What did it mean to win?
It felt great to win the HOYS Foxhunter. For a long time, it had been something I’d aimed for. I had lined a lot of good horses up for that class, so to win was really special.
The HOYS Senior Foxhunter is a prestigious competition with a long history. How does it feel to be part of that legacy as a champion?
It’s one of the most well known classes in the country and something that everyone wants to win. The prestige of the class is massive so it’s definitely a good class to have on my list of wins.
How did you celebrate?
I celebrated by having an orange and lemonade in the Hillton across the road with Jack Whitaker. I went to sleep straight after because I was up at 4:00 in the morning to ride some horses in the main ring in the warmup!
Who were your biggest supporters?
I’d say my biggest supporters were my family. I also had a big team of grooms there because we had qualified a lot of horses that year, I think seven or eight. My grooms were there the whole year on the journey of me qualifying and through everything, so they were very involved in the win and they were big supporters.
Many aspiring riders look up to champions like yourself. What advice would you give to young equestrians who aspire to excel in show jumping?
The best advice I could give to people in Showjumping is to never give up, work hard and learn to lose well – because you will lose a lot more than you win, so you better get used to it!
What is your favourite thing about HOYS
My favourite thing about HOYS is that I think it has a great atmosphere there. England is a big Showjumping country, and HOYS is like one big celebration of a sport that we all love. It’s always a privilege to jump there and I feel very lucky that I have managed to take a few wins there.
What is the best bit of advice you have ever been given?
The best bit of advice I was given is the same as I was just saying – Never give up, work hard and learn to lose well. My mum and dad used to say it to me all the time.
How has your journey in the world of equestrian sports evolved over the years, and what role has this win played in your overall career?
My career has evolved quite a lot over the past few years. I have been very lucky to have been associated with some really big names in the sport. I rode for Peter Charles for a couple of years, which was great. I am still riding for John Roberts, which I have done for the past couple of years. I am currently also working for Jos Lansink in Belgium now. So I have been very lucky to be in some very good situations with good people around me.
The wins played a big part in my career. The Foxhunter class is something that people know of all across Europe, so the publicity and the prestige that comes with it is always a big help.
What is the next goal you’re working towards / want to achieve?
My next main goals are really to try and climb the world rankings a bit more. I have just started to win a few more ranking points since moving to Europe this year, so I’ll try and keep doing that and establish myself a bit more at the higher level international shows. I also hope to make a Senior debut in the next year or so, so I’ll just see what horses we have and how we’re going.
The teams are very important and I always aim to try and support the team and be a good team rider.
