Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Bonnie Fishburn
Event rider and social media fan, Bonnie Fishburn forms part of the new age of rider, busy tweeting and facebooking probably while riding her horse at the same time
Meet Bonnie Fishburn, dreaming of Badminton
Now 33, Bonnie has been eventing for 15 years but actually started riding at the tender age of just four-years-old.
Like so many pony mad girls, Bonnie competed at local shows on friend's ponies, picking up handfuls of rosettes as she went along, before aged 17 she started to work firstly with show jumpers and then event horses.
Moving to Surrey, Bonnie was fortunate to train with well know event and show rider Georgia Bale, who competed at Badminton and Burghley with the handsome grey gelding, Man in the Moon.
Says Bonnie: "The two years with Georgia were very beneficial for me as I got to learn about how the professionals run their yards and prepare their horses for competition."
"From there I moved to Warwickshire, at the age of 21, to ride horses for Jocelyn Riley at Equestrian Direct Surfaces."
"As well as running the arena business, Jocelyn also buys in young horses, mainly from Ireland to bring on to compete from a young age and sell on when they have been produced. "
"This must have been my biggest learning curve, as I had a huge responsibility to run a yard of up to 12 horses at a time. This included the daily running of the yard, producing the horses to compete, as well as organizing where the horse would compete next and getting them ready for the big day. "
"I was based there for four years and achieved some very rewarding results it wasn't often that our team of horses came home unplaced after a competition."
Bonnie's next move to Shropshire saw little opportunity to compete horses for other people, so she decided to buy a horse to bring on for herself and to fun her eventing she started working with racehorses, including working for Henry Daly (National Hunt Trainer) for three-and-a-half years.
Six years on she still has that horse and has produced him from a naughty show jumper into a talented eventer. Bonnie has also bred two youngsters out of her first horse and added them to her string and is having lots of fun with them.
A move to Cheshire saw Bonnie have a new yard with stabling for eight built for her and with the 2015 underway everything looks rosy for this talented, hardworking rider.
1 Tell us about a 'typical' day?
My typical day consists of getting up about 6.30am and going down to feed the horses. While they eat I fill the next batch of haynets for the next three feeds. I like to get my riding done in the morning if possible so the horses get a nice long break in the field. I tend to ride at least five horses a day. Once ridden I come up for breakfast and then back down to muck out. I feel once the horses are out in the field I can slow down and relax a bit because I know they aren't cooped up in their stables. In the afternoon I do either paper work or odd jobs around the yard that need doing. The horses come in around 5.30pm for supper and then they get their final haynets around 10pm along with their Equerry Minty Treats and kisses.
In the summer my routine changes a bit as the horses are out at night, so come in at 7am, they have breakfast and are left to sleep for a few hours while I do odd jobs and poo pick the fields. Then they are ridden late morning/early afternoon, then we all get a late lunch and they get a bit more sleep time before being turned out at 5.30pm for the night, which is when I muck out and get things ready for them to come in the next morning.
2 Where do you get your energy and passion from?
My energy comes from the masses of probably quite unhealthy food I eat and my competitive nature, which drives me to work hard. It has been a massive uphill struggle to get to where I am. I've always had to work extra hard to keep my horses as I've had very little help as I'm from a non-horsey background so haven't had anyone to share my interests with. My mum has always supported me with my decisions and if I've been unsure what to do with regards to buying something etc she always directs me and provides advice
3 How do you like to enjoy any spare time?
Gosh spare time....what's that! I do enjoy the very odd day shopping about in the lovely city of Chester but I'm always glad to get down to the horses when I get home. I do enjoy going out for nice meals or a good ball for a dance.
4 Which other members of the family are involved day to day with the horses?
I have nobody that comes to help me with the horses. Occasionally my mum or fiancé will come to events with me to hold on to a horse or keep me awake as I drive home, but generally I go everywhere on my own with the horses and two dogs, Betty Boo and Dolly Doo.
5 What would you like to be doing in five years time?
In five years' time I would like to be doing pretty much as I am now, enjoying a small string of horses and looking after the odd horse for other people. If I can keep bettering my results on the eventing and Riding Club circuit that would be fab.
6 What products in the Equerry range do you feed?
I am a massive fan of the Equerry Cooler Condition Mash which I feed to most of my horses and the Equerry Performance Cubes are fantastic.
7 What is your favourite event?
I have lots of events which I love. Of my local events Llanymynech and Stafford are two I love attending as they have fantastic teams that run them. And then of the bigger events, Gatcombe, Houghton and Glanusk have very special memories for me.
8 Favourite horse of all time?
My favourite horse of all time is impossible to answer but I will mention my favourite horses of all time, firstly there was Direct Approach aka Ted, a horse that Joss Riley brought over from Ireland as a four-year-old that I produced from a baby up to Intermediate before he went to Piggy French to ride. He was such a character and a fabulous jumper. Then San Francisco II aka Frankie, who I got off a dealers yard as a show jumper that had gone sour and lost interest and produced him into an eventer.
It wasn't exactly plain sailing but when the penny dropped he was fab and still is. I have taken him to Intermediate and two star level, including winning the British Riding Clubs Open Horse Trials National Championships in 2010 and 2012. Then last but not least there are my two homebred horses Direct Flo aka Florence and Mr Precision aka Percy. There is nothing quite like breeding and producing your own horses and they are both giving me some fabulous memories. They are now at BE Novice level.
9 Competition you would most like to win?
A win is fantastic anywhere but to win at any International would be amazing. I would have said Badminton years ago but then I got realistic! It takes an amazing horse to go to Badminton and a lot of support… but I can dream.
For more information contact Equerry Horse Feeds on 01845 565640 or visit www.equerryhorsefeeds.com