Team Wilson and Gizmo

Here we hear from Gizmo, who carried his riders to victory in three trophies over the 2017 season. Izzy Wilson riding Gizmo won the Young Rider Championship, mother Kath won the Brittania Doubles with Tracy Ryan, and Gizmo was awarded the Norah Trophy for being the 2017 best Non-Arab Endurance horse in Lancashire.
Today, we hear from Gizmo the horse himself!
“I am a 12 year old CLAP (Chestnut Leopard skin Appaloosa) with Andalusian and Lusitano breeding. My owner Izzy Wilson tells me that I am a bullfighter’s horse.
 
I was bought by Izzy when I was 4 having just been backed. Izzy’s mum (Kath) hated my Roman nose and was not keen on my arrival. Izzy was 12 ish and we did lots via Pendle Forest Pony Club including endurance and mounted games. My first ride was in September 2010 at Katie Mellor’s Shropshire ride and I loved it. Izzy’s mum said I was “sensible” and so I was allowed to stay.
 
By the following summer I was doing ok and I was even on the North West team for the Inter Regionals as the novice horse with Izzy as the novice rider. The team came 2nd that year. The following year we won the open in pony club championships even though Izzy managed to get us lost and having to do an extra 10k on top of the 60k that we were supposed to do. Despite this we had a fast time and somehow I had a very low heart rate. Anyway it was a big surprise for us both to win.
 
In 2014 I was selected for the Home Internationals in Scotland for England’s Junior rider class. Despite coming straight from a 5 day mounted games team competition (we couldn’t let the team down!) and being frowned at by the England vet for “over doing it,” we won the class and helped England win the cup!
 
By now Izzy had important exams to do and so I was ridden by her mum whilst she quietly escorted a little girl called Lily who was riding my old mate Sandy. We had lots of fun together despite Kath frequently falling off but I always went back to find her. Last summer/autumn we even managed to get up to 80’s with Izzy and 2 65’s with Kath (she was knackered). Last year I did more rides with Kath than I did with Izzy but she is busy with her animation degree in Edinburgh and climbing mountains.
 
At the start of the season I am super keen and can be a bit of a handful. So to combat this Kath has had me working through the winter doing dressage (I hate it) and mounted games (love it!).
 
As to this year, I am going to accompany my mate Woody in his novice year so my speeds/grades will be slower/lower. On top of this Kath wants to do some more longer rides so we will leave Woody at home then.
 
Come on spring I cant wait. The sooner you arrive, the sooner I can stop doing flatwork and dressage!
 
Gizmo Wilson”
Wonderful to hear from the horses’ perspectives from time to time! 😍 Here’s some great shots of Gizmo in action with his team…