English

Stirling rider wins major amateur championship on pony who loves bananas!

Report this content

A young rider from Blafron, near Stirling, made a 20-hour round trip more than worthwhile when she won a leading amateur equestrian championship in Nottinghamshire this month, on a diminutive pony with a penchant for bananas. 

Hannah Nicolson, 18, and Ballyvary Patsy sealed victory in the Agria Lifetime Equine BE100 League — a points-accruing contest in eventing (which includes dressage, cross country, and showjumping) at the Aspen Cooling Osberton International Horse & Driving Trials.

Now in its second year, the Agria BE100 League includes 18 qualifying events, from the far South of England to Scotland, giving amateur riders a target to aim for throughout the season.

Hannah and Ballyvary Patsy’s success is all the more impressive as ‘Rubin’ is a Connemara pony, and only 14.1hh, competing often against much bigger horses. 

“I’ve really bonded with him this year and I’d trust him with my life,” says Hannah of Rubin, whom she has owned for three years. “He’s my best friend, and the feeling you have riding him cross country is unmatched.”

Though Hannah has to travel many miles to pursue her hobby of eventing from Scotland, she usually does so with her mother, “so it’s family time”. She is also very keen to pay tribute to the help she gets from her trainers Karen Dixon, Noah Brooke and Harry Payne.

While Rubin is a very easy horse to manage, he does occasionally need to be persuaded to drink enough water when travelling. To resolve this, Hannah uses the old horseman’s trick of adding apple juice, apples and even chunks of banana to his water buckets. “He even likes bananas with the skin on.” 

Vicki Wentworth, CEO of Agria UK who two years ago introduced game-changing lifetime equine vet fee insurance cover to the UK, added: “We could not be more delighted for the winners of our Agria BE100 League. At Agria we know riders can form the closest bond, or find their ‘horse of a lifetime’, in a horse or pony of any age, shape or size, which is why we offer unmatched vet fee cover for horses no matter what their age or breed. Hannah and Rubin clearly have one of those dream partnerships, and we wish them all future success together."

- Ends -

Notes to Editors:

Agria Equine Lifetime offers a range of flexible options to meet the different needs of all horse owners:

Agria Equine Lifetime Lite – vet fees cover up to £3,000

Agria Equine Lifetime – vet fees cover up to £6,500

Agria Equine Lifetime Plus – vet fees cover up to £10,000

  • Agria is one of the world’s leading animal insurers, specialising in small animal and equine insurance. Founded in Sweden over 130 years ago, Agria started underwriting policies in the UK in 2009 and is now a prominent part of the UK pet insurance sector. 
  • In the UK, Agria works with over 40,000 vets, breeders and rehoming organisations, providing insurance for horses, cats, dogs, and rabbits. Agria also administers pet insurance schemes for the leading small animal registration bodies, The Kennel Club, and the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF).
  • Agria Pet Insurance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Services Register Number 496160. Agria Pet Insurance Ltd is registered and incorporated in England and Wales with registered number 4258783. Registered office: First Floor, Blue Leanie, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 7QW. Agria Försäkring is the UK branch of Försäkringsaktiebolaget Agria (publ) who are registered in Sweden with Company Registration Number 516401-8003. Registered office: Box 703 06, 107 23 Stockholm, Sweden. Försäkringsaktiebolaget Agria (publ)
    is authorised and regulated by Finaninspektionen in the jurisdiction of Sweden. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority (Firm Reference Number 623469). Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request. 

Subscribe