The Team!!
From left to right:
Rachael Smith our head girl is an event rider who has also competed in dressage at Elementary level. For six years she worked as a groom/instructor in a BHS accredited riding school as well as having worked and trained with top event and dressage riders over the last 7 years.
Rachael's speciality is breaking in and bringing on young horses; she is also adept in dealing with problem horses.
She is currently managing Hurstwood Farms breeding programme and training Hurstwood Farm Equestrian Centre's youngstock including the home bred 5 year old Frederick II who is now competing in affiliated Intro/Pre-Novice One Day Events.
Annika Pennington will predominantly be behind a desk in the office, however also will be found either instructing or on a young or problematic horse!
Drawing upon 20yrs equine industry experience, gained in Eventing, Racing (P2P yards), Hunting, Studwork, Sport Horse production and Freelance Instructing to name a few…..! Annikas speciality and passion lies both with producing young horses and retraining, particularly racehorses, as she believes every horse has a job to do and too many horses are wasted or overlooked when they fail in the discipline for which they were bred. Strong belief in correct groundwork has lead Annika to develop methods combining classical, traditional equitation with a more empathetic approach working with each horse as an individual.
Charlie Darby works in the office dealing with all the farm's accounts. She is also a qualified Sports & Craniosacral therapist for humans as well as an Equine Body Worker. She specialises in Sports massage, Myofascial release and Craniosacral therapy for horses dealing with problems like head shaking, pelvic misalignment and general soreness and tightness in the muscles. All the work that she does is to improve the horse's performance and wellbeing.
Mike Pocock - Proprietor
I moved to East Sussex approx 10 yrs ago, attracted to this beautiful part of the county by its undulating countryside. Having a background in property and strong interest in horses for many years, I purchased Hurstwood Farm after immediately spotting its massive potential for developing a five star Equestrian Centre catering for all disciplines, but specialising in eventing.
My aim is create a environment for the horse, where the care and training principles promote better animal welfare and are kinder to the environment in many ways. Our pasture and hedgerows are planted with the natural resources a horse would choose if in the wild. Our pasture management regime ensures our clients' horses will always have access to turnout all year. We keep herbicide usage to the minimum, only spot treating whenever necessary. Our Hay and Haylage is home produced, all of our bedding biodegradable and our muck heap system is regenerated back onto the land.