Category: Clients Progress

1. Introducing Ellie, one of the 2026 Sponsored Riders

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 5th May 2026

   Sponsored Rider – Ellie Fawcett

   Ellie Fawcett’s love for horses began at the age of 10 after attending a friend’s birthday party at a riding school—and from that very first ride, something just clicked.

   Before discovering horse riding, Ellie had tried a range of activities including judo, street dance, taekwondo and rugby. But riding quickly became more than just another hobby—it was something she truly connected with.

   She began weekly lessons at Stainsby Grange Riding Centre, where she quickly learned the basics of walk, trot and canter. She rode consistently for around six months, always enthusiastic and keen to learn.

   In 2022, Ellie moved to a new yard that offered more opportunities beyond just riding. Through the Saturday Club, she became fully involved in yard life—helping out in all weathers, learning about horse care, and developing a strong work ethic.

   During this time, Ellie was given the opportunity to loan her first pony, Topper. At 12 years old, Topper was calm, steady, and “one in a million,” helping Ellie build confidence and develop her early riding skills.

   Over the following year, despite the challenges of Covid and limited formal lessons, Ellie remained committed. She rode a variety of horses and ponies, began jumping, and took part in her first competitions—quickly developing a real passion for both riding and competing.

   In August 2022, Ellie took on a new challenge and began a full loan of Marcelle, a 16.2hh ex-racehorse. Since then, she has been developing her skills and building a partnership with a horse who requires patience, understanding, and consistency.

   

   Like many riders, Ellie has experienced both the highs and challenges that come with horses, but she continues to show determination, resilience, and a genuine willingness to learn.

   Ellie joined Sharon Johnson Equestrian as a sponsored rider in 2026, and has already started working closely with Sharon. In a short space of time, Ellie has begun to see a real difference in her confidence and focus, and is starting to feel more secure in her riding and decision-making.

   After a successful showing season last year, Ellie is looking forward to getting back out competing this year and continuing her progress. One of her main goals is to confidently jump a full course and keep building her experience across different disciplines.

   Ellie is a dedicated and hardworking young rider with a real passion for horses, and it will be exciting to follow her journey as she continues to grow and develop.

    

2. An update from SJE Sponsored RIder Gemma...

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 4th May 2026

   Sponsored Rider Update – Gemma

   So far this year we’ve been really focusing on our dressage. Alongside working on things at home, we’ve been getting out to regular competitions and taking part in the TopSpec Summer League. Having that structure and support in place has made a big difference to staying consistent with training and progress.

   We’re currently working at Prelim level. Prelim 1 has been going

   really well, with some great scores, while Prelim 2 has been a bit more challenging—particularly our canter to trot transitions, which are still a work in progress. With the right guidance and focus in training, everything is improving and becoming more consistent.

   One of my goals this year was to get out to some new venues rather than always going to the same places. So far we’ve competed at Yorkshire Equestrian Centre and Edenthorpe Equestrian Centre, which has been a great experience for both of us. It’s really helped build confidence in different environments, and I’ve got a few more venues on my list to visit later this year.

   We’ve also achieved some of our best dressage scores to date:

   • February – 69.8% for Prelim 1 at Northallerton Equestrian Centre
   • March – 67.2%
   • April – 68%

   We’re now consistently scoring in the high 60s for Prelim 1, which is really encouraging and shows how the training is paying off.

   Prelim 2 has been a little more varied, with a score of 68.26% at Edenthorpe in February, followed by 65% at Northallerton. It’s still a work in progress, but we’re making steady progress and building confidence in the areas we’ve been focusing on.

   

   Alongside dressage, we’ve started getting back into eventing. We began in January with arena eventing at Northallerton in the 70cm to rebuild confidence, as our last event had been in April 2025. It was a great start, and we came 1st. Having a clear plan and support behind me really helped me go in feeling prepared again.

   I’ve also been focusing on my mindset, which has made a big difference to my confidence and nerves. Learning how to manage those thoughts and approach competitions differently has been a real turning point. As a result, in February we stepped up to 80cm arena eventing at Yorkshire Riding Centre and finished 3rd.

   The original plan was to stay at 70cm for a while, but confidence has grown quickly and we’re now feeling ready to step up and push ourselves a bit more.

   In March we attended an eventing training day at Northallerton and achieved one of our best dressage scores for BE92 with a 33. We followed this with a full one-day event on April 19th, where we achieved a personal best dressage score of 32.75 and finished 4th overall, despite picking up a few time faults on the cross-country.

   Our next event is at Breckenbrough Horse Trials on 3rd May, which I’m really looking forward to as we haven’t competed there since 2024.