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About Us -
Hannah
and Robert have had four children; Jane, Johnny, Georgina
and Poppy. Jane, Johnny and Georgina all competed through
their pony club years representing their branch in team competitions.
In 1986,
they used their experience from the flat racing world to take
up an amateur licence and train three arabs. During the year,
Jane(aged 16) took up her amateur licence and rode under rules
being able to ride at 7stone 7lbs.
It was a great family affair with Hannah's sister Mary Bancroft
also having a horse in training, Solid Silver, who Jane gained
the ride on. Hannah trained, Jane and Johnny rode out everyday
before school and Robert did all the entering and driving.
During
this period, Jane spent a brief spell working in Newmarket
to gain some expert riding experience from flat trainer Ron
Boss who had had success with many horses that Hannah and
Robert had in training. For more info click
here
In 1987,
Jane's committment moved towards eventing. The family had
always competed in Pony Club events and Jane had had success
with one of the first pony's bred at the Heritage Coast Stud
called Heritage Cinnamon. At only 15hh he was certainly one
of the smallest contending the Junior Horse Trials competitions.
However, the long term pony club experience they had proved
valid as they all tripped off to Witton Castle (over 5hrs
in the lorry from home) to take 2nd Place in a JOIT trial
and subsequently be invited to the Junior Championships at
Windsor 3DE in May 1987

Jane riding Heritage
Neptune at the Novice Championships at Somerleyton
Hall 1999
(Photo courtesy of - Anthony Reynolds)
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Again,
the experience that Hannah had with training the racehorses
led to Heritage Cinnamon's fitness never being an issue at
Windsor and despite bottomless conditions Jane finished the
three day event in 12th place and winning the best turned
out trophy that was awarded by HRH Princess Royal. What was
even more extraordinary was that Hannah had just had Poppy
(born in April) and so in the start box at Windsor was Hannah
running around after oldest child and horse and her sister
in law, Judith Skepper, holding a one month old Poppy!
This first
experience of eventing left an everlasting addiction for Jane.
With the support of her parents, she then spent the next two
years contending in the Young Rider Series on a mare called
Carrie-Anne II with their best result being 10th at Bramham
3DE in 1990. During this whole period, Jane was studying at
Nottingham University and tripped back and forth between Nottingham
and Suffolk every weekend to compete and Hannah worked the
mare to keep her fit and up for competition. A true family
team effort.
After
completing a degree in Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Jane
came home to the stud to start her own subsidiary up of producing
the home bred horses, some bought- in horses, and selling
them on into the competition world. For
more info click here
Jane has
since, with Hannah, been refining the breeding of the stud's
horses to breed top class competition prospects. For the stud's
breeding policy click
here
Poppy,
now 14, is taking up the pony club mantle avidly. She has
a New Forest and a young home bred pure arabmare( bred from
Georgina's competition mare) that has just started competing.
For
more click here
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