HUMILIATION OF THE YEAR SHOW
Official bellows into Tannoy to order six stone teenager off her pony – for being too heavy
AT a mere six stone she is the lightest of riders.
But Georgia Aungier, 19, was left humiliated and in tears after an official at the Horse of the Year show ordered her off her family’s Welsh mountain pony for being ‘too heavy’.
It happened in front of a packed arena and the former champion rider was so upset that she considered not competing at the event at Birmingham’s NEC.
Competition rules state that stewards can order a rider off if they feel the animal’s welfare is compromised.
But while Miss Aungier is 5ft 7in tall, her weight is well within acceptable boundaries for the breed, traditionally used by miners to carry heavy loads up hills.
She was warming up the pony, Uphill Toy Soldier, whose stable name is Colin, for her seven-year- old sister Gracie to show the following day. She said: ‘I was trotting around when a steward came over and said, “You’re far too big for that pony.”
‘I was really shocked. He said I could do one more circuit but Colin was a bit lively, so I had to ride a circle before heading for the exit. Then he shouted over the Tannoy, “I have already told you to get off – you are too heavy.” It was in front of everyone in the arena. I was really upset and annoyed.’
Miss Aungier, who works full time at her parents’ stable in Godstone, Surrey, has been competing in shows since she was four.
She has previously won titles at the Horse of the Year and Royal International shows and had exercised the same pony without a problem for the previous two years. According to her family, who run a stables with 27 horses and ponies, Colin is 13 hands high, around 4ft4in, and can carry around ten stone.
Her mother, Alex, 41, said her daughter felt ‘ body shamed’ and the experience had knocked her confidence.
‘She came over in floods of tears and said she wanted to go home,’ she added.
‘There were adults on ponies where you couldn’t see the saddle so for them to single out Georgia isn’t acceptable.
‘They have kids who weigh more than Georgia competing on Shetland ponies – there’s just no consistency.
‘If they are going to introduce rules like this, they have to be measurable. They need to stand outside with a set of scales.
‘If you ask any vet, they’ll say the general rule is that a pony can carry up to 20 per cent of its own body weight. Georgia certainly isn’t that.’
The mother of five, who regularly takes Colin out herself, has lodged a complaint the organisers of the show, which took place a week ago.
A spokesman for the show denied that it was an issue with Miss Aungier’s weight, saying a vet and the chief steward both felt she was not suited to the pony.
‘Riders could be asked to dismount or stop exercising if it was felt that they are not the appropriate height for the animal,’ she added.
‘It is about equine welfare and our priority is whether the horse/pony is suitably mounted.
‘This topic has been under regular scrutiny over the last few years due to equine welfare concerns.’
‘She felt body shamed’