Kevin Cousins and Christina Gillett: the pony producers with an enviable strike rate *H&H Plus*

Not everyone can make it work in life, love and business, but two pony producers are proving it’s possible. Alex Robinson meets the successful couple with an enviable Hickstead tally

WITH more producers to choose from than ever before, it can be difficult to push through the crowd in the showing world, let alone run a thriving business that pays the bills, fills the lorry and sees you through a pandemic. As the market becomes increasingly saturated with ambitious enthusiasts looking to turn pro, finding your niche and then running with it is essential.

Kevin Cousins and Christina Gillett are two professionals who, together, have found their intended path. Based in Cambridgeshire, the engaged couple run an 18-box yard of children’s rides, ranging from mountain and moorlands (M&Ms) to hunter ponies. They met in 2014 at the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) judges conference and kindled their romance at the Fayre Oakes Welsh pony sale later that year.

“I’d gone to the assessment on my own and found it really daunting,” reflects Christina, 34, who was taught to ride by Dawn Clarke and started showing at top level, aged 10, when she was in production with Julie and the late Bob Templeton. “Since then, Kevin and I haven’t gone a single day without speaking.”

You can also read this report in the 27 May issue of Horse & Hound magazine.

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Alex Robinson

Freelance equestrian journalist

Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.