Lucy Thomson

Status
Business Owner

Equestrian Qualifications
BHSI (Sm) & List 3 Dressage Judge

Brief
Lucy has extensive experience in both business and equestrian sectors.  Using the former to finance the latter she was able to receive coaching from some of the world’s best trainers.  The Training the Teachers of Tomorrow Trust and Captain Mark Phillips are both of particular influence, and it is their classical, internationally recognised methods, that are applied in our riding school today.

With this training Lucy successfully competed in all three of the main affiliated disciplines: three-day eventing, dressage and show jumping and her daughter Amelia is now following in her footsteps. 

All of Lucy’s family have been influential in developing Lavant House Stables.  Her son Charlie is employed full-time as Groundsman, whilst Tony, Lucy’s husband of 30+ years is always around carrying out a wide variety of tasks which includes all of our IT and telecommunications, as well as repairing everything the horses seem able to damage on a regular basis!

Tony Thomson

Status
Joint Owner of Lavant House Stables

Relevant Qualifications
IT and Communications

Brief
Married to Lucy Thomson for over 30 years, with children Charlie and Amelia, Tony has always provided the support-structure any business needs in order to thrive, but especially so an equestrian one!  Horses break/destroy just about everything, so constant repairs is definitely on his list, however Tony’s real skills lay in IT and telecommunications. 

As a result Lavant House Stables has an enviable IT and telephone system, certainly beyond the standard to be found in most equestrian centres.

Full-time employed elsewhere, Tony spends his free time keeping the systems updated at Lavant, repairing the latest breakage,  adding illumination – and most importantly for the kids at Lavant – is the person responsible for making sure the Club Room vending machine is kept  fully supplied with goodies, all of the time!

Amelia Thomson

Status
Yard Manager

Equestrian Qualifications
BHSAI & UKCC level 2
BHS Stage 4 Riding

Brief
Daughter of Lucy Thomson, Amelia has been brought up surrounded by both horses and a family business.  A keen and bold rider who loves to event, hunt and jump any large fence, but who also needs to knuckle down to the discipline of dressage if to excel as an event rider, which is what Amelia really wants to do.

Amelia is currently eventing her two horses Q and Kevin at BE100 and is hoping to move up to BE Novice at the end of the season. She has her stage 4 riding and is working towards her care and hopes to take her Intermediate Teaching next year.

Charlie Thomson

Status
Handyman

Relevant Qualifications
NVQ Level 1 Agriculture & Horticulture

Brief
Charlie is Lucy’s son and on completing two years of further education at Hartpury College learning relevant agricultural skills he came and joined us full-time under the title of “Handyman”.  This really means Charlie does just about anything and everything we need him to do within his range of skills!

The most important by far is Charlie, his Kubota tractor and the huge sucking machine he tows behind it, picking up the 1,500 droppings the horses leave in our fields every day – this is a lot of poo!

Charlie also strims, mows the grass, cleans and maintains the vehicles, and gets on with pretty much any task the rest of us ask him to do.   He also, without fail, makes a cake every weekend for the team to eat over the following week.  Like us all, Charlie rides regularly having had ponies at home from a young age and has a riding lesson each week at Lavant.

It is impossible not to warm to Charlie with his gentle kindness, lovely manners, natural empathy with the animals and rather silly sense of humour!

In honour of our Charlie, the chosen charity of Lavant House Stables, which we have supported since 2001, is the registered charity “Charlie’s Challenge”, which has done an amazing job over the years raising both awareness and serious funds for research into children’s brain tumours.

Kelly Oliver

Status
Office Manager

Vicki Isted

Gemma Bowles

Robert Pickles

Status
Team Coach

Equestrian Qualifications
FBHS, List 3 Dressage Judge, International Equestrian Coach

Brief
It is impossible to describe Robert and everything he has achieved in his life to date, therefore we will just tell you about his role at Lavant and leave his excellent website, www.robertpickles.com to tell you about Robert and what he can undoubtedly do to help everyone involved in equestrianism in one role or another.

