EVERY MONTH, A YOUNG MARY PETERS TRUST ATHLETE SPELLS OUT HOW THE CHARITY IS AIDING THE PURSUIT OF THEIR SPORTING DREAMS
KATIE LOWRY (EQUESTRIAN)
MY name is Katie Lowry and I am 17 years old and attend Carrickfergus Grammar School studying Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Maths at AS Level.
I started riding properly when I was six years old on my first pony called Poppy. She is now well over 30 years old and retired and, although I don’t ride her anymore, she is still very much part of the family. Poppy is the reason I started doing dressage in the first place as she was getting on in years when we got her and needed something to focus on other than showjumping, and so my dressage career began.
I now ride my Connemara pony who is called Crosspoint Tobin aka Flynn and, luckily for me, he also enjoys doing dressage. We started competing at affiliated Dressage Ireland shows in May 2022 and we are currently competing nationally at Elementary Level.
In September 2023 we won the Category 2 Junior Elementary Championship at the National Championships in Mullingar. As well as this, Flynn was awarded the trophy for the Highest Placed Connemara across the whole championship which is a great achievement.
With a lot of competitions coming up, we train four times a week and regularly have lessons with the top instructors in the country which I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to do so. Although sometimes fitting this in with schoolwork and exams can be tricky, it is always worthwhile when I see the progress we are both making. As our training progresses, we are aiming to compete at Medium Level by the end of the year.
Horse riding in itself is a team sport as every time we compete there are two of us that have to be on top form, if either one of us isn’t in tip top condition then we can’t compete at our best. We are extremely lucky that we have a great team behind us such as our instructors, livery yard owner, farrier, chiropractor and sacro cranial therapist to name but a few and not forgetting my wonderful family and friends who are always there to lend a helping hand and support us along the way.
Given the costs involved, I am grateful for the support of the Mary Peters Trust. I was actually shocked and surprised to hear that I had been successful in my application for funding as I know there are so many talented athletes that apply every year. Without financial assistance such as this grant it would not be possible for me to aim for all the shows I plan to compete at this year, particularly the Youth Home Nations as they all come at a significant cost. I am extremely grateful for this help and can’t thank the Mary Peters Trust enough as it is making a massive difference to my 2024 prospects and beyond.
