Grangemouth equestrian ace Emily earns coveted qualifying place after top performance

Equestrian star Emily Rose O’Donnell, 7, can now look forward to the Horse of the Year qualifier at the prestigious Royal Highland Show next month in Edinburgh, after impressing in a big class with her pony Newoak Bamalan – which she has only had for just over a month.

She’ll also take part in the Royal International Horse Show in July at Hickstead due to her rein finals placing.

Proud mum Chantelle told the Falkirk Herald: "Emily actually lost her best pony at the tail end of last year, she got a bad injury and required surgery on Christmas Day so we haven’t had her available since then.

"We have been looking around and we saw one advertised at the start of April that looked like a perfect fit so we ended up going for it.

"We drove 20 hours for her because we knew this would be the one that would be her new pony for events.

“We’ve only done four shows in total but the goal was always to go to the national, but to do it so early is amazing for her.

"She stood in a class of ten really strong ponies and she pulled first and managed to qualify in that position.

"Sometimes you do think ‘she is only seven’ because she has done so well.

"The Horse of the Year stuff coming up is really big, it is probably on the same level of the Royal International so it is the big time.

"Even just to get there is a big achievement, we are home produced and we don’t have our own producers or people doing the work for us. It is just me and her.”

Chantelle believes that Emily can continue to impress and make it to the very top, if she continues to show the exemplary attitude she has already exhibited.

“Emily mucks them out herself and she comes up every single night after school to tend to them,” she explained. “She grooms and does a bit of everything, she wants to get involved in the nitty gritty stuff too.

"It isn’t just a case of things being handed to her in life. She has had to work her socks off to get to this point. She is sharing all of the responsibility.

"That will stand her in good stead. All Emily wants to do is show horses. She takes after me as I come from an equestrian background.”