Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2011 | Page 98

the rider

Island Life - February/March 2011

Photo: Jack presenting rosettes to the winners at Muir
Mill Scotland in 1997

Photo: Jack with the winner of the début competition
in 2002

back on a few times, but I always made sure

there had been bereavement in a family, so

it was only on a pony, and we stayed at

the course builder was unavailable, and I was

walking pace!”

asked to step in. I was just told to use the

Jack and Josie, who lived at Pudsey in
Yorkshire at the time, decided not only to
go to showjumping events together, but

and it worked well.”
Jack and his wife moved from Yorkshire to

also become course builders and eventually

Wales in 1969, and he became the BSJA area

judges. He explained: “My wife was very

representative for what was then the County

keen and it was an opportunity for us to

of Flintshire in North Wales from 1970 until

do something together. All our spare time

they moved to the Island to retire in 1994.

and holiday time was taken up with show-

He was also a member of the National

jumping. That was all we did and we both

Executive Committee of the Association for

enjoyed it immensely. You could say that I

18 years from 1976. And it was in the same

have given 52 years of my spare time to it,

year that his lifetime hobby took another

and that’s quite a lot of spare time!

turn with the introduction of the Home Pony

“Course builders learn from other course
builders – that is really the only way to get

International series for junior riders.
He said: “It formed originally because there

it right. There is also a manual, giving for

was a showjumping club in South Wales and

example suggested distances between jumps

they started an unaffiliated competition with

and turning circles, but was always best to

a Scottish club. From there they decided

listen and learn, nothing more than that.”

to become affiliated, and England became

During his equestrian career, Jack has
judged in South Africa, and both judged and
course built in Australia. He said: “I built in
Australia purely in an emergency because
98

same techniques that I used in this country,

involved, so I acted as chef d’equipe for the
Wales team.
“We travelled to County Cork to compete,
and I became friends of the family who
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