A rider who overcome the odds and serious injury to enter her first affiliated event has paid tribute to her instructor’s “life-changing” support to mark UK Coaching Week.
Victoria Hayden was on the verge of giving up in October 2016 after three difficult years with her horse.
“I would come off Amir twice a ride,” Victoria told H&H. “I was told by many to ‘get rid of him before he kills you’ and ‘you have no hope’ and I was almost starting to believe them.
“Then I met Penny Sangster, who taught me I should believe in myself and my capabilities and said that she could see with time, help and support I would be able to make a difference.”
Victoria, who had always dreamed of eventing, has signed up for the Wobbleberry challenge and thanks to Penny’s help, has entered her first BE80 at Stratford Hills on 16 June with the 14-year-old Dutch-bred gelding.
“When she asked me what I wanted to do, I said I would love to do a BE80 and I thought she might laugh,” added Victoria. “But she didn’t, she said: ‘that’s good, it is important to have a goal and have something to work towards’.”
Penny worked out “small, achievable steps”and despite serious injury setbacks for both horse and rider — Amir had six months off for a fractured pedal bone and Victoria spent three months in a wheelchair with a broken pelvis following a fall — the pair are within sight of their goal.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“Without the inspiration and guidance of this wonderful and selfless coach I would not be there,” said Victoria.
“I once mentioned to her about her reasonable prices especially in our area, and her answer was ‘good training should be affordable to everyone’.
“Without the encouragement of this coach who has bought us on from scratch, we were even unable to do a simple canter transition without bucking or making a fuss. I doubt I would still own my horse and I most certainly would not be entering my very first BE event and reaching the point of enjoying jumping my horse if Penny hadn’t been a part of it.”
She added riding has also “kept her going” through the challenges of single motherhood.
‘Doctors have to be quite pessimistic because they don’t want to get your hopes up too much. I was advised
“Penny has succeeded in turning many equestrian journeys around with a positive outcome,” said Victoria.
“I would like to share my experience to others who may be in a similar situation, to give some hope and aspiration. Not even I would ever have believed it possible that I’m entered to compete at BE with Amir, it is a dream come true on the day before my 41st birthday.”
UK Coaching’s second ever annual coaching week runs from 3 to 9 June and aims to celebrate the workforce that inspires, encourages and makes a difference to others across all sports.
For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
