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Gail was keen to encourage him and other local riders to get involved and very
soon they were off to competitions and events all over the place. Sophie Green,
Danielle Willett, Amy Pownall, Hannah and Becky Tongue were off all over the
county. Soon this expanded, as they became successful, to further a field.
Gail bought a pony for Ollie called "Get Ready Freddie" from Carol and Stephen
Whitaker's show-jumping yard.
By 2002 0llie had qualified and ridden at Hickstead and at the "Horse of The Year
Show"; at the latter he came 7th. He rode for the England Team in the 12Bcms
category, under 12s. In 2003, he qualified for the same shows, but was unable
to ride due to the diagnosis of ALD.
The rare disease, ALD (Adrenoleukodystrophy) was raised in profile by the film about
"Lorenzo’s Oil" in 1992. It is a progressive degenerative myelin disorder. Myelin, the
"insulation" around nerves, breaks down over time. Without myelin, nerves can't function normally,
or at all. Unfortunately, the body can't grow replacement myelin, so the disorder is progressive--it
gets worse over time.
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