Experience with Horses

2009 to 2023 – Self Employed Horse Trainer, Dragonheart Stables, Penuwch

• Small stables of max 22 horses, mixture of Trotteur Français & Standardbreds, training for on average 5 owners
• Trainer of over 150 wins in Great Britain
• Served my apprenticeship with Paul Nairn (New Zealand)
• Freelanced at Stall Per Lennartsson (Sweden), Ecurie Quick Star (France)

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND SKILLS

• INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE: Member of the TROTBritain board since 2017, working together with a team of 8. Elected to Vice Chair in 2020, becoming Head of Breeding. Created the Trotting Stud Book whilst also assisting the Racing Director to formulate the Trotting Rule Book along with routine tasks such as fixture planning, race framing, handicapping, stewarding and integrity. Also worked with other Directors to manage TROTBritain’s transition from funding body to national governing body for Trotting Horse Racing in Great Britain, thereby securing the sports long term future with the application to full membership to the European Trotting Union (UET).

• SELF MOTIVATED: Successfully created and manage both Horse Training and Hospitality businesses. Dragonheart Stables has won over 150 races in Great Britain since 2008 racing under British Harness Racing Club & TROTbritain rules, achieving a desirable win rate whilst maintaining pristine equine welfare standards and a clean integrity record. Experience includes working for stables of the highest standard internationally as an assistant under Harness Racing New Zealand (New Zealand), Svensk Travsport (Sweden) & LeTROT (France) governance. The Hungry Ram Restaurant is a passion project where I purchased, designed and project managed the conversion of my former village primary school into a now family managed restaurant that provides a focal point to the local community.

• COMMUNICATION & RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: Effective communicator and relationship builder, demonstrated through working with local tradespeople and suppliers for restaurant project, dealing with national and local industrial bodies including Alcohol Licensing, Building Regulations, Environmental Health Regulations, Fire and Food Hygiene representatives to ensure compliance to high standards. Also demonstrated through equine activities within Trotting Horse Racing & Harness Racing both nationally & internationally as a competitor, as a Clwb Trotian Tregaron committee member and TROTBritain Board Member & Vice Chair. Consistently build and maintain effective relationships with racing stakeholders at every level from Gate Admission Personnel to Racetrack Groundskeepers, Secretaries and Heads of Governing Bodies both at home and abroad including representing TROTBritain on the Harness Racing Board of Great Britain (HRBGB), chaired by Brant Dunshea and at the 2021 International Trotteur Français Breeders Conference in Mallorca organised by LeTROT Départment International discussing key topics such as Equine Welfare & Youth Participation in Racing. Comfortable exchanging ideas & developing policies with others on the key topics to ensure best outcomes for all. The International Conference also involves submitting and presenting an annual report on the breed’s performance in your nation where highlighting positive trends can be critical to maintaining LeTROT funding for Trotteur Français races in Great Britain totalling approx £300,000 per annum.

• ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS: As an experienced equine Board and committee member, I have chaired and minuted TROTBritain board meetings, submitting and approving TROTBritain agenda items for Harness Racing Board of Great Britain (HRBGB) meetings. In response to the pandemic, I also assumed dual responsibilities of coordinating and serving as one of three TROTBritain Disqualification Stewards, implementing enhanced organisational measures to successfully fulfil our duties, while adhering to the prescribed protocols to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of sporting activities. As Head of Breeding for TROTBritain, I introduced the “Le Juniors” race series for Trotteur Français horses bred by British Breeders to the fixture list. This included a social media campaign along with the organisation of prizes and sponsorship. In response to equine welfare discussions at LeTROT Départment International’s Trotteur Français Breeders Conference, I worked with TROTBritain’s Racing Director to introduce the Ditch The Whip initiative where horses receive a handicap allowance when entered to race without a whip. The first of its kind initiative has proven to be successful with now approx 75% of races being won by horses racing whipless.