DARE VALLEY
PONY CLUB
FFION Loring is 18 years old and a Year 13 student at Ysgol Rhydywaun currently studying for her A levels and lives in Hirwaun, Aberdare.
She has been a member of Dare Valley Pony Club for over 10 years and has been riding since the age of three. She started her competitive career in the showing world, firstly in lead rein classes before moving up through the various height classes.
It was when Ffion was around 13 years old she started working hunter pony classes which involves jumping rustic show jumps followed by an individual ridden show to a judge that looks how obedient your horse is at different paces.
Ffion caught the jumping bug and at the time had a 14hh part bred Connemara pony tried her hand at hunter trials which are fixed fences outdoors covering approx over a mile or so will followed a natural progression to eventing. Eventing is made up of three disiplines – dressage, cross country and show jumping. They qualified for the Pony Club Novice Eventing Championships in 2015 where they finished 10th overall at their first attempt.
Ffion has since moved onto her current horse Izzy whose competetion name is Flamenca Z. She is a 15.3hh, seven-yearold Belgia- bred horse. Izzy was newly broken in and very green when she came to Ffion as a fiveyear-old. Much of the first year was spent building her confidence and teaching her the basics. After a lot of hard work and continued support from her eventing coach, Katie Williams, Ffion and Izzy started their British Eventing career in 2017.
They had a very successful year considering it was their first year competing together. They started the season by representing Dare Valley Pony Club at the Area 10 Dressage Qualifiers coming first in the Novice Section qualifying for the 2017 Pony Club Championships. They then went on to compete in seven British Eventing competitions throughout the season, gradually improving their scores and finishing off with a third place at West Wiltshire and a first at Broadway. These placings were enough for Ffion and Izzy to pick up two qualifiers for the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Grassroots Regional Finals late on this year.
To top off their very successful first season, Ffion and Izzy won the 2017 Pony Club Area 10 Novice Eventing League and were very pleased to be presented with an embroidered fleece rug and training vouchers which will come in very handy in their preparations for the 2018 season.