Every horse deserves a chance
Witheford Equine
Witheford Equine Ltd
Westcourt Stables
Westcourt · Burbage
Marlborough · Wiltshire
SN8 3BW
Office 01672 811423
Fax 01672 811416
info@garywitheford.co.uk
The Westcourt Team
As you would expect, Gary relies on his team of skilled staff to manage all aspects of his work at Westcourt, on external call outs and when at the races, each play a vital role in helping Gary achieve results.
If you are interested in finding out about any career opportunities at Westcourt, visit our Careers page by selecting this link :
Craig Witheford
A chip off the old block.........Craig shares responsibility with his father with all cases at Westcourt and also external callouts.
He has certainly inherited his father’s intuitive skills and is a talented jockey held in high regard by all, including many trainers who often call on him for the tricky cases at home.
Having been unsure of which career path to follow, Craig spent his Work Experience with Brian Oakley at Oakley Coachbuilders and looked set to become a carpenter, however on leaving school he shocked his father by announcing he would work for him! Good job really, someone needs to take over when the old man finally hangs up his boots.......
A chip off the old block.........Craig shares responsibility with his father with all cases at Westcourt and also external callouts.
He has certainly inherited his father’s intuitive skills and is a talented jockey held in high regard by all, including many trainers who often call on him for the tricky cases at home.
Having been unsure of which career path to follow, Craig spent his Work Experience with Brian Oakley at Oakley Coachbuilders and looked set to become a carpenter, however on leaving school he shocked his father by announcing he would work for him! Good job really, someone needs to take over when the old man finally hangs up his boots.......
Suzanne Witheford – Business Manager
Suzanne started out in the Events and Exhibitions world working throughout Europe with clients in the IT, Leisure, Health and Financial sectors. The mid 90’s saw her establish an agency in Newbury which proved to be very successful and gave Suzanne the invaluable experience gained by anyone choosing to run their own company.
After having two children she and her husband separated and Suzanne sold her business interests. She has since spent the last 12 years at Witheford Equine with responsibility for all customer bookings and enquiries as well as all day to day office and financial arrangements, general facilities, staff recruitment, PR / Marketing / Events and the Website. Oh – and not forgetting the tasks involved as PA to both Withefords.....!
Suzanne started out in the Events and Exhibitions world working throughout Europe with clients in the IT, Leisure, Health and Financial sectors. The mid 90’s saw her establish an agency in Newbury which proved to be very successful and gave Suzanne the invaluable experience gained by anyone choosing to run their own company.
After having two children she and her husband separated and Suzanne sold her business interests. She has since spent the last 12 years at Witheford Equine with responsibility for all customer bookings and enquiries as well as all day to day office and financial arrangements, general facilities, staff recruitment, PR / Marketing / Events and the Website. Oh – and not forgetting the tasks involved as PA to both Withefords.....!
Nicky Davies – Yard Manager
Nicky was happily working in the Swindon branch of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society when a friend contacted her to say that Gary Witheford (then based at Wootton Bassett) was looking for a jockey for a new inmate at his yard.....little did Nicky know until she arrived that this was not for a horse or pony but a Zebra! 15 years on and she is as loyal, dedicated and hard working as ever, she does exceed the annual broom budget on a regular basis but we have learnt to live with her high standards!
She is Yard Manager and heads up the Remedial work programmes, assisting Gary and Craig with the racehorses as required. An excellent and very patient tutor who loves to train anyone interested in understanding the Witheford methods.
Nicky was happily working in the Swindon branch of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society when a friend contacted her to say that Gary Witheford (then based at Wootton Bassett) was looking for a jockey for a new inmate at his yard.....little did Nicky know until she arrived that this was not for a horse or pony but a Zebra! 15 years on and she is as loyal, dedicated and hard working as ever, she does exceed the annual broom budget on a regular basis but we have learnt to live with her high standards!
She is Yard Manager and heads up the Remedial work programmes, assisting Gary and Craig with the racehorses as required. An excellent and very patient tutor who loves to train anyone interested in understanding the Witheford methods.
