Amateur rider diary: And the winner is....

"And the winner is...." Imagine, as an amateur rider, if you heard your name called out at the end of this sentence and at a national awards event. Well, Claire 'Tig' Abel did and here she recounts a very special evening at the Horse and Hound Awards after being nominated for the Pikeur Amateur Rider of the Year Award.

"A friend showed me the competition in Horse and Hound Magazine and asked if it was ok if she nominated me." explains Tig, who of course said yes. This year was the first time Horse and Hound ran the awards, which recognise equestrian heroes throughout the equine world. The Pikeur award recognises an amateur rider, who doesn't make a living from their passion, for their dedication to equestrianism. Nominations are accepted and then 5 riders are shortlisted. "The shortlisted riders are presented in Horse and Hound magazine before the award is decided through online voting. They ask you lots of questions for this feature, and I felt I gave rubbish answers so I didn't expect to get many votes!" The winning rider is decided from the online poll, which is open for public voting for 2 weeks. All 5 riders are invited to attend the evening awards party - this year held at Ascot Racecourse - and no-one knows who the winner is until they are announced on the night.

"I was absolutely convinced I hadn't got it," says Tig, who was sat at a table right at the back of the hall, about as far away from the stage as you could  get. "But, then someone else from the back won a prize, so I realised I might still be in with a chance and decided I'd better stop drinking!" Tig was also sure that the other winners already knew they had won their category, "because they all gave such brilliant speeches, and I thought they must have been primed - I hadn't prepared anything".

The moment arrived. "And the winner of the Pikeur Amateur Rider of the Year 2016 is....Dr Claire Abel!" As it happened, Tig's speech went well as the presenter asked her lots of questions. "Thinking back now, I thought it was odd that everyone I knew from Horse and Hound didn't come up and say hello all evening - it turns out they all knew I'd won and didn't want to spill the beans." Tig was presented with a beautiful glass trophy and will receive full competition and home outfits from Pikeur. To receive such a high profile award is fantastic achievement for any rider, let alone one who rides for pleasure. Well done Tig!

Kathryn White is owner and director of Cathean Ltd Medical and  Copy Writing Services. She is a published medical, copy and equestrian writer with a passion for creating compelling text in collaboration with her clients. Her customers include pharmaceutical, healthcare and equestrian businesses across the world.