Stafford schoolboy and his pony form strong bond in national event

Stafford Preparatory School pupil Theo Charnley and his five-year-old pony George recently laid down the gauntlet when they won their first under-18 National Schools’ Equestrian Association (NSEA) preliminary contest.

The competition sees young riders and their mounts filmed performing a variety of movements at specific points in an arena, using different mannerisms.

Theo and George stepped up a level to the junior open age preliminary category and chalked up a winning score of 75.7 per-cent on their first outing.

George was born at the RSPCA shortly after his pregnant mother was rescued and taken into their care. Theo’s family paid just £200 to adopt the pony from the charity’s Shrewsbury centre when he was almost three-years-old, and they have spent the last two years nurturing and training him.

The pair already spearhead the national under-10 table for Intro A, B and C, and with only two competitions remaining in the series, they are on course to showcase their talent in front of judges in October at a live final in Buckinghamshire.

Theo said: “I love dressage because I love gaining a riding partnership with George. In show jumping if you jump a clear round that's that, but in dressage you’re always striving to improve the way George moves and trying to increase your mark and ride the test better next time.

“We practise a lot, maybe five times a week, and we both look forward to it.

"Nobody else has ever ridden him, which makes me feel very special. I feel quite proud to have got from where we started to where we are now. "

The pair also travel across the country to compete in the weekly British Dressage competitions, with Theo currently heading the organisation's Intro leader board in the North East and securing a slot in the September regional final with the prospect of a national event in the autumn.