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Last updated 02.01.2026
I’m Emily, 26yo and she/they pronouns. I’m a horse girl based in the south island of Aotearoa New Zealand and live with my horse Ed and my mum’s horse Gem. I’m an adult rider and secretary for the Belfast Pony Club and also enjoy the endurance/CTR circuit when time and funds allow! In 2023 I qualified at 24kms CTR and in 2025 I hope to go back up to qualifying mid-20s and winning some 10-15s🤞 I was competitive in the show jumping circuit but it’s not my main focus anymore, I strongly prefer endurance and pony club but I still enjoy doing the odd competition for fun!
I used to work for Gold Bar Racing as a stablehand/driver for 2 years, then moved on to work for my local SPCA centre as a farmyard attendant/vet assistant and moonlighted in both the adoptable/unadoptable cat and dog units; previously I was also a brothel/parlour escort but left to pursue other avenues of work.
Previously I also retrained and sold project horses and standardbreds off the track as a side interest; in 2025 I started dabbling in owning small shares in racehorses after being in the industry for so long to tick it off my bucket list!
I have diagnosed bipolar type 2 and generalised anxiety/major depressive disorder.
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Dr Kananga - Ed
Ed is my very first heart horse, I got him on 05.06.2021 straight off the track as a 4yo but I’ve known him since he was 2yrs! He’s an 8yo (DOB 10.12.2017) 163cm/16hh bay standardbred gelding by Live Or Die out of an Elsu mare called Ariana Angel. He raced 5 times as a 3yo pacer and couldn’t beat his own shadow home 🙈 He’s my absolute best man and will be with me til one of us dies, he’s my weekend happy hacker and pony club extraordinaire as well as being a super endurance horse! He likes to live life in the slow lane and doesn’t enjoy big competitions so much, but in the past I’ve show jumped him to 55cm and he’s done one eventing round of 45cm. He has the softest puppy dog eyes and golden retriever personality and loves his wonky donkey ear scratched or tickle his chin and he’ll be your best friend!
He was leased out to Waimakariri River Horse Treks as part of their trekking string from February 2024 to September 2024, originally I wasn’t going to get him back until Jan 2025 but due to Molly being PTS and the riding school going out of business he was very kindly returned early and we’re finally getting our groove back after a few hiccups and false starts 🤞
After getting him back from Waimak we did a short season of showing at breed association shows and at the North Canterbury A&P show, where he won Best Standardbred Gelding at all 3 shows he attended and has always come home with a neck full of ribbons! During spring I’d like to get him back out in the show ring and hopefully aim for competing at the Christchurch A&P and winning that elusive Champion Standardbred ribbon 🤩
In April 2025 he was diagnosed with arthritis in both hocks and stifles, we’re currently focused on keeping our combined fitness up and making sure he’s comfortable in his work before gradually returning to some jumping and hopefully some dressage days 🤞
2025 was our most successful CTR year with multiple top 5 finishes, we finished off the season winning 2nd place at Whiterock in the 6km and I’d like to step back up to 10-15kms with more fitness for me. Ed also had his first purely-dressage competition in September 2025 at Amberley Cup and in both tests Ed placed 2nd overall which was very exciting!
In 2026 I’d like to get back into jumping more regularly and possibly aim for our first eventing competition in April, and overall I’d like us to be confidently show jumping 65cm 🤞
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Ouruhia Gem - Gem
Gem is an 8yo 155cm/15.2hh bay pinto mare by Shebeau (Irish cob x TB x PGP stationbred) and out of the thoroughbred mare Ruby Ashley who is by Raise The Flag. I got her as a foster from the SPCA in early September 2022 when she came to one of the West Coast centres as an inspector seizure/neglect case, was fed up and loved on, and then sent down to my centre on a surgery recommendation for her umbilical hernia (which she didn’t actually end up needing) and I adopted her in December 2022! Both myself and my mum fell in love with her (oops 🙈) and I gifted her to mum as a Xmas present ❤️
I backed her myself in summer 2023 and I’ve really enjoyed playing around with her! She went to a professional schooling yard to get some buttons installed during April 2023 and mum has been having a blast riding her in pony club rallies and forest hacking! She’s a nosey little tart and loves getting her own way but she’s a very sweet and very genuine little horse with a lot of try - in November 2023 she had her first eventing start at 45cm and absolutely smoked the cross country, as well as having her first endurance ride around a 12km lagoon track which she loved! Recently she’s also placed 5th in her first 24km endurance ride but there’s no doubt she’s bred to jump, the little tart loves it!
Currently she’s happily competing in pony club team events at 45-65cm but has a whole lot of scope to go higher! She scores consistently in the low 60%+ in dressage but that’s more because I have no idea what I’m doing, not her lack of talent 🤷♀️
Her and mum have had their first eventing start together and placed 5th at Oxford Pony Club in May in the 45cm Returning Riders class! Mum’s goal for 2026 is to have their first go at a true 65cm eventing class 💪
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NZPHS Pixie’s Dream Girl - Pixie (CURRENTLY ON LEASE)
Pixie is a 12yo chestnut pinto miniature horse of unknown breeding and stands approx 36” tall. I got her on 02.09.2023 as an ESA/therapy horse in training but mainly as my little running friend to motivate me to get out of bed every day! I’m aiming to do some endurance with her and potentially some inhand showing too. She’s registered with the New Zealand Pinto Horse Society and has really enjoyed being fussed over and loved on by tween girls as a party pony for my friend’s lesson kids!
Pixie is currently on lease to an awesome family teaching their young kids how to look after their own little pony!
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Khant Catch Her - Molly (RIP)
Molly was a 6yo (DOB 16.11.2017) 16hh dark bay thoroughbred mare by Mongolian Khan out of the Iffraaj mare Jenuwin. I got her on 07.03.2024 as my next pony club mount and so far she’s the sweetest wee girl I’ve ever met! She raced 12 times for only 4 placings and never came better than 3rd, and retired off the track in 2022. I got her with the intention to start eventing which never really happened, but she qualified at both rides of the Winter Endurance Series at 11kms!
She was put down on 10.09.2024 due to kissing spines and her body will be used as a teaching tool for other riders to understand anatomy better. RIP my sweet girl, the time was short but I take a piece of you with me wherever I go ❤️
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In addition to my own personal horses, I also own a small 1% share in three racehorses! They’re trained locally to me by up-and-coming trainer Jess Land who also specialises in retraining and rehoming thoroughbred racehorses and is NZTR endorsed.
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MAP OF JAPAN - Mappy
Mappy is a 6yo bay filly by Staphanos out of a Showcasing mare and the only active racehorse of the three. She’s had 11 raceday starts for a 3rd place best and is a tricky girl to work out, she shows a lot of potential but isn’t consistent in her runs and loves a hard track - not easy to get when it comes to our typical wet kiwi summers 🫣
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UNNAMED - Tinks
Tinks is a 2yo bay filly by Armory out of a Foxwedge mare. She was bought during the 2025 Karaka yearling sales and traveled down south to us to settle in and begin her career; she’s Pearl Series eligible so hopes are to have her back in light work and ready to trial late 2026.
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LOOSE ON BUBBLES - Bubbles
Bubbles is a 2021 gelding by Turn Me Loose out of Flute Of Champagne, he’s had 2 starts up north with a previous trainer (one 8th and one 13th place) but came down south to contest some easier competition this spring! He had his first southern start on May 29th and came dead last (14/14 🫣) so he’s out for a spell until the weather clears up in spring as he doesn’t fancy the wet tracks much.