Sam Hanks – Rider & Groom
Sam has been with us since August 2009 having previously worked for Seamus Mullins. An excellent rider he shows no fear even on the quirkiest of characters, having spent all his spare time as a child around horses.
We can always rely on Sam to deputise for Nicky when we are ultra busy and he also accompanies Gary and Craig on external call outs.
After a long, hard slog, Sam has recently passed his driving test so is now keen to step up his training to enable him to assist Gary and Craig in attending to horses at the races.
Sam has been with us since August 2009 having previously worked for Seamus Mullins. An excellent rider he shows no fear even on the quirkiest of characters, having spent all his spare time as a child around horses.
We can always rely on Sam to deputise for Nicky when we are ultra busy and he also accompanies Gary and Craig on external call outs.
After a long, hard slog, Sam has recently passed his driving test so is now keen to step up his training to enable him to assist Gary and Craig in attending to horses at the races.
Jason Thompson – Rider & Groom
Jason is our newest recruit and hales from South Africa. He has worked in many exotic locations such as The Seychelles as well as Dubai. Having surprisingly decided that Burbage matches up to this, he works alongside Nicky and Sam in all aspects of our work with racehorses. His varied experience working with youngstock as well as competing in Amateur Arab and TB flat racing will stand him in good stead for our work at Westcourt.
He has accomplished a variety of interesting goals including working as a Commerical Diver on a Jetty salvage project in 2010 but his goal for 2011 is to pass his driving test.
Jason is our newest recruit and hales from South Africa. He has worked in many exotic locations such as The Seychelles as well as Dubai. Having surprisingly decided that Burbage matches up to this, he works alongside Nicky and Sam in all aspects of our work with racehorses. His varied experience working with youngstock as well as competing in Amateur Arab and TB flat racing will stand him in good stead for our work at Westcourt.
He has accomplished a variety of interesting goals including working as a Commerical Diver on a Jetty salvage project in 2010 but his goal for 2011 is to pass his driving test.
Tessa, Lily and Ben – Security
Tessa is our senior security expert but as she is getting on a little she is less energetic these days, so she is allowing her daughter, Lily, to take more responsibility in vetting any visitors to Westcourt.
Lily’s son, Ben, will no doubt inherit the sharp eye and keen nose from his Gran and Mother but for now he is happy just watching and waiting for the sandwich lady to share the sausage roll out each day.
Sadly Tessa passed away in February so the pressure is on for Ben to step up to the mark.......
Tessa is our senior security expert but as she is getting on a little she is less energetic these days, so she is allowing her daughter, Lily, to take more responsibility in vetting any visitors to Westcourt.
Lily’s son, Ben, will no doubt inherit the sharp eye and keen nose from his Gran and Mother but for now he is happy just watching and waiting for the sandwich lady to share the sausage roll out each day.
Sadly Tessa passed away in February so the pressure is on for Ben to step up to the mark.......
Tiggy and Oscar – Pest control
Tiggy heads up this department – being very quick off the mark if any small visitors are spotted. Always on duty during morning and evening stables, she is very tenacious and patient on discovering an unwanted resident in hiding and will wait for an opportunity to tackle them. Oscar, however, readily admits he is not keen to take over his mother’s duties in this department as he is far too busy protecting Suze in the office and is more than happy to admit he is a ‘Mummy’s Boy'.
Benji – Yard dog
Having been the victim of a family divorce, Benji was rescued by Gary several years ago and was rather unruly and spoilt. After a week of training from Gary, Benji saw the error of his ways and is now a truly reformed character and has adopted Nicky as his surrogate mum. A real laid back dude, he will sometimes wag his tail and bark simultaneously if he really exerts himself but more often than not is happy to reside in the tack room keeping a watchful eye on Nicky to make sure she doesn’t go home without him.