Robert comes to us once a month for a full day to predominantly provide training for the senior members of staff.  Occasionally during these days some of Robert’s professional pupils will also attend as well as our more advanced rider-clients.  Spectators are always most welcome and there is no charge to attend.  Days normally run from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dates are available from our office by calling 01243 530460 or e-mail riding@lhstables.co.uk.

These regular training days are invaluable to this business because not only do they provide top international training on-site but also ensure we keep up to date with all of the latest coaching techniques – particularly as it is so easy to fall behind such methods as a small business.  Staff are not just developed towards equestrian teaching qualifications but are also seriously produced as riders and in all areas of general horsemanship – so it is not just a question of us falling behind but more importantly Robert making sure we stay well ahead, as we are determined to do with everything within the riding school sector!

Robert is a clear, articulate and sympathetic coach whose classically correct training methods are relaid in an inspirational manner that can be understood by one and all – so why not come and see for yourself?

Meryl Penning

Status
Marketing & PR Manager

Brief
Meryl has worked primarily throughout her career on sourcing, development and growth of new business in the UK & overseas. Until moving to West Sussex three years ago she kept horses at home for herself and family for many years. It was her lifelong love of horses that propelled her through the gates of LHS in search of fulfilling work, and here she stayed! Now in her role as Marketing & PR Manager it is Meryl’s remit to promote the profile and uniqueness of Lavant House Stables.

Liz Flemington

Status
Riding Instructor

Equestrian Qualifications
HND Equine Business Management

BHSAI

Brief
Liz joined our team when the riding school at Crofton Manor closed down and she has proven to be an extremely popular instructor ever since, being knowledgeable, understanding and full of endless enthusiasm.  With two young children and her own horses Liz’s role is part-time at the moment, much as we would like to have her a lot more often.  Liz teaches her own client base here on Tuesdays and Saturdays and she can easily be heard teaching from half a mile away!

Liz is also attending our advanced staff training sessions with Robert Pickles FBHS in order to work towards her next British Horse Society qualification – the BHSII.

Vicky Caley

Status:
Instructor/Yard Assistant

Equestrian Qualifications:
BSc (Hons) Equine Science
BTEC National Diploma in Animal Management
BHS Stage 2 care & RRS

Before joining our team Vicky previously worked as a stud groom, looking after pregnant mares, injured horses and young stock. Vicky is a bright and chatty girl who has fitted straight in with the rest of the team, she also trains in Tae-Kwon-Do!

Polly Waters

Status: Part Time Instructor

Relevant Qualifications:
BHS PTT with disincton
BTEC Diploma in Horse Management Level Three

Brief:

Polly has had horses all her life and is clearly a talented young rider competing at Horse of the Year Show and Hickstead, she currently has two horses that she is show jumping. She is a bright chatty girl and you will often see her talking to someone or giving one of the ponies a cuddle. Polly used to ride at Lavant when she was a child and wants to learn to teach so she can help children learn to ride and have fun like she did.

Jacky McPherson

Status
Coaching Advisor & Activities Assistant

Relevant Qualifications
Science Teacher

BHS Stage 1

Brief
Other than Lucy (Thomson) Jacky has been at Lavant longer than anyone, joining us as a riding school client in 2000. 

Over the years we have learned to truly value Jacky’s expertise and passion as a full-time teacher in state education.  Jacky has helped us immeasurably with improving the quality of the instruction we supply – particularly with regard to children.  Teaching children is more complex than adults as each age group requires a slightly different approach and with very little guidance within the equestrian industry itself when it comes to teaching children, it is understandable just how high a value Jacky’s input is, particularly when linking us into the structure of the educational system.

So Jacky helps train and develop the team plus demonstrates various practical child teaching skills when helping us out with the activity days and Pony Club competitions during the school holidays. 

