Junior Brand Ambassador: Eden Williams

I had one of those moments the other day that just completely stopped me in my tracks. I had set up my Ponies & Pups stall at the East Sussex Pony Club summer show. It was a glorious, chaotic day. You know the exact kind of day I mean. There was the distant smell of the burger van mixing with fly spray, and children running around with ice creams dangerously close to pristine white breeches.

I leave Milo, my Sprocker spaniel, at home with my mum for these events because he would get far too bored. But Lily, my Jack Russell cross Pug, was right there by my side. In fact, she has firmly earned herself the official title of #1 sales rep! She gladly greets every single person who enters the stall with kisses, cuddles, and a very proud "look at this collar my mum made me" gaze. She also comes in incredibly handy when people are trying to decide whether my small collars will fit their tiny dogs. I can just point down and say, "Well, Lily here wears a size small!" as she smiles and wags her tail at them.

Then, I looked across the field and spotted Eden.

If you've been around Ponies & Pups for a while, you might remember Eden. She was my first-ever Junior Brand Ambassador and is, quite frankly, a total mini superwoman. I saw her waiting in the ring for the Ridden Championship, having just brilliantly won the M&M ridden class. And honestly, I shouldn't have been surprised. It was hot on the heels of the Heathfield Country Show, where she won the First Ridden Class and then completely smashed it to take Champion of her section!

Seeing her sitting there, waiting for the judge, took me straight back to when I was a child. I absolutely loved showing when I was her age. I had a little Welsh Section B called The Hale Floss, and my goodness, the judges loved her almost as much as she loved herself. She knew she was a total Queen, and she made absolutely sure that no one forgot it. We won red ribbon after red ribbon. I would love to say that some of that success was down to my brilliant riding skills, but I'm pretty sure Floss would have marched in and demanded those results whether I was sitting on her back or not!

Anyway, back to Eden. I was standing by my stall, watching with bated breath as she rode her individual show for the judge. Robbie was gleaming in the summer sun, looking an absolute picture of health, and Eden was grinning from ear to ear.

The competitors all came to a stop, lining up perfectly. The judge had a whispered deliberation with her assistants, holding that clipboard that always seems so terrifying when you're in the saddle. Then, they approached Eden and awarded her CHAMPION!

I was ecstatic. I actually had total goosebumps. They have worked so incredibly hard this season, focusing on their showing career and improving so much. Seeing them do their lap of honour, ribbons flying, was just pure magic.

The Reality of the Yard

But here is the thing about Eden, and why she embodies everything I wanted Ponies & Pups to be about. The gleaming coats and the red rosettes are fantastic, but showing success is actually built in the winter.

It is built on the days when the East Sussex mist is so thick you can't see the end of the barn, and the air feels like a damp sponge. The mud here has a personality of its own. It's thick, it's sticky, and it finds its way into your boots, your pockets, and somehow, your hair.

Okay, I'll admit, maybe Eden isn't out there at exactly 6:00 AM scrubbing solid ice out of frozen water buckets, the kid is good, but she isn't quite that good! But she really doesn't care about the hard work. Most kids her age are inside scrolling TikTok, but she is out there putting in the hard work (be it all with a generous dose of prompting from her mum and I to stay on task) when the rest of us are reconsidering our life choices. She's the one doing the sweeping, the tack cleaning, and the endless dressage practice in the drizzle. That is real grit.

Meet the Boys: The Show Stopper and the Wrecking Ball

Of course, we have to talk about the real stars of the show: Robbie and Slim.

First up is Robbie. He is a bit older, but definitely don't call him a veteran ready to put his hooves up just yet! He is the golden boy, but let's be real; he can have his spicy moments just as much as the next pony. He's been by Eden's side through it all, the hacks through the lanes, the cross-country adventures, and now, the absolute triumph in the show ring. He's the one who taught her that a gentle hand gets the best results.

Then there's the new boy, Slim. Moving from one pony to two is a massive jump. It's double the mud, double the mucking out, and double the chaos.

And Slim? Slim is proving to be quite the character. In fact, he is a one-man wrecking ball. If something is not bolted down in the yard, he will pick it up, throw it, and destroy it. I swear he thinks the entire yard is an interactive puzzle toy designed specifically for his amusement. Watching Eden manage the occasionally spicy older boy and the chaotic newcomer is like watching a masterclass in patience. She has this incredible quiet strength about her; she never shouts, she just handles it.

Gear Built for Real Life (and Wrecking Balls)

When you are dealing with a pony who treats yard equipment like chew toys, or one that has a sudden spicy moment, you need gear that actually survives real life. That is the whole reason I started handcrafting this gear in the first place. I was so tired of tack that looked lovely for five minutes and then fell apart the second it met a muddy puddle or a playful pony.

This is why the BioThane Adjustable Neck Strap has been such a brilliant tool for Eden. When you have a pony that can be a bit unpredictable, a neck strap gives you that perfect bit of "spicy insurance". You have a grab handle right there when they decide to spook at a terrifying butterfly or practice their cartwheels.

Because I handcraft it from 19mm BioThane, it's completely waterproof, stink-proof, and wipes clean in seconds. If Slim decides to drag it through a hedge or drop it in a water bucket, Eden can just rinse it off and it looks brand new. Leather absorbs sweat, stiffens in the rain, and cracks over time, but BioThane just works, session after session.

For groundwork, Eden's absolute go-to for the boys is the All Weather 6mm Rope Halter. The beauty of this halter is that it is completely metal-free. There are no clips that clank, no rings that rattle, and no hardware absorbing your signal. Hand-knotted from premium 6mm PPM rope, it is so lightweight that it sits almost weightlessly on their face, giving Eden a silent, uninterrupted connection with her boys.

She pairs it with our 15ft All Weather Groundwork Rope. If you haven't tried groundwork with a proper rope, you are genuinely missing out. Hand-spliced from 14mm double braid, it isn't just a lead, it's a communication tool. It carries the perfect weight to give clear signals without Eden having to yank or pull, and the weighted BioThane popper at the end keeps the rope balanced and swinging true. In Eden's hands, it looks like a natural extension of her arm. She uses it for training, leading, and those quiet moments in the arena where they're just figuring things out together.

Finding Colour in the Grey

Sometimes, when I'm sitting in my East Sussex workshop, with my fingers aching from splicing rope and Lily sighing heavily from her dog bed, I think about why I actually do this.

It is because of people like Eden.

I wanted to make things that could survive a dedicated pony-mad kid's routine. I wanted to create colours that didn't fade after one brutal, sideways-rain winter. I wanted gear that felt as special as the animals wearing it, gear that wipes clean instead of rotting in a damp tack room.

Every time I see a photo of Robbie looking like a total champion, or hear a funny story about Slim destroying a grooming brush, I feel a massive wave of pride. Not just because of the gear they are wearing, but because it is being used by someone who genuinely cares.

Eden is growing up fast, and honestly, she is going to be out-riding all of us in a few years. But for now, she is our Ponies & Pups mini superwoman, showing us all exactly how it's done.

One red ribbon, one lap of honour, and one muddy yard at a time.