Having been the victim of a family divorce, Benji was rescued by Gary several years ago and was rather unruly and spoilt. After a week of training from Gary, Benji saw the error of his ways and is now a truly reformed character and has adopted Nicky as his surrogate mum. A real laid back dude, he will sometimes wag his tail and bark simultaneously if he really exerts himself but more often than not is happy to reside in the tack room keeping a watchful eye on Nicky to make sure she doesn’t go home without him.
Witheford Equine is a company registered in England and Wales with Company No 3574879
Registered Office Westcourt Stables, Westcourt, Burbage, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 3BW
VAT Registration No 717 9615 07
Whilst written for Internet Explorer, this site is best viewed on Mozilla Firefox - which can be downloaded by visiting http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/firefox/
Millie Vokins – Stablehand & Groom
Millie is a very valuable member of the team as she enables the full time staff to have Sundays off! Whilst continuing her studies at Sparsholt College, Millie provides holiday cover and is our main Sunday girl, she is very reliable and capable of taking sole charge of all the residents and during busy times is happy to ride out and assist with stalls work.
Millie is a very valuable member of the team as she enables the full time staff to have Sundays off! Whilst continuing her studies at Sparsholt College, Millie provides holiday cover and is our main Sunday girl, she is very reliable and capable of taking sole charge of all the residents and during busy times is happy to ride out and assist with stalls work.
Neil – Office Assistant
June 2011 saw the arrival of Neil, in the pouring rain, he was weak and very small and couldn't feed off his mum so Suze adopted him and ever since has bottle fed him with his mum's milk. Trouble is, Neil still thinks Suze is his mum and that he is actually one of her terriers, therefore he mostly wants to be with her rather than mix with the rest of the flock and spends most of his time in the office or running around the yard with the dogs.
He has particularly enjoyed eating Gary's fantastic flowers from all around the yard and is certainly in 'blooming' health - which could be his downfall......
June 2011 saw the arrival of Neil, in the pouring rain, he was weak and very small and couldn't feed off his mum so Suze adopted him and ever since has bottle fed him with his mum's milk. Trouble is, Neil still thinks Suze is his mum and that he is actually one of her terriers, therefore he mostly wants to be with her rather than mix with the rest of the flock and spends most of his time in the office or running around the yard with the dogs.
He has particularly enjoyed eating Gary's fantastic flowers from all around the yard and is certainly in 'blooming' health - which could be his downfall......
Craig Bevan – Rider & Groom
Having survived a very serious head on car accident in December 2010, we are pleased to welcome back Craig. He suffered a bad break to his right femur and has had endured surgery and intensive physiotherapy. It was initially thought that he might never ride again but his determination has proved the medics wrong and he is back on board as part of the team and is often deputising for Gary and Craig at the races.
Another operation to remove the supportive rod looms in a few months but we are all hopeful that Craig will be able to return to full mobility and fitness once that is complete. Oaksey House in Lambourn have been fantastic in their support and we know that without their expertise, Craig's recovery would have been much slower, if not impossible.
Having survived a very serious head on car accident in December 2010, we are pleased to welcome back Craig. He suffered a bad break to his right femur and has had endured surgery and intensive physiotherapy. It was initially thought that he might never ride again but his determination has proved the medics wrong and he is back on board as part of the team and is often deputising for Gary and Craig at the races.
Another operation to remove the supportive rod looms in a few months but we are all hopeful that Craig will be able to return to full mobility and fitness once that is complete. Oaksey House in Lambourn have been fantastic in their support and we know that without their expertise, Craig's recovery would have been much slower, if not impossible.
Sadie Jolliffe – Stablehand & Groom
After having baby number 2, Sadie has returned to Westcourt and is also a very valuable member of the team as she knows just what to do when we are really busy and just 'gets on with things' enabling the riders to get horses worked quietly and smoothly without worrying about any yard duties.
She is also calm when under pressure - must be the skills of being a mum!
After having baby number 2, Sadie has returned to Westcourt and is also a very valuable member of the team as she knows just what to do when we are really busy and just 'gets on with things' enabling the riders to get horses worked quietly and smoothly without worrying about any yard duties.
She is also calm when under pressure - must be the skills of being a mum!
