Sharn Linney

The girl behind the newly-crowned HOYS supreme pony talks to Rebecca Haywood about Thistledown Van Der Vaart’s star quality

- Rebecca Haywood

IF anyone can put “glamour” into ponies, it’s Sharn Linney. Tall, blonde and with an enviable figure to boot, she makes lead-rein look like an elegant art. She may still be on a high after leading Thistledown Van Der Vaart (Charles) to supreme pony glory at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), but for the girl who’s grown up in the Midlands, this and her success on the showing circuit in the past four years has made her hungrier than ever.

“HOYS was incredible — it was such a mega week,” she says. “The supreme is like an open book, so you just have to go and do your absolute best. All the ponies in there were incredible and I just couldn’t believe it when they called Charles’ name.”

Few people deserve it more than Sharn; she’s one of the most approachable, hardworking and talented producers in showing. This was the third consecutive year she had led Charles to victory in the Colne mountain and moorland mini pony of the year championship.

“To be honest, I didn’t feel the pressure so much in the supreme as I did in the class,” admits Sharn. “We’d had such a successful week with eight ponies all finishing in the top six, including Thistledown Kintra, who stood second to Charles, which was amazing. We were all nervous before the supreme, but any time you walk into the TopSpec ring it’s nerve-racking,” says the 27-year-old. The congratulations have bombarded her Facebook page, but for Sharn it’s business as usual. And she means it. She doesn’t really do days off.

Unlike a lot of show riders, Sharn didn’t come from a showing background and much of her success is down to sheer hard work and determination.