Helen is a jump ahead of most in the world of show jumping

When Helen Evans received the ‘Unsung Hero’ trophy at the Sport Pembrokeshire awards evening it was for dedicated service to equestrianism in Pembrokeshire and one only has to chat to Helen for a while to see that horses play a huge part in her life.
Helen has stables for about 12 horses at her home called Clos Hen, which is situated near the beautiful Preseli Hills near Rhosfach, with excellent facilities for schooling horses and affording excellent riding facilities, which she runs with her husband, Roger and daughter Gayle.
They are all clearly committed to their work and all three ride, with Gayle as a very talented show jumper who has already been area champion, following in the footsteps of mum Helen, whose experience gained over 40 years (she was still competing – and winning trophies – when she was 59!) whilst Roger has always ridden and now focuses on showing their horses in competitions. Gayle has also tried her hand at horse racing and came second in a charity race at Chepstow, as well as riding at Sandown this year.

First pony at four

Helen had her first pony when she was only four and when she attended school near Lancaster she was allowed by her parents to ride her pony to school. From that time on she was never far away from her favourite animals and worked in the Lake District by leading pony treks. She gained further equine experience working with hunters and then polo ponies as she attended top events at Windsor and Cowdray Park before moving towards show jumping as she gained employment with Lynne Smith, the mother of top show jumper Paul Barker.

Horses abroad

By chance she took up a job in Belgium and then found work with Rene van Paesschen, an international dealer who had Helen to look after his very good horses and before long she was doing well enough to be selected for the national team in some events. She won the Ladies’ Championship over three days involving a speed round, grand prix and puissance, competing as well in Holland and Switzerland, where she jumped horses in the snow at a competition in Davos.
It was in Vienna that her most embarrassing moment came when the horse she was riding jumped out of the ring, rather than over the fence, and she found herself in with spectators in a raised stand and unable to extricate the horse for almost 20 minutes. Top international jumpers like Paul Schockemole, plus Raymondo and Pierro D’Inzeo, were competing and Raymondo teased her about not starting his round until she was well out of the way!

Geographical error

After seven years abroad, Helen saw an advert in ‘Horse and Hound’ for a point-to-point rider and phoned up to apply for the job. It was with Derek Llewellyn at Red Roses, near Carmarthen, and Helen mistook this Welsh word for Caernarvon, thinking it wouldn’t be too far away from her family in the Lake District. To her horror she later discovered it was quite close to Tenby, and not Denbigh, but took the chance – and hasn’t ever regretted her move to South West Wales.

Fell off a horse and found a husband

She met Roger when she fell off a horse at the Llangeinor point to point and he returned the runaway to her – and when they were married they started from scratch to set up their livery stable at the tiny two-bedroom cottage which is now their much larger home. Their hobby became a business as people asked Helen to share her equine skills with others and they are still busy today, often getting racehorses to school in the art of jumping, as well as providing tuition for youngsters just starting out with horses.
She continued with her own competing and that win on Kensi, which took place at Moor Farm, was her last success – and the announcer had the cheek to say she was 60, which didn’t please Helen one little bit since she was only 59!

Determined lady

Her determination has always been a by-word and was certainly shown in October a few years ago when a horse reared backwards and as she fell off landed on her, breaking a variety of bones in her pelvis, rib, leg and back so that she was confined to hospital for almost three months. Everyone else seemed to assume that Helen’s riding was over but she set herself the target of riding the quarter-mile to her mother’s house on New Year’s Day – and was there to start a new year in style. Within a short time she was going over fences again and at the United Counties Show in Carmarthen in the summer actually won the two top competitions, which carried prize money of £100 each!

Bitter-sweet moment

Another injury which occurred at the wrong time was when Helen qualified her horse ‘Just Jazz’ for the 1990 Horse of the Year show – but received a kick on the elbow which caused a painful fracture a week before. She was unable to ride and asked Tina Youngman to take over the reins with ‘Just Jazz’, who jumped superbly and won the competition.
“Now that,” says Helen with typical understatement,” was a bitter-sweet moment!”

Dedicated service for over three decades

There were so many youngsters who were keen to seek advice from Helen that she gradually became involved with Area 36 of the British Show Jumping Association and has helped to put it on the map for ever 30 years, four of them as the area rep on the BSJA. She started the Pembs Show Jumping Series at the County Show and a huge number of talented young riders have benefitted from her wealth of experience where she knows ‘legends’ like David Broome and Ted Edgar.
She admits that she was surprised but delighted to win the award because she feels strongly that equestrianism should be far more in the public eye. She is eager to see as many as possible involved, whether it is with small children riding their pony or potentially very good riders like her daughter Gayle and Eurig Eynon. Talk to her fort a moment and you are bound to be caught up by her enthusiasm – and might even be persuaded to put on the riding gear and give it a go!