS!! Most of all though, I will be enjoying her. I teach in the evenings and at the weekends to fund my own lessons and my competitions so I will never pressure myself so much that I don't enjoy competing. I am not a professional and I don't need to win, I will just enjoy the experiences and do my best by Suzie - that is what is important to me.

 

I think I have waffled on about myself enough now! So to end my blog I thought it would be a good idea to talk about my favourite products from Harry Hall and why I love them so much.

 

My favourite products are definitely the "Protechmasta range". It started when the rug helped my old horse to stop being cold backed, and the love affair grew from there. Suzie has pretty much the whole wardrobe, my favourite item probably being the Silveraid leg wraps as they stop her legs swelling in the stable and also keep her from getting mud fever in winter.

 

My most recent purchase was the fly veil, Suzie is very hot at shows and I bought it to see if it might help her. The answer is YES, to test it out I did my first test with the Protechmasta fly veil and my second test without it at my first show back a couple of weeks ago. Suzie was so chilled in the first test you wouldn't believe she had not been out since March! In the second test, she had "naked ears" and she mostly resembled a fire breathing dragon! So I would definitely recommend the Protechmasta veil for hot horses!

 

I hope you enjoyed my blog, if you'd like to follow our journey on Instagram, we can be found on: @tealanthoney_suzie

 

Thanks so much to Harry Hall for letting me do a blog!

Teal & Suzie xx