Team Willow Park arose when a number of liveries from Ivan Warburton's Livery yard decided to enter Church Farm One Day Event under the name of Team Willow Park. The team of 4 who entered the One Day event soon grew and it was decided that any liveries from Willow Park Stables and competing in the area would be included in Team Willow Park and now includes as members: Gemma Hill, Jane and Lucy Staniforth. Now whenever anyone from the team competes in the area they will wear saddlecloths, show rugs, T shirts with Team Willow Park on them. Caroline from Baileys Horse Feedshas kindly sponsored Team Willow Park and also allowed the Team to use the Bailey's logo on their kit too.

Gemma Hill and Elmo

For the past few years we have been competing at local riding club shows and doing some Prelim dressage tests. I am a member of the Haydock Park branch of the Pony Club and attend rallies regularly.

Jane and Lucy Staniforth and Mr. Chester

Chester was bought by his previous owner, Sue, as a scrawny three year old who had been backed six weeks earlier and broken to drive. She had gone to look at a black cob mare, bombproof for hacking, but when she saw 'Billbo Baggins' as he was then she fell in love with him, and when his then owner stood on his back declaring 'How safe do you want him!?' She was convinced and Chester was hers!

I can remember seeing him for the first time milling around the indoor school all mane and feathers! But it was easy to see that he was going to turn into a stunning little horse. At this time I had been finding lack of riding a bit difficult, as the pony I looked after had tendon trouble. Sue knew this and as she was unable to do much other than a little hacking due to illness, offered me the ride and the partnership developed.

Chester was brought on gradually between Sue and,myself. Sue doing the majority of the groundwork while I did he riding. Later my sister begann riding him too, but at the age of twelve, was not really strong enough to ride him properly, he was a big horse for a little girl! A/c did a few local shows jumping and showing, a few drag hunts and lots of lessons, but I was far nore interested in galloping round enmington flash after school with my friends it was hard to tell who enjoyed it more me or Chester! We did a bit of everything and just had fun. However he has totally exceeded our expectations of a 'happy hacker!'

Unfortunately in September 2000 my dad was diagnosed with cancer and the following year in August he died. The whole family was utterly devastated but having Chester there kept a sense of normality to our everyday lives, he still needed mucking out and riding and having him gave us all a focus. That Christmas was truly a bittersweet one, obviously it was the first ever Christmas without our dad and things were strange to say the least, but we got on with it and as per usual we were up bright and early to open our presents and go down the yard for our yearly Christmas day hack complete with bells and reindeer ears for Chester!

Mum has always had a silly sense of hurnour, but even we thought she was going a bit potty when in our stocking we had an array of vegetables: carrots, swedes and even the odd sandwich bag of course mix wrapped in tin foil and wrapping paper. She had even got us a children's stable set complete with horses!

Lucy and I were a bit bewildered and things didn't really get any clearer when she handed us both two big envelopes, with a picture of me and Lucy riding Chester on each and 'I'm all yours!' printed at the bottom. What? We just sat there totally confused, Mum just kept grinning repeating 'well what does it say?!' She had secretly bought Chester and we had no idea, the deal had been arranged quite a few weeks before, but still we had no idea! He was the best Christmas present ever without a doubt! It is only now I realise how lucky we are to have him and that we could quite easily have lost such a special horse.

To make matters worse, about six months after my Dad died, my Mum was diagnosed with cancer too and again this made things very difficult for the whole family. Therefore, we didn't do much competing during the first year or so, just nipping to a jumping round or quick working hunter course here and there, as I was going to university and Lucy was still a bit small to handle the now much fitter and sprightly Chester at shows! He had definitely found his hooves to say the least and often ran off with her at home and his character and personality shone through, making him the perfect pony one day then a little monster the next! This unpredictability made him fun and interesting and almost every time Lucy rode, he was off!

In the summer of 2003 we moved yards after nearly ten years and it proved to be a great decision, as we met Maureen, our fabulous instructor! The improvement in both him and us has been immense since having lessons with her and he just keeps an getting better! Both Lucy and I try to have weekly lessons and it is Maureen who teaches at Pony Club rallies, which Lucy attends once a fortnight. We moved again to our current yard in lanuary of last year, which being just across the road from quite a big equestrian centre, made us find our competition legs properly and made it much easier for us to compete a lot more regularly and in things we hadn't done before, such as dressage, which Chester, (after a few rather hairy tests), took to like a duck to water and even took part in a Margot Tiffany dressage demo.

Having had a successful season last year with particular highlights being; a first and second at Warrington Show, a second at Lucy's second One Day Event and winning both his classes at our riding club and therefore qualifying for the end of season championships, The Festival of Champions at Valiants and Northwest Counties Championships at Croft Top, where he got a third. He also was part of the Haydock Park branch of the Pony Club dressage team with my sister, where he achieved the best individual score and earned them a fifth out of 45 competitors.

This season we hope to have as good a season as last and to push ourselves a little more. First on the schedule is Horse.Camp at Somerford Park. (Pony Camp for adults! I can't wait!) Where I hope to have fun and increase both Chester's confidence and mine over cross country fences and from then on it's down to competitions! We want to compete at two riding clubs and hopefully qualify for the summer championships and the end of season championships, have a go at some County shows, Royal Lanes and Cheshire being our main goals. We are also hoping to go to Search for a Star, the Horse of the Year Show qualifier at Osbaldeston, where I will do Working Hunter and Lucy Riding Club Horse. As well as incorporating a few One Day Events, Cross Countries and a few dressage competitions into the season as part of 'Team Willow Park'. Lucy is also going to Cumbria over summer, again with the Pony Club as part of the dressage team and also hopes to do a season of Drag Hunting as an end of year treat for both her and Chester!