Zita Denholm

Sending get well wishes to this incredible lady, Zita Denholm a lady who has done so much for the Connemara pony in Australia, seen here competing in a dressage test at 90 years old, dressed as Queen Elizabeth, on Gneevebrack Storm her Connemara stallion

Aonach always includes some sort of unexpected competition. In 2023 a phrase which dates from the twelfth century – ‘that pony is fit for a king’ – was adopted as a theme. Zita chose the late Queen Elizabeth II for her ride in the ‘Dressage Test to be ridden by a person over 55 years of age’. EA Regulations state that a rider must wear an approved safety helmet, but don’t prevent one from putting a regal scarf over the top. The late Queen was never photographed a safety helmet.