Robyn Purvis had her “dream come true” on Sunday (22 December) when she was able to show her homebred New Forest Ellanore Solar Eclipse in the BSPS Ridden Mountain & Moorland Championship at Olympia.
H&H caught up with her to find out how she has produced “Lola” and how she juggles her showing commitments around working part-time with two young children.
“It was extremely scary at first,” explained Robyn, when asked how she felt about being at Olympia. “I thought I was going to pass out this morning. But it’s absolutely a dream come true.”
Robyn was keen to thank friends and family, who she said she couldn’t cope without.
“Morgan is at school, while my youngest Francesca is at nursery, and I also work part-time. My mum is very supportive and I have a really good friend, who helps out with the horses at home when I am out at shows. I’m very lucky that I’ve got such a great support unit.”
When asked whether she was pleased with how Lola coped in the arena, Robyn said: “She was a bit sharp in the go around, but she did a lovely show. She kept it together. I’m really pleased with her and very proud for her to be here. It’s a massive achievement.
“Lola isn’t the easiest to keep in good condition because she has the world’s worst winter coat — she needs clipping every two weeks — and she’s quite a hot horse so it’s difficult to rug her. She’s also a terrible fence walker so she only goes out for a couple of hours a day.
“She hates being brushed so it’s difficult keeping her coat [looking great] but I feed oil and a vitamin and mineral supplement, so I guess that’s what makes her gleam!”
