Years of hard work and persistence paid off for Gracie Maw, as she won the discovery final at the British Showjumping National Championships with a pony her family bought as a two-year-old, and she has done everything with herself.
Gracie and seven-year-old Creggaun Sparrow Dun triumphed in a class of 72 starters to win their first national title – something neither Gracie nor her mother Amy had ever thought possible – two days before Gracie’s 15th birthday.
“She was only 10 when I bought him and everyone said I shouldn’t buy a youngster but I had to because of the price of ponies,” Amy said. “She’s done it all herself and it’s been challenging, so it means so much to do something like this; it’s all paid off. She’s already got her Horse of the Year Show ticket for the newcomers final, and she’s still got another year to ride him so it’s brilliant, and she deserves it.”
Gracie said the winning feeling was all the more rewarding after the journey she and “Murphy” have had.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “Five years of hard work and this year, it’s really come together. He impresses me more each time, and it makes an achievement like this even more special.”
The Maws bought Irish-bred Murphy after he had been in the UK for a couple of weeks. When he was old enough to be backed, he was sent away for a few weeks to learn the basics.
“Then I took him on, when I was 10,” Gracie said. “It was really hard and I lost my confidence as he bucked me off every time! He wasn’t easy at all, and all my friends were off jumping their ponies and doing better. But my mum said I had two options: sell him and have nothing, or work with him, so I worked with him.
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“When we bought him, we thought he’d be a pony who’d just do 60cm so to do this; I never expected him to shine like he has. He’s a lovely pony.”
Gracie added that she knew she was up against speedy ponies and riders in her jump-off, “so I knew I had to put my all into it”.
“I had to get my turns right, keep straight and go as fast as I could,” she said. “There’s a lot to think about but the adrenaline kicked in, it all goes quiet and you crack on.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
