‘As a child, I used to come to the Reading Carriage Sales with my father and grandfather – never did I believe that I would end up working at them!’ So says the new face of Thimbleby & Shorland’s prestigious specialist auctions which have been held at the Victorian livestock market in central Reading since the 1960s. With a lifetime’s involvement in horses and driving, Rebecca brings a passion for the heritage and history of all areas of horse-drawn transport and the development of carriages.  It’s something she’s inherited from her father, the renowned coachman John Seear, and her grandfather, the Hackney exhibitor Frank Seear.

‘I used to help my grandfather look after his Hackneys because his yard was nearby and as he got older, he used to buy more and more young horses.  At the same time, I worked alongside my father for years, from a youngster until I went to live in California – and when I came home in 2014, I helped him until he died in 2016.’

One of four children, Rebecca stayed with John at their base in Windsor when her parents separated.  Her mother is ridden event organiser and former advanced eventer Tissie Reason, who used to run the Windsor Park and Smith’s Lawn one to three day ridden events, the events at Chatsworth and she now runs the British Eventing competitions at Aston-Le-Walls in Northamptonshire.  Her stepfather is Major Leslie Reason, formerly of the Royal Logistics Corps, and himself a well-known figure in equestrian circles, as he used to drive the RLC coach at Royal Ascot and Royal Windsor, with horses supplied by John.  Interestingly, while Tissie was running ridden events in Windsor Park, John was the course builder for the driven events and some of his structures are still standing.

‘I’ve creosoted many of those obstacles and jumps over the years, and some of them, like the Queen Anne’s Steps I still see when driving around the park.’

After primary school at the Royal School on the Crown Estate, which was specifically for families who lived and worked there, Rebecca went to The Marist School in Ascot. There she was one of the first children in Berkshire to be acknowledged as dyslexic and was supported by Bracknell Forest Council.  She then went on to study English at Royal Holloway which is part of London University – and very near to her father and the horses.

‘Although Dad called my dyslexia a ‘condition’ he did a charity drive to raise money and awareness on behalf of the Helen Arkell Foundation, from Windsor Castle to St Maurs in Cornwall in five days.  He used one pair of horses, who kept to one set of shoes, and he had everything he needed in the back of the carriage!’

The distance was of no issue to John who would drive everywhere and thought nothing of doing 25 to 30 miles in a day as his horses were used to it.  He got the Hackney licence to run carriage rides in Windsor from his mentor and someone Rebecca calls ‘Great Uncle’ George Paget.  As well as running the business and helping at Windsor Park Equestrian Club, John was involved in the Coaching Club and would horse coaches with his Welsh Cobs.  He also provided horses for the likes of the great American driver, and one of the FEI Driving’s early protagonists, Phillip Hoffman, when he came to England.

After university, Rebecca enjoyed a twenty year career in media technology which included living in Los Angeles for four years working in post-production for Netflix.  Then in 2014, while with Amazon, she moved back to London to help them launch a new project, ‘Amazon Prime.’  Throughout her career, she found time to help John with his carriage hires, especially at weekends for the horse-drawn weddings.

Because of her professional experience, Rebecca brings a different eye to what she does in an area as traditional as carriage driving.  Progressive and communicative, she gives talks at history societies and in schools about the heritage of transport and is keen to share her passion and belief that ‘carriages tell stories’.  She gets the children to role play, perhaps as a groom, horse or driver, which they enjoy.

‘I grew up with this absolute passion and love for carriage driving, Windsor Great Park and the stories, so I feel at home when I’m on a carriage in the park – which is the same for so many people who come alive when they are around horses.

‘I’m very process orientated, and all my number work is done on Excel, so I’ve kept records of our driving activities over the last 15 years.  I did a spreadsheet once about horseshoe wear which was fascinating, which helped me work out optimum routes, hill gradients and what would be best for the horses as I’m always aware of their welfare and any environmental impact what we do might have.

Already Rebecca has been out looking at carriages with Chris Boreham and she relished the experience.  She’s settled into her new office at Market House in Reading and is working alongside carriage sale administrator Clayre Gillett.  In her spare moments she’s studying past catalogues and price lists to get a feel for the current prices and market trends.  She is excited about embracing the Victorian venue which she finds fascinating, alongside learning about running the auctions and sorting through harness, sundries and the collectables.  She also looks forward to meeting the clientele and their treasures, and will be supported by past managers and the seasoned team at T & S.  The countdown is on for the first sale of the year on Wednesday 24^th April.

‘I love the people connected with this world, especially where one person’s trash is another person’s treasure which is perfect for this job!  I also enjoy the business side of it too. But what I’m really looking forward to is the sense of community that the Reading Carriage Sales encapsulate.  There are people who will say, “I’ll see you at Reading” and might not meet up anywhere else or at any other time.  And then you come across people from other disciplines and connections are made – it’s about who you know and who you meet during the auctions.

‘There’s a level of ceremony about buying something at Reading.  The hustle of it all, picking the goods up – that’s an enjoyable side of it too!’

The team at T & S are also excited about Rebecca’s input and new ideas for something that is not just a business, but an institution in the carriage and equestrian world.

‘I’m quite apprehensive about the prestige of the carriage sales and I’m keen to keep something so important going, but as much as anything, it’s business as usual at Reading!’

For further information or to enquire about making entries for the next auction, or to contact Rebecca directly, please call the office or consult the website www.tsauction.co.uk