Pony cleared of being a ‘ringer’ by British Showjumping
The mother of a young showjumper, whose pony was falsely accused of being a ringer, is now taking legal advice.
British Showjumping (BS) took DNA from Cisco Bay II, ridden by Faye Adams, in June, following a claim that the pony was actually Graham Gillespie’s former ride Smirnoff Des Bruyeres.
The BS investigation is now over and on 23 November a spokesman announced: “After an extensive investigation, we can now confirm that British Showjumping is entirely satisfied that Cisco Bay is not the same pony as Smirnoff Des Bruyeres.”
Faye’s mother Julie told H&H: “BS has not explained why the process has taken so long, but we are relieved that it’s finally done and dusted. It’s been really stressful, especially for Faye, who is only 14.
“We have had the pony for 16 months — now we can get on and enjoy him.”
But she added that the family was taking legal advice and wanted to find out who had made the unfounded claim.
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (6 December 2012)
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.