Pantomime producer
Horse & Hound|December 14, 2023
Nicky de Neumann on running away to the circus with her childhood pony, the freebie pantomime star and creating the magic of Cinderella on horseback
Martha Terry
Pantomime producer

I'm not from a horsey background. When I was six, I really wanted a pony. My mum said we couldn't afford one so I saved every Christmas and Easter. By the time I was 11 I had £500 and bought a four-year-old Welsh cob called Jester. I loved jumping and would hack an hour and a half to shows, but Jester wasn't going to take me to Hickstead. So instead I taught him tricks; he learnt jousting and we went off with the circus.

I was just a typical horsey kid. I loved all the fast stuff: hunter trials, showjumping, gymkhanas, anything with speed. I went to this amazing old guy called Rodeo Dave for work experience when I was 14 and he was incredible. He used to trick-ride on a bull! I thought, "I want to do this," and he said, "I love this kid, she's mad!" So I joined his team.

In 2005, I ran away to the circus with my childhood pony Jester. I did a double act with the amazing, late Nell Gifford, and solo trick-riding for two years, followed by a spell with Zippos Circus. Rodeo Dave gave me the foundations, then at Giffords the cossacks taught me to Roman-ride.

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