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The Ella Popely Award Foundation

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We are thrilled that Charlotte Ash has been selected as the 2025 Mentorship Award winner.

We are incredibly pleased that Anthony Condon will take up the role as mentor. Anthony has been an incredible support for the Ella Popely Award Foundation, having mentored on previous occasions, supporting Millie Allen.

It was another record year for applications, all of which were of a very high standard.

We thank you all for applying and we look forward to supporting you as much as possible in the future. 

We now look to the 2025 season, and can't wait to support Charlotte in achieving her goals.

We'd like to thank all of the supporters of the foundation, including British Showjumping, Clare Whitaker and The All England Jumping Course, Hickstead for their huge support. 

Good luck Charlotte!



Charlotte Ash selected for the 2025 Mentorship Award and will be mentored by Anthony Condon

You can now submit an application by completing the following online form:

https://forms.gle/N6KUYTX1XudwnXau7

THE ELLA POPELY AWARD - ‘In the pursuit of sporting excellence’

OBJECTIVE
To give an up and coming British Showjumping rider aged between 18 - 25 years old an opportunity to be mentored by one of the best riders in the world.

The award will be for a talented individual who is competing at 1.40 level who has also shown exceptional resilience and dedication in the pursuit of sporting excellence.

They will have shown themselves to:
- be a true sportsperson who represents the sport well at all levels
- be a team player who encourages others
- is focused on their riding without it being at the detriment to others

One person will be identified by the end of each year, from a panel of selectors, and be matched with a mentor who feels they can assist the individual to develop further in the sport.

From an initial one to two day mentoring, the mentor will commit to aligning with the rider from an advice and guidance perspective for the twelve month period.

AWARD WINNERS
2024 - Lauren Caroline (mentor: Shane Breen)
2023 - Faye Sutton (mentor: Michael Whitaker)
2022 - Robert Murphy (mentor: Peter Charles MBE)
2020 - Millie Allen (mentor: Anthony Condon)
2019 - William Fletcher (mentor: Laura Kraut)
2018 - Jake Saywell (mentor: Lauren Hough)


FURTHER SELECTION & AWARD INFORMATION
The selection panel is comprised of:
Lea Popely
Clare Whitaker

SELECTION & ANNOUNCEMENT for 2025 Applicants
• The selected rider will be informed the first week in December 2024.
• Presentation to be at London International Horse Show December 2024.

2025 MENTORSHIP
Eligible riders who are currently members of British Showjumping are invited to apply for the 2025 mentorship by submitting an application form by 5pm on Thursday 30th November 2024.


Mentorship – Key Benefits in 2025

- 12 month mentorship
The mentorship will be specifically tailored to the Award Winner following an initial discussion
between the award winner and the mentor to ascertain the year’s objectives.

- 12 month British Showjumping membership for the winner and 1 horse registration
A free British Showjumping membership renewal for both the winner and one of their horses.

- Hickstead show credit package
One free stable at each of the three Hickstead shows over the season plus one annual riding
membership. If only one or two shows are contested, then the unused free stable can be
transferred across

*Additional support over and above the mentorship may be available

2025 Mentorship Programme - Applications now open


William said "Incredibly thankful to have received the Ella Popely award today at Olympia, The London International Horse Show. Ella, being a close friend of mine makes the award all the more special to me. I am so excited to be under the mentorship of one of the top riders in the world, Laura Kraut for the next year and looking forward to the opportunities this could bring for me. Thank you so much to the panel for choosing and trusting me with such an outstanding award for Young Riders. I hope to do you proud."

William was mentored by Laura Kraut

Will Fletcher was  the recipient of the 2019 Ella Popely Mentorship Award at Olympia, the London Horse Show.

This unique mentorship is awarded in recognition and memory of Ella Popely, one of Great Britain’s up-and-coming youth riders, who tragically lost her life in December 2016 in a fatal car accident.

The mentorship award is awarded to an up-and-coming rider aged 18 – 25 years old with a view to giving them an opportunity to be mentored by one of the world’s best riders.  Given to a talented individual competing at 1.40m and above who has also shown exceptional resilience and dedication to the sport, the selectors felt that Will met every criteria.

The next 12 months will allow for Will to benefit from a mentorship with the outstanding current World Equestrian Games team Gold medallist Laura Kraut who also won Team Gold at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.  Son of former Olympian Graham Fletcher and London 2012 reserve rider Tina Fletcher, Will won Team Gold at his first Young Rider European Championships this year before making his debut on a senior Nations Cup team in Rabat and he hopes that the mentorship will allow him to develop even further in his chosen career within the sport.

 The recipient will also further benefit via the generous support being offered by supporting partners NAF who will be offering product, Hickstead with a show credit package, Honeybunn Photography with a media shoot package,  Boehringer Ingelheim with a Veterinary mentorship and support package and the Worshipful Company of Master Saddlers who will be gifting a hand-crafted bespoke saddle.  British Showjumping will also be supporting the award in the form of a membership and PR package.

Lea Popely, Ella’s mother and co-founder of the mentorship with USA rider and close friend Lauren Hough, commented on Will’s selection “There were some strong applications for the 2019 mentorship but it was Will who really stood out for the selection panel.  He showed considerable maturity in the way that he applied for the mentorship giving a clear illustration of what he hoped to gain from it and this, accompanied with his talent and commitment to the sport is what made him the choice for 2019.

Will has shown great promise through the summer achieving considerable success on the national and international stage culminating with a Team Gold at the Young Rider European Championships followed by an inaugural appearance on a senior nations cup team.  It was felt that he would greatly benefit from the mentorship and we are all looking forward to him building a relationship with Laura and the supporting sponsors to assist him reach his goals.

We are extremely grateful to Laura Kraut, who’s enthusiasm for the mentorship has been overwhelming, and we look forward to seeing Will benefit from the incredible opportunity that Laura is making available to him”.

The annual mentorship award that is open to all riders to apply for going forward who meet the eligibility criteria.  The recipient will then be selected by a panel and announced at the end of each of year.

British Showjumping would like to thank Lauren Hough, Ella’s mother Lea Popely who were the founders of the award along with all others supporting the mentorship from which our promising riders of the future will have the opportunity to benefit from.


6  - William Fletcher 2018/19 Award Winner 

Emma Ziff has been a fantastic supporter of the foundation, providing wonderful photo shoots for our award winners.

Emma Ziff

equimi are pleased to provide each Ella Popely Award winner a website, to help the riders to promote themselves and their businesses.

equimi

Equine America have been incredible supporters of the foundation, working with each award winner and their horses on an individual basis, to ensure the optimum product and performance combination.

Equine America

Hickstead have kindly supported the Ella Popely Award from the beginning.
