Pippa loves horses and has ridden since she was five. In fact she loves all animals and seems to have a special way with them. She is an excellent rider and helps us break some horses early as she is so light. She has settled well here and speaks fluent Italian, doing quite well at school too. The highlight of last year for her was winning the junior class at the local gymkhana.

Andrea

Andrea has had a long succssful carreer in radio, working as a DJ on some major Welsh (Swansea Sound, Dragon FM, Valleys, and the Wave) and Maltese stations (Island Sound, Bay Radio).

Andrea was also a writer for many leading newspapers and popular magazines in Malta. Her career soon led her to being a sought after English teacher in specialised schools for foriegners.

Andrea rode when she was younger, stopping for many years and taking up the sport again seven years ago.

Mark

I grew up in Malta, where I met Andrea. At the time I used to race cars in Italy and Sicily, and had to travel here extensively. In these years I learned to appreciate and love this hard romantic land. I also learned more about the island of Sicily than probably most Sicilians have.

Starting to ride when both members of my family took to talking of nothing else – I have now been promoted to chief tester of unknown animals we receive… but not because of my special skills!!

Yeb

Yeb De Yong is a professional and expert horseman with an incredible career, which includes training Olympic teams in two countries.

Yeb came along for that memorable trip from Wales and constantly visits to give us advice and help with the project.

Salvo

Salvo is our Sicilian friend and farrier. Salvo is a keen horseman who has ridden all his life. He knows the area of Alia well and has travelled all its trails. Moreover, he is knowledgeable in all the local ways of horsemanship and has given us invaluable advice on adapting to the local situation.