Lynne desperately on look out for sponsors

Jun 6 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

YORKSHIRE rider, Lynne Burnley is looking for sponsorship to fulfil her dressage dream of competing at the RDA Nationals in Hartpury.

Lynne started riding at 14 as an able bodied person but a bus accident in 1988 confined her to a wheelchair.

It wasn’t until 2000 that she started riding again after encouragement from Steff Firth from Huddersfield.

Lynne said: “Steff was a huge influence in getting me back on a horse and I started to ride twice a week. I was very lucky to have some excellent instructors when I started to compete more seriously and was pushed to my ability, not my disability.”

After being introduced to dressage by the RDA in 2005, Lynne was coached by Elaine Goodall and began competing for the 2006 dressage qualifiers and the handy pony qualifiers which all lead up to the RDA Nationals at Hartpury.

Lynne explained: “It was my ambition to ride a dressage test at the Unicorn Centre and aim for the Nationals, which I successfully did. I also qualified for my first National Championship at Hartpury 2006 doing handy pony.

“I entered the horse care knowledge in which I got 100% at advanced level and I got a second and third place in dressage, which led to a third place for my squad that year.”

Lynne’s success did not end there. She won the npower Trophy for most promising senior female 2006 at the Federation of Disability Sports Organisations (FDSO) dinner. Her success continued in 2007, with second place at the Vale View World Championship qualifiers and a second at Beaver Hall in February of that year.

Her results qualified her for the SportAid funding of £250 to help towards additional training and she also qualified for the Stars scheme for one year, which gave Lynne access to top sports facilities for free and states that she is a top athlete in the West Yorkshire district.

Lynne is partnered in her success by Hillbro’ Crispin, a 14.2 Dales pony owned by her coach. Crispin has won the Dales Pony Societies Lezzy Shield for the past three years running.