Sally Makin, 15, crowned a successful season by winning the National Medium open championship with 70%. The youngest rider in the class, Sally beat well-known senior riders to take the title.
Her mount for the championships and the past two seasons has been the experienced British team pony, 8 year-old Nurejew. Whom her sister, Annabel, previously rode in FEI dressage.
Every weekend Sally trains with Ian and Tracey Woodhead where her ponies are kept at livery, but go to the Makin family home for holidays. To ride, Sally has to travel to the Grimsby yard from Leeds and is home tutored, as it's easier to fit her riding and competing in.
Sally has a string of quality horses and ponies at her disposal as ammunition in her quest for success. Her two ponies include Nurejew, 8, who is Westphalian by Narron, whose bloodlines go back to Coed Coch welsh ponies, And Chablis, also 8, who is full brother to the successful German pony Conrad.
Tally this season include: ranked 3rd with Nurejew and 9th with Chablis in the Morgan pony rankings, 2nd place in the u21 championships. Sally has also been placed in the top three in all premier league shows attended. Won at The College and Ardingly. Breaking the 70% barrier often in team and medium level tests. The standard has been so high in pony dressage that it is almost "the norm" for the top riders to score circa 70%.
In a short time Sally has begun to shape a future career, after an illustrious career on ponies. Interestingly, Sally and her elder sister, Annabel had both moved into dressage from the show ring as they had training from the Woodheads. The Makin sisters are not the only team riders to swap the show ring for the dressage arena.
Having been selected for the 1999 Europeans, where the team won silver, this pair were denied a medal, as Nurejew sadly went lame on arrival so there was no opportunity to prove their worth. However, the consistent combination were determined to show their skills at this years Europeans where their score contributed to team silver, they were the best of the Brits.
Sally knows where she wants pony FEI dressage to lead her. With 3 junior horses to work on already, which includes "Bolshoi" who is grand prix trained and two young horses, one of which she hopes to ride in premier league shows next season. Sally is very keen to "go through juniors to young riders/ seniors and win a gold medal at the Olympics eventually!" When asked what makes her so successful she is quick to give praise for the support her parents give her and "having good trainers that want you to succeed".
This season has filled Sally with confidence and next season should be exciting. Certainly a rider for the future with determination, skill, support and keen to fulfil her ultimate goal.
Text by Diana Williams
Image Copyrighted: Graham Gannon