Young Scarlett Cox-Lomas has the drive and ambition to be a future star.  Here we catch up with the Equerry Horse Feeds sponsored rider to find out more about her determination to succeed.

Without doubt, producing ponies is Scarlett Cox-Lomas’ first love!

To say she lives and breathes riding is an understatement and the more hours spent in the saddle the better for the 12-year-old from Cheshire.

With six ponies to ride and produce Scarlett’s down time out of school is fast and furious and she is probably most well-known for riding the palomino mare, Lillibet.

Now 10, the 128cm pony arrived as a poor and untouched three-year-old and the partnership has developed together, hitting winning form this season.

At The Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show in June, Scarlett and Lillibet took second in the Mini Major Relay while just six weeks later they went on to win the same class at CarFest North, also held at Bolesworth Castle.

Scarlett takes up the story:

“When Lillibet arrived she struggled with her weight and had so much growing and maturing to do.

She is half Arab, half New Forest and was very slow to learn so it did mean I had to be patient and understand that producing and training ponies takes time and can’t be rushed.

When she arrived the biggest thing we noticed was that she really lacked personality and didn’t really seem to enjoy life a great deal.

Lillibet was actually quite ugly and not very flexible but my mum Emma set to working on her and after months of patience and time she started to improve and turn the corner.

As her confidence grew so did her love of life and in the last few years she has just been a star and we now have a fantastic bond whether training, competing or just spending time together.

Winning at CarFest North was just fantastic and we now compete in 133cm Working Hunter Pony classes as well as show jumping, eventing and dressage.

Our dressage has really taken shape and I am busy working towards competing at affiliated level.

Thanks to her Equerry feed regime of Conditioning Mash and High Fibre Cubes, Lillibet is now a picture of health and we get so many great comments about how well she looks and how happy she is.”

Scarlett’s latest ride is the 138cm show jumping pony, Spider’s Dance, owned by Amanda and Amy Cornforth.

A former HOYS contender, the Irish cob had started to stop when show jumping, following an incident which dented his confidence.

But thanks first to Amy, improving their bond and relationship and more recently to Scarlett taking her time to get to know and understand the 19-year-old, bay gelding their partnership is going from strength to strength.

Said Scarlett: “We have been out competing eight times and he is just the best and is a great character and addition to the team who will give me great experience at a higher level.”

When not out competing Scarlett enjoys her role as an Equerry Horse Feeds ambassador and also schools and produces other ponies to assist with the costs of competing on the pony circuit.

“I wouldn’t want to do anything else, riding is my life and I feel very lucky to have brilliant support from my family and sponsors,” she added.

THIS year’s Liverpool International Horse Show will see the country’s leading young riders competing in the prestigious Equerry Horse Feeds Under 25 Championship.

The action gets underway as part of the Friday Evening Performance, December 29 when competitors will tackle a course up to 1.45m.

Last year’s winner Millie Allen set the class alight when winning what proved to be one of the show highlights.

Liverpool International Horse Show President, Nina Barbour, said: “We are looking forward to a fantastic first night Evening Performance with the Equerry Horse Feeds Under 25 Championship.

“This will be followed by the Arenacross Freestyle Motocross Crew, our fabulous and first time seen in the UK fire, pyrotechnic and trick riding display Luminoso, the ever-popular Shetland Pony Grand National, new Dressage to Music Inter 1 Freestyle and to round off the evening Rick Parfitt Junior and the RPJ Band.”

The Equerry range of top-quality horse feeds contains something for every horse or pony, whether feeding a leisure horse or a competition horse, there is a product to meet their nutritional requirements.

The range provides everything from High Fibre Cubes for horses and ponies at rest or in very light work to more conditioning options including Conditioning Cubes and Mix, a low starch ‘Non-Heating’ Conditioning Mash and a very palatable Veteran Mix.

Liverpool International Horse Show takes place from December 29 to 31, at The Echo Arena on Liverpool’s iconic waterfront.

For further information visit www.liverpoolhorseshow.com

Dressage rider Georgie Bennett is the delighted winner of the Equerry Horse Feeds search for a new sponsored rider.

Georgie runs a small dressage and livery yard in Lincolnshire and is also a freelance rider and trainer.

She has evented at advanced level and also competes in advanced level dressage and was one of hundreds of riders to enter the national competition which proved massively popular.

Working with many different horses, Georgie recognises the importance of using a feed which gives them the condition they need, but also in her words “keeps their brain on her side.”

Georgie soon realised that once she began feeding horses on the Equerry range, their coats very quickly took on an amazing shine that simply got better and better, whether at home training or out competing.

Said Georgie: “Running a yard can be very expensive, competing makes it even more so, any help towards lowering costs is always hugely appreciated and it is fantastic to win the sponsorship support from Equerry.”

Added Katy Mickle of Equerry Horse Feeds: “We are delighted to welcome Georgie as our new sponsored rider and are very much looking forward to working with her.”

As the successful winner, Georgie was lucky enough to experience fantastic VIP hospitality at the Equerry sponsored Bolesworth International Horse Show for the exciting Equerry Grand Prix, together with winning a year’s supply of Equerry Horse Feed, an Equerry jacket, polo shirt and saddlecloth.