POLO

So the Cartier Polo International was happy to invite a man convicted of assault on an elderly couple, dozens of aristocrats and an assortment of would-be actresses in minuscule dresses. But it wouldn't have me. More than 35,000 people came to the polo match last weekend but I was excluded.
Why? I'm a successful author and businesswoman, a rider, I am learning to play polo and I compete in dressage events. I rode my first horse when I was 7, and saved up to rent my first pony, Star, when I was 11. He was the ugliest, hairiest pony in the yard but I adored him. My mum couldn't afford for me to go to Pony Club but it didn't stop me going to gymkhanas. I just wanted to beat all those smart little girls in their perfect jodphurs and jackets.
All my life I've been surrounded by horses, I earned my pocket money sweeping out stables and I now have six horses. I've been invited to take part in the Royal Horse of the Year show, I've even played a charity polo match at Cowdray Park.
My book Perfect Ponies: My Pony Care Book was shortlisted for the WHSmith children's prize and I have written a bestselling series of stories about ponies. I know more about fetlocks and forelocks than most of the celebrities invited by Cartier and the Chinawhite nightclub. I've certainly mucked out more horses.
Background
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Multimedia
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I also have a business career, I've a No1 perfume and a lingerie line. I'm a wife working as hard as I can to bring up my children, Harvey, Junior and Princess Tiaamii, and be a good role model for them.
I didn't want to go to Windsor to meet royalty. I've met the Prince of Wales and the Queen before. I don't need to be photographed with the A-list, I've met quite enough celebrities. I wanted to watch the matches and give my family a treat.

It's pure snobbery. However good a horsewoman I may be, I'm also a glamour model. That embarrassed the organisers. I paid Chinawhite £6,000 for my table, but my manager was told that I was not the sort of person they wanted. Eliza Doolittle went to the races with Henry Higgins after a few elocution lessons, In Pretty Woman Julia Roberts went to the polo straight from Sunset Boulevard, but in the 21st century we have become even more class-ridden. Unless you are a toff or an aspiring actress, they don't want you.

Polo should be for people who love horses, not a media charade. It should be about the sport. Horses are a wonderful hobby, one that gets you outside and keeps you fit. They should be for everyone - little girls, glamour girls, working-class girls like me. No one should be excluded.