A teenage show jumper who’s determined to overcome any hurdle on her way to the top has agreed a sponsorship deal with equine insurance experts Equesure.
Promising 18-year-old Molly Nottage, from Rochester, Kent, who signed a year-long deal with Equesure, has been competing in show jumping events throughout the UK for the past four years alongside her beloved horse Sophie.
The pair recently took second place in one class at The Dodson and Horrell National Amateur and Veteran Championships in Aintree, Liverpool.
Molly has been riding since she was two years old and is hopeful that she’ll win many competitions with Sophie and hopefully – one day – get to represent GB at the Olympics.
Molly and mum Terri noticed Sophie’s jumping potential when she was a racehorse named South of France. Molly admits that looking after Sophie takes a huge amount of dedication, seven days a week, 12 months a year.
Molly said: “I need to check on her and care for Sophie twice a day, seven days a week. “Show jumping is my life, so my goal is to get to the top and have the chance to compete in different tournaments around the world. I’m still learning but I don’t plan to stop until I get there.”
As part of the deal, Sophie will be sporting the Equesure logo on her riding gear and promoting the brand on her social media channels.
Maurice Gosney, Brands Manager at Equesure, said: “Equesure are always looking to invest in youth and tomorrow’s future Equestrian champions which is why Equesure have chosen to sponsor Molly Nottage for the next 12 months.
“As Equesure grows, part of our strategy is to become more heavily involved in supporting the Equestrian community as a whole and helping young show jumpers and eventers achieve their goals by taking away some of the financial strain competing in show jumping entails. At Equesure, the team can’t wait to see what our support for Molly over the next 12 months helps her achieve, good luck Molly from everyone at Equesure!”
Equesure Insurance
Tel: 01480 220 057
Once again I threw Arlo in at the deep end, affiliating him purely for the Arena UK second round show, and once again he pulled it out the bag. How lucky am I to have such a wonderful little horse? We haven’t really competed this year. I don’t really compete over the winter, and also my horsebox was away for repairs up until the beginning of June, so I had no transport even if I’d wanted to.
With the dry ground we don’t seem to be having much luck with shoes, as little madam managed to pull both her front shoes off within 12 hours the other day! We entered the arena with two shoes on for a schooling session and left it with one missing (took about an hour to find it). Then that afternoon, as I went to put some hoof ointment on, I looked down and had to double take, thinking I was looking at the wrong hoof. But, no, the other shoe was missing too.
After having a long wait and some lunch at the onsite café, it was time to get ready for the Joan Wolfe Overall Supreme Shetland Pony Championship. I got changed out of my usual showing outfit into black trousers and a maroon top with white spots, as you are expected to be a bit more “bling” in the evening.
We were all set to go for our next outing, and were super excited. That was until I heard the dreaded clunk of a loose shoe! I checked it over, praying it wasn’t too loose, but, nope, it was going to need a refit.