The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7179 p904-936
22-29 December 2001

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Christmas miscellany summary

And see a fine lady upon a dark horse

Despite the demands of a high-flying job as assistant director of the National Prescribing Centre, Liverpool, Annie Coppel spends much of her free time in a field. Annie has been horse-mad since the age of seven and for the past two-and-a-half years she has been the proud owner of Bleacott's Bizzie Lizzie, a dark bay thoroughbred mare standing 16.2 hands.

"Lizzie is a genuine and kind mare but she can be rather strong-willed and feisty when the mood takes her," Annie says. "On a bad day when there can be two sets of hormones flying around, she can be a bit of a handful."

At the moment, Annie rides five times a week, putting the mare through her paces for dressage competitions in which she competes once or twice a month. (Dressage is the training of horses in deportment and response to controls.)

Annie explains: "I take part in competitions affiliated to British Dressage, a member of the British Equestrian Federation. At present, I compete at novice level at which we have done pretty well. Soon, I hope to move up to the next level, which is the elementary level, and my ambition is to compete successfully at higher levels in the future." Another of Annie's ambitions is to become an eventer in which she and her horse not only have to show their prowess in dressage, but also in cross-country and show- jumping. Annie is working hard to bring Bleacott's Bizzie Lizzie to the necessary standard but she has had some setbacks, including being thrown off and breaking her collarbone.

When asked what had been the highlight of her equestrian career so far, Annie says: "Finding this lovely horse with potential, overcoming the challenges we have faced and having fun learning together."

Annie Coppel studied at Manchester University after which she worked at Booth Hall Children's Hospital, Manchester. She has enjoyed a varied career, including being pharmaceutical adviser to Stockport Health Authority and working on prescribing projects which helped to inform both regional and national prescribing policy.