Bryan Smart Racing Team

Vicky is a partner in the business and works alongside Bryan to ensure that the horses are fit and healthy by executing her skills as a qualified Veterinary Nurse and Veterinary Physiotherapist. She has also completed a 3 year Veterinary Homeopathy course and finds that this natural system of medicine can hugely benefit the horse by treating the totality of the animal, stimulating the body's own healing process and importantly has no side effects or withdrawal periods. Vicky competed in BSJA Show Jumping before she became involved in racing through the Point to Point field.  She was a successful amateur rider winning races in Point to Points and on the flat. Vicky cooks a great breakfast for the owners on ‘work mornings’ and in between managing the business and looking after all the humans and horses she enjoys riding her own Irish Sport horse and helping Beth with her showjumpers. She also enjoys re-schooling the racehorses and actively tries to find suitable forever homes for them after their racing career is over. She has produced a number of ex-racehorses to championship level in the show ring and is the Retraining Consultant for RoR (Retraining of Racehorses) which is horse racing’s own charity. To find out more about Retraining of Racehorses click on our ‘Retraining’ page.

One of the unique features about Bryan Smart's training yard is the constant presence of a physiotherapist and homeopath who also rides out and is personally involved with the horses. To find out more about Vicky's work in any of the above fields click on the appropriate areas on this website.

Hobbies:

• Walking and swimming
• Regional Co-ordinator for ROR (North East)
• Showing and show jumping with daughter Beth.

Beth has ridden since she was 4yo and has competed her ponies all over the country including at Hickstead and Horse of the Year Show. She left school in 2017 with three A levels in History, Biology and French and is now show jumping full time with her two horses Cludo IV and Sandor's Legacy. Beth is incredibly passionate about show jumping and is often seen in the outdoor school or on the gallops schooling and working on the fitness of her show jumpers and enjoys the benefits of the excellent facilities at Hambleton House. Since taking up show jumping full time Beth has successfully competed Nationally and Internationally at some of the top venues in the country. In 2018 Beth won the Small Tour Grand Prix at Keysoe CSI 2* on Sandor's Legacy and in 2019 Beth is aiming at more National and International shows where she hopes to bring more success to Team Smart.

Beth has a particular interest in Bloodstock and breeding and can often be seen at the sales with her Dad selecting the next crop of 2 year olds.

Beth is sponsored by Gain Equine Nutrition, 4CYTE UK and Priory Saddlery. 

More information can be found by clicking the links below. 

www.gainequinenutrition.com

www.fenlandzhealth.co.uk

www.priorysaddlery.com

Beth is always happy to talk to any potential owners or sponsors.

Contact: bethvsmart5@icloud.com

Kevin Edmunds has been assistant trainer since 2006.

He was previously head lad to Milton Harris and also rode as a National Hunt/Point to Point jockey. Kevin will be a familiar face to many both at home and on the racecourse where he frequently attends meetings when Bryan is unable to be present. He rides many of the horses at home and is very much a 'hands on' presence in the yard. He also looks after the gallops and makes our hay during the summer. Kevin relaxes by racing his German wirehaired pointers.

Beck (assistant trainer Kevin's wife) has an Equine Science Degree and is a valuable member of the team. She organises the yard routine by establishing the daily needs, allocating workloads to staff and managing each horses individual requirements. 

When she is not at work Beck enjoys working her German Wirehaired Pointer ‘Bandit’ out on the moors counting grouse for the landowners.

Beck has a passion for photography and you will see many of her pictures on this website. She does commissions and can be contacted via her Facebook Page ‘Beck Edmunds Photography’.

Rakesh has been a member of the team since he arrived in 2006 from India at 17yo. In that time he has become an integral part of the team. Rakesh has been the backbone of Team Smart in the years he has been with us and nothing is ever too much trouble. He is renowned for his incredible plaiting skills and it is never a surprise when he comes home from the races with the Best Turned Out award including B.T.O. in the Racing Post Trophy in 2017 when he led up Alpha McGuire (no mean feat against some of the top yards including John Gosden and Ballydoyle!). Rakesh is also a keen cricketer and plays for South Kilvington where he has won awards for being the best batsman in the area.

Rakesh recently returned home to his native India to get married to his new wife Pooja.

Helen is the accounts secretary for Team Smart and comes in every Tuesday to do the book keeping.  She has over 25 years of admin, secretarial and accounts experience, gained in a variety of environments. In 2014 she started her own company offering a payroll and/or bookkeeping service for local small businesses. She was lucky enough to keep existing employers as clients of the new company and currently carry out work for racehorse trainers, farmer and a domiciliary care agency among others.

She is also joint secretary of the local Wensleydale Agricultural Show and wedding hostess for a local venue. Variety is the spice of life! 

In her spare times she loves to cook and is undertaking some cookery courses this year. She also tries to go to the gym at least three times a week which she says is very necessary to counteract the cooking.

Helen recently joined us as Racing Secretary after graduating from Bishop Burton College with an Honours Degree in Equine Business Management. Having previously worked for North Yorkshire County Council in employment support services and on the family farm keeping records up to date, Helen has quite a few years of administration experience. As the first point of contact for the yard Helen liaises with owners, racecourses and suppliers to ensure everything runs smoothly and deals with everything on the administration side of the business such as keeping records up to date and making entries and declarations.  

Away from work Helen enjoys trail hunting her two horses, walking her Jack-Russell terrier Alfie and helping out on the family farm driving tractors and being the assistant shepherd, especially during lambing time! She is also a keen race-goer attending point to points, flat and jump race meetings throughout the year.

Tony Eyre has done our transport since we moved up in 2002 and is part of the team at Hambleton House. He has travelled horses all over the country and abroad for us and is a well- known face at the races. Tony is always cheerful provided he has had his cup of coffee before he sets off on another long journey in his horsebox!

Londonderry Farriers are a family run business based in Londonderry, North Yorkshire, with a team of enthusiastic Registered and Apprentice Farriers.

Huw Dyer AWCF has over 40 years of experience in the industry. He has overseen the training of more than 30 farriers, including his son Tom Dyer DWCF who has joined the business. The team is completed by apprentices Will Crozier, Alex Bradbury and Danny Souter.

Minster Equine Veterinary Clinic is dedicated to providing quality professional care for horses in numerous equestrian disciplines.

Vet Pol Abril-Casellas LV MRCVS is present twice a week for routine work and veterinary care of the horses. 

After graduation from Barcelona University in 2009, Pol travelled to North America for a few months visiting renowned equine hospitals. He then undertook a one-year internship at a surgical referral hospital in Canada. After this, he then moved to the Dubai for few months, focusing mainly on lameness of endurance horses. He moved to UK in 2014 and worked in Lambourn, Berkshire for a year focusing mainly on racehorses and sport horse work.

Pol joined Minster Equine Vets in May 2015. His main interests are racing, surgery and sports medicine, including lameness, gait analysis and diagnostic imaging, which led him to enrol in an Advanced Practitioner Certificate specialising in Equine Surgery (Orthopaedics).

Outside work, you can find Pol hiking, rock climbing or walking his beloved Border Collie, Anek.