Last but not least is Jacky can be counted on to be the first person to volunteer when we need help and it is always reassuring to know we can hand Jacky one of the major voluntary roles and know it will be dealt with efficiently and with her typical gusto! 

Every business needs a client like Jacky Mac (as we call her) and when she retires we definitely want first nabs!

Karl Young

Anna-Louise Chantler

Status: Apprentice

Relevant Qualifications:
BHS Stage 1 (distinction)

Brief:
Anna joins us as an apprentice with a solid background in horsemanship from a young age.  With good GCSE results, a proven work ethic, a passion for all animals coupled with her sunny, bubbly personality, Anna is very much a valued addition to our team.

Anna has worked hard to improve her knowledge and skills with horses, her riding has come on tremendously thanks to her natural empathy and desire to learn, she now rides the young horses to help bring them on for the school. Anna has also proved to be a hit with the young children she is a great teacher and is working towards her stage 2 and PTT which she is hoping to take early 2015.

Emily Pattison

Status:
Weekend Assistant

Relevant Qualifications
Pony Club C test & Pony Club Quiz competitor

Diesel

Status
Two Stroke’s Companion

Relevant Qualifications
None really – mate to Two Stroke is the closest one can get!

Brief
Diesel arrived in the autumn of 2008 from Wales because Lucy was fed-up with our existing and much loved donkey Two Stroke living in her office and thought a companion would provide some relief – which the new arrival sort of did, but only because Two Stroke then spent the first two months of Diesel’s arrival chasing him with ferocious teeth bared all over the site.

Diesel was an unusual purchase – frustrated that we could not buy a donkey for love or money from anywhere or provide the most perfect life-long home for a rescue donkey either (and that is definitely another story for another day), I resorted to something I swore I would never do, I searched for a horse, or in this case donkey, on the Internet.  

So along came Diesel who was sourced as a too-timid beach donkey from Wales, and with him came a three-year-old Gatsby who the Welsh owner of both thought might interest us.  Both were dropped off and both proved the most efficient escape-artists ever, so we learned very quickly why it was worth this Welshman’s time and effort to drop the pair off to us! 

Diesel is a great companion to Two Stroke (eventually and having been shown the office set-up) but Diesel will never be able to replace his mentor …. however and perversely the pony that came with Diesel, Gatsby has proven to be an invaluable asset to all of us – and that is definitely another story (see Gatsby).

Two Stroke

Status
Mascot/Pet/VIP

Relevant Qualifications
Nosey and loves recognition

Brief
Deciding where to put this much loved donkey on the our website was initially a dilemma, then we decided because Two Stroke is quite definitely responsible for very positively promoting our business over a number of years, the Meet the Team page was decided as most appropriate.

Nowhere at Lavant House Stables is out of bounds to this highly intelligent and amenable donkey including, it seems, our offices.  So named in Ireland because he can do whatever a two stroke engine can do, he really is extraordinary – if you haven’t yet met Two Stroke, you are quite definitely in for a treat!  

When recently asking our Equine Vet Pauline Williams to give us an approximate age on Two Stroke, her typical Yorkshire-roots reply was to quip whether we wanted AD or BC ….  Two Stroke is so old he has no teeth, so his age really is anyone’s guess!

Addy

Bella

Status: Mascot/Pet

This little diva is the daughter of Pearl and sister of Addy. You will often see her cradled in her humans arms (Amelia) or causing mischief chasing other peoples dogs.

Loves: Cuddles

Dislikes: Rain

Pearl

Status:
Mascot/Pet

Qualifications:
Super bossy guard dog

Pearl is the oldest of our dogs and considering that she isn’t the most affectionate, she has been a fantastic mother to Bella & Addy. Pearl gets very cold in the winter so you will see her sporting an array of coats – her favourite is her red Thermatex! Pearl is always roaming the site looking out for any intruders that she may not approve of!