The Early Years

You could almost say that Brugs was born in the saddle. Her mother was riding until a very few days before Brugs was born. She even had a fall while jumping during the last few days of the pregnancy. With a mother like that, it was little wonder that Brugs started to ride before she was able to walk.

Her father was a Show Hack, Hunter and Cob judge, and, with such a horsey background, there was a certain inevitability about her early work with Lead-rein, Show Ponies (up to 14.2hh) and Working Hunter ponies for her parents and three other professional yards.

She had the best of fun in those early days and regularly attended the Championships at Peterborough in the UK, where riding in the Lap of Honour was a very special thrill.

At an early age, Brugs became a member of the Crawley & Horsham South branch of the Pony Club where she gained all test certificates from D to B. She had a regular place on the Quiz Team, and was a valuable member of the Dressage, Show Jumping, Eventing & Prince Phillip Cup teams. Her time in the Pony Club gave her a lot of satisfaction and success, but time moves on, and a year after leaving school she took her B.H.S.A.I.

However, her dreams were all of Dressage so an obvious choice was to move to a new yard after school. Thus, at age 16, she went to International Judge & Olympic Dressage Rider, Domini Morgan for a year where she stayed on the lunge the whole time on a horse called Charlie, who regularly managed to unseat all students.