Jayne is one of the greatest show horse producers of all time. She won her first championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in 1966 with the show pony Cusop Pirouette and has since won the HOYS supreme accolade seven times, most recently in 2019 with the heavyweight hunter Twinshock Warrior.
I wish I’d known when I was 16 that I’d still be doing this job at 63. I’ve been showing for a long, long time but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I do sometimes wonder how I still manage the early mornings, the late drives home and the quick turnarounds. If you’d have told me back then that this would be my life now, I wouldn’t have believed you, but it does just go to show what a wonderful time I’ve had.
Both my parents were top sports people in their own right; my mum was an Olympic ice skater and my dad a twice world speedway champion. They always told me that they didn’t care what I did with my life, but I was to put everything I had into it. I was born with their competitive nature, which has stood me in good stead. My mum was a northerner and she always said that “you don’t get owt for nowt in this life”.
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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.
