Who is Lucy

Lucy was born in 1994 into a family-run farming business. Her Grandfather, Jim Struthers, her dedicated supporter and investor. Her mother, Madeleine Palmer, also a very competitive rider, who has been the driving force behind her, their farm and their land. Lucy’s father, Bruce, and brother Marcus have supported and enjoyed Lucy’s success every step of the way. “inspirational” says Bruce. Being brought up around horses since she was a toddler, Lucy has gained hands-on experience and insights well beyond her years around the ethos of caring and owning horses; from high-end breeding of foals to looking after old retired hunters.

Lucy’s knowledge, determination & dedication has made it possible for her to focus on producing horses that compete at an international level. “I have some lovely horses at the moment, a really talented stallion called Hamish who is causing a lot of industry excitement, as is Ziggy – a British-bred gelding by Denver (a Son of Berlin)”. And true to Lucy’s word the horses are jumping brilliantly. They’re produced methodically (not rushed) as Lucy builds on their strength, suppleness, straightness and attitude, giving them plenty of ring experience without overdoing it. She is always mindful to ensure that all the horses are improving all the time.

“Jumping has always been my passion. I have been fortunate enough to gain huge experience working for Pennie Cornish at Greenacres” says Lucy in a recent interview. Greenacres produces top quality competition horses, so working their horses gave Lucy the chance to work, train and bring on top horses.

When asked about her excellent flat work Lucy commented “Another great grounding for me was being taught to ‘feel’ the horse” … something she learnt from the sadly deceased, dressage instructor Danny Pevsner. A pupil of the Spanish riding school of Vienna. “Danny used to be based on my yard so there wasn’t a day that he didn’t correct me if I was doing something he didn’t like. Even down to mucking out and grooming. It didn’t stop just because I was out of the saddle!”.

Based in Hertfordshire and conveniently located close to major motorways (M1, A1, A505), Lucy is regularly out competing at qualifiers, premiers and stay-away shows. Some of her current horses are aimed for the International circuit and age classes.

Although heading for the ‘big stuff’, Lucy is always happy to help friends and colleagues, from novices to experienced riders. She’s never too busy to pop over and help with a tricky horse, unsuitable tack or a nervous rider – “Its great when you teach someone and you see them improve, knowing that you can pass on parcels of information that can help the rider reach their goals”.