Southampton teaching assistant nominated for national award

Jo Preston (43) from West End, Southampton has been nominated as a finalist in the Absorbine Amateur Groom of the Year Awards. Voting for the finalists is now open, and the winner will be announced at the end of season Showing World/ Showing Council Personality of the Year Awards Gala dinner on the 21st October at the East of England Showground, Peterborough.

Jo works full-time as a teaching assistant for children with special needs and combines this with helping her daughter, talented show rider, Mackenzie Preston and her two horses, Alfie & Obie. She said: "I am overwhelmed to be nominated for this award, people from the parents at school to my showing friends are all supporting me."

Jo was nominated for the award by Mackenzie who has ridden since she was very small. She spends her free time helping twenty-year-old Mackenzie look after their two horses and in the run up to a show, does everything from bathing the horses to making sure entries are completed and getting all the showing gear together.

Jo continued: "I have a real passion for supporting the children at school who I work with on a one to one basis providing help with their speech and language. It can be challenging though, and there is nothing better than spending time with the horses, even if it is just grooming them for half-an-hour after school. I find it really therapeutic."

Jo doesn't just juggle her two roles, she also combines them. Every year she brings a pony into school, ridden by a ‘Princess', to conclude the children's ‘Once upon a time' topic. She said: "I love bringing the pony in to see the children, their faces are pictures, sprinkling magic on their learning"

One of Jo's proudest moments in her grooming role came just a few weeks ago when Mackenzie qualified their new horse, Randalstown Razzmatazz - known as Obie - for the prestigious Royal International Horse Show. Jo said: "It was Obie's first ever show and to go and qualify for the Royal International was amazing. Our ultimate dream is to qualify for the Horse of the Year Show with our new boy.

To get into the finals of the Absorbine Groom of the Year Award, grooms have to be nominated and then a selection panel decides on the four amateur finalists. To vote for Jo in the Absorbine Grooms Award visitwww.showingworldawards.co.uk.

Leading horse care products company Absorbine has sponsored the Showing Council / Showing World for several years. European marketing manager Rachael Holdsworth said, "It is great for Absorbine to be associated with providing recognition for all the hard work put in by showing grooms throughout the season. Our finalists this year are of an exceptional standard".

For further information please visitwww.absorbine.co.ukor find us on facebookwww.facebook.com/AbsorbineUK. To follow the Absorbine Groom of the Year award use hashtag, #GroomoftheYear17 or #ShowPersonality17.

ENDS

PICTURE: Jo Preston.

For more press information, contact Holdsworth PR on 01903 892060 or emailjenny@holdsworthpr.co.uk.