Angie Takes Giant Leap into The Big Time

Gloucestershire based Angie Thompson is the latest addition to the Dengie stable of supported riders. Her victory in the Dengie Puissance at the inaugural show jumping spectacular at Hartpury College’s new international indoor arena last December was the first by a woman in a Puissance for 25 years and her first attempt at this specialised event.

Riding her home produced mare Oksana W she thrilled the crowd by clearing the big red brick wall at 2.08m to win the £1,000 first prize.

“Neither of us had faced anything like that wall before,” she said afterwards, “but Oksana’s so brave and I trusted her all the way.”

Angie was an apt winner of the Dengie sponsored class as she has been feeding Dengie’s Alfa A products to her horses for several years now. She also shares links with Dengie through the Pony Club – she teaches many members of the Warwickshire Hunt Pony Club and Dengie sponsors the Pony Club Winter League Championships.

Born in Solihull 29 years ago, Angie was “an energetic child” and at the age of eight her mother took her to the local riding school at weekends to give her something to do. Straightaway she fell in love with riding and was soon competing at local shows. Although she loved riding across country she hated the flat work involved with dressage and so focussed her efforts on show jumping.

Her parents bought her a couple of cheap ponies and she qualified one for the 13.2hh Foxhunter class at the Horse of the Year Show, which gave her a taste of the ‘big time’ A career with horses was always the plan and after taking her A levels she was able to concentrate on riding full time. Although her father sadly passed away 11 years ago Angie’s mother has been the mainstay of her support team.

With the prices of quality, jumping-bred young horses so high, they started buying foals and yearlings to bring on and nine years ago began their own breeding programmes. By only buying fillies and then putting them in foal as three year olds before breaking them and starting their careers in the show jumping ring Angie and her mother have been able to produce their own horses that are bred to jump.

While some of the horses inevitably have to be sold Angie admits: “If they really suit me then I try to keep them as it is so hard to find horses that you really click with.”

Oksana W was bought in Holland as a foal and was as Angie recalls, “terrible as a young horse – we couldn’t give her away.” However, she has matured into a true professional and is the undoubted star in Angie’s string.

Angie has ambitious plans for 2008 including the Royal International Horse Show and a possible tilt at the famous Hickstead Derby, for which she has already enlisted the help of Tim Stockdale.

She has been feeding Dengie Alfa-A Original for several years and more recently added Alfa-A Oil to her horses’ diet.

“I really like the Dengie range of products,” said Angie, “and I have noticed a real difference in the horses’ general condition and coats. I am really pleased to have the support of Dengie for the next 12 months – not only will it be a tremendous help to have their products supplied but it will also be great for my profile and it is a very good name to be associated with.”

Starting from May, Angie will be providing a monthly blog for the Dengie website so readers will be able to follow her progress throughout the year.