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‘A very great friend and a true legend’: top riders lead the tributes to John Whitaker on his 70th birthday

Jennifer Donald Jennifer Donald

    • Showjumping legend John Whitaker has a vast talent that has underpinned his remarkable longevity as he continues to reign at the top of the sport in a glittering career spanning 50 years (and counting).

    To celebrate this much-loved rider’s milestone 70th birthday today (5 August), we asked the great and good of the equestrian world to pay tribute to an inspiration, a hero, a pioneering sportsman and a true role model. Here’s what his fellow riders – and members of his family – had to say…

    Happy Birthday John Whitaker!

    Geoff Billington on John Whitaker: “He’s a man of few words, but when he says something, listen”

    “John and I met when we were 12 but I tell everyone he didn’t speak until we were 15!” says Geoