Karen Franklin has been chosen as March’s The Howden Way Spotlight Award winner for celebrating development of skills and knowledge over outcome and being a good ambassador for the sport. As part of her award, Karen wins a uvex exxential II riding helmet, courtesy of Zebra Products.
Karen rides Knightsbridge Joe, a purebred, 13-year-old Connemara gelding who she has owned since 2017.
Coach Cameron Beer nominated Karen for the March Spotlight Award on behalf of the South West Area Academy. He said: “Karen has shown a huge desire to keep improving and she is very involved in every lunchtime discussion at all The Howden Way Regional Academy days. She is a brilliant example of someone who has evented all her life – she is now in her 60’s (67) – but her desire and passion to learn and improve is never wavering.”
Laura Collett, who has the pleasure of selecting the winning candidate, said: “Karen epitomises the fact that eventing spans generations and we are one of the very few sports where not only men and women compete on equal terms, but also where age doesn’t discriminate. The eventing community is just that; a community that spans all ages, levels of ability and from all walks of life, and it is what makes me feel so proud to be part of it and to be aligned with the award.”
Karen commented: “I previously had a 17hh horse who I evented but when he retired, we moved to a property on the edge of Bodmin Moor, and I wanted something smaller that I could get on and off easily while exploring the moor. ‘Joe’ was the perfect solution and he is fabulous at hacking on the moor but also at eventing, so I feel very lucky.
“We started doing BE80 but he is much more capable, and so we’ve been working very hard over the winter and are going to come out at BE90 this season. We also do arena eventing. My greatest aim this year is to try and get to the three-day event at Bicton at the end of the year.
“The Howden Way regional academies are just fabulous – they’re like Pony Club rallies for grown-ups – and the instructors are brilliant. I’m thrilled – and very surprised – to have won this award.”
Each month, coaches delivering The Howden Way Regional Academies are invited to nominate a member who has championed the core values of the Academies whether it be welfare, driving for inclusivity, creating camaraderie and supporting others, celebrating development of skills and knowledge over outcomes and developing true ambassadors for the sport. The winner is then selected by Olympic Gold Medallist, Laura Collett, from a shortlist of contenders who have been nominated as deserving.
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Non-members can attend up to two of any of The Howden Way training academies. For more information on The Howden Way training, visit here. For those wishing to join, there is a 40% discount for new Pony Club and Riding Club members. For information on how to join, visit here
