HELLO,
My Name is Gaelann East
Who We are
Hello My Name is Gaelann East
Amateur Rider Passionate about learning and competing
Keep the big dreams alive: You can conquer broken confidence.
I own 3 horses.
1 going through rehab
1 retired
1 RoR Alfie who shows and competes dressage. 2017 is our 4th year together and we love to share our trials and tribulations on social media sites and pages with blogs and vlogs
I love competitions especially when I get to share the journey with friends.
I belong to a team quest team, The Wacky Racers, where we get to go out showing off how fabulous the ex racers can be in their 2nd careers.
My journey with the Ginger Ninja hasn't been a smooth one. Having started off well as a youngster show jumping the confidence between us disappeared.
I hope my Blogs help those struggling with confidence, to show your not alone.
Showing it is worth carry on, asking for help, taking small steps within your comfort zone and slowly pushing forward with positive steps.
I am not the greatest of riders but I like to believe I do my best and aim high with big dreams.
It doesn't always go to plan and I do have to remember sometimes simple is best and this is where my fabulous trainers come in.
My lessons = constructive correction for achievable goals whilst expanding my boundaries
I hope you enjoy the rest of our journey
Goals for 2017 - 2018
My goals this year with Alfie:
To have an elementary music freestyle ready and put together pairs and quadrille music freestyles for the BRC qualifiers.
Hopefully we will qualify for the RoR BD Dressage finals again
Make our Petplan Debut
We have qualified for the In hand showing and dressage at Aintree and hoping to also compete ridden showing there in Aug
The All Important Back Up Team
Very blessed to have a brilliant support team behind me and they are my parents and husband
So annoying how Migraines just hit you without warning and the after effects can stay with you for days depending on their severity. Luckily if I do wake up suddenly feeling like the world is hammering into my head I can reach for the phone and text dad a simple line e.g. not well. I can then roll over and try to get better and not worry about the boys as I know they are in good hands
Even when I am feeling a little better and make it into work I will often got a message from dad to say he has finished the stables off for me so all I have to do is feeds on the way home
What a wicked back up team I have.
Family History
My racing claim to fame: G Clancy was my Great Grandad
Position Name Jockey
01 Glenside Jack Anthony
02 Rathnally Robert Chadwick
03 Shady Girl G Clancy
The 1911 Grand National was the 73rd official steeplechase which took place at Aintree Racecourse
24 March 1911.
The only moving images of the race turned up in a London auction in 2007, found by Angus Loughran, and first shown to the public in a BBC documentary
"THE BIG FLUTTER: THE GRAND NATIONAL ON FILM" in 2011.
Torrential rain caused many riders to fall. Twenty two out of the twenty six runners failed to finish.
Shady Girl with my Great Grandad came 3rd
“The Support Team” records how it all started:
Gael-Ann aged 7 asked if she could learn to ride with her school friends at the local riding centre.
After driving her to riding lessons and watching, I rekindled my urge to ride again and started lessons alongside Gael-Ann.
Mum was later persuaded to join us. Thus emerged the “Clancy team”.
Gael-Ann by this time owned her hard earned own pony, Thomas;
An Arab in the field we rented convinced us he should join our gang, a hack for mum to keep fit and Gael-Ann to compete.
This just left me to find my very own, first and only horse, an ID called Gilly which I conceded sharing and Gael-Ann also competed.
Gael-Ann went through Pony Club and progressed to Riding Club, fuelling her competitive streak.
We became known as the Clancy Team at local shows competing in Dressage, Showing, SJ and Cross country.
In the ring we were both out to win!
Whilst Gael-Ann was away studying in Warwickshire, one of the first to proudly gain the new Equine Science Degree, I took the opportunity to compete on Gilly locally, Gael-Ann returning home when she was able to compete.
Gael-Ann competed Champ in Ridden Arab and Dressage classes, her successes encouraged her interest, leading later to her re-training an ex-racehorse into dressage.
Sadly in 2013 Champ and Gilly were pts together due to old age and infirmity.
Gael-Ann then moved her horses into our yard.
Not being able to ride any more I evolved into Box/car driver, groom, poo-picker, helper/caller, maintenance man and general dogs body to help keep the show on the road, getting up at ungodly hours, returning in the dark, in all weathers.
Through the last few difficult years Alfie has proved a joy to be around giving purpose to life. I can’t envisage ever being without “the neddies”. At times a chore but rewarding, especially when the Team frequently come back with rosettes and prizes – even for me being part of all that!
All About Gaelann
I am an amateur rider from Oxfordshire, excited to be part of the leguptalent Social Media team.
I am 46 yrs young and work office admin full time. I gave up working with horses in my 20’s so I could have a bit more money and time to spend on my own.
Horses are a family affair in the Clancy/East household. Dad comes to every outing he can and gives me constant 24 hr support at home with the horses’ day to day care.
We have always owned at least one RC/all-rounder in the family and I owe my experience and confidence to these boys and girl. I have always been a competitive rider thriving on the jump / xc thrill but now I have dressage as my first passion all thanks to Alfie my ex racer.
In his first year of dressage training/competing we qualified for Trailblazers Prelim and RoR Prelim. He coped with the finals pressure very well and got himself some good placings over the Trailblazer weekend in the showing and dressage classes.
2014 we had the pleasure of taking part in the TSR HOYS Showing Pathway scheme and gained lots of knowledge and experience at the TSR July show with the other shortlisted riders.
June 2015 we started competing Novice Dressage aiming at some BD Novice and music classes classes at the end of the year.
2015 Aims: To do as well if not better at the RoR finals and make our debut at the BD Prelim Summer Regionals: Sometimes the atmosphere gets both Alfie and I a bit worked up but it’s all improving day by day.
2014 Alfie won loads of lovely in kind prizes Dressage and Showing and I have to kick myself from time to time and remind myself that 2015 was only our second season together.
Alfie came to us as we thought our orange ninja (Coffee) would not come back into work due to multiple issues he had been suffering but following a period of time out in the field he seems to have grown into his own body and is proving willing to come back into work.
To be honest I don’t have much time for anything else, I do like to veg out in front of some good TV at the end of the long day with the computer on chatting about the day’s excitement and catching up with my online friends before bed.
My inspiration has to be awarded to Alfie he is my rock and has given me so much confidence that I unfortunately lost when Coffee wasn’t doing very well. Let’s just say I spent more time with my bum on the floor than in the saddle…ouchy !!!
All our horses have a home for life with us where possible. Not so long ago the place was full of OAPs. We are now an equine family of three with our 22yr old loving retirement at a friend’s yard a few villages away.
I am married to Nick East and share our house / garden with 6 chickens and 5 cats
I have been riding since I was 8 years old and belong to a local Riding Club and I am an active committee member
In 1989 I started my first full time position with horses at The Spanish Bit Riding School, Berks. Firstly as a Working Pupil for Jill Harris and then for Kate Hamilton. I then returned for a short spell as Temp Yard Manager. Here I trained and took my British Horse Society Instructor exams
I Graduated 1994 from Warwickshire College of Agriculture / Coventry University Business School with a BA (HONS) Degree in Equine Studies
As part of my University Placement I was exceptionally lucky to be involved as a Research Groom at The Animal Health Trust, Suffolk. This is where I met Risky my first TB
Before I took an office job I was the Yard Manager for Whitelocks Farm Livery and Riding School, Berks. Before this I was the Private Groom at Cholderton House Equestrian Centre, Wilts
I was lucky enough to also stable Risky at both of these positions with opportunities to take him out competing
I now work full time as an Administrator for Extreme Environmental Services mainly within the pest control division.