21-07-2025
Pembrokeshire rider's national championships dream needs your help
A Pembrokeshire rider is heading for the national championships after his performances in a qualifying event - but needs sponsorship to ensure he can compete at the event.
Gregory Haggerty, from Haverfordwest, entered the Riding for the Disabled (RDA) national dressage championships at Hartpury last weekend.
Gregory, 52, put on an impressive performance in both the dressage and show jumping sections and has been selected to go on to the British Dressage Para Summer Championships which will be held on August 20 at Hartpury University in Gloucestershire.
(Image: North Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire RDA.) Gregory rides with North Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire RDA and has been riding since the age of six
'I really enjoyed it,' he said of last week's championships. "It was fine.
I'm very excited about the next one. I can't wait.'
Zea Parry, manager of the supported living project where Gregory lives added:
'He's been doing loads and loads of practice over the last three months and he did fantastically last weekend.'
Simon Lait of North Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire RDA said that both Gregory and another rider, Evelyn Smoothy, had done well in the championships.
'It was just so wonderful to see Evelyn and Gregory being able to do something so skilful. It was a special weekend for us. It's why we do it,' he said.
He added that Gregory, 52, from Haverfordwest took real pride in the turn out of both himself and his horse.
'He was fantastic,' he said. 'He gets so much out of it. He was in two classes and did very well in both.'
He added that a large part of Gregory's success was down to the huge amount of one to one help put in by Bennie Rossi, an RDA volunteer coach.
'She did a fantastic job with his dressage training,' said Simon. 'Gregory also put in a pretty creditable performance in the show jumping, for which Hanna Havard coached him.'
The RDA group is now looking for sponsors to get both Evelyn and Gregory to the championships.
'When people get through to national championships we need a bit more money,' said Simon. 'We have to hire a truck and get the horses down there.'
He added that sponsoring the RDA was good value for money.
'The expertise is the really expensive bit and that's all free, he said. We are so lucky with our volunteers, people with fantastic experience walk off the street and put their hands up.
'You get a huge bang for your buck when you give money to us.'
Anybody who could help Evelyn and Gregory get to the championships can donate on linked above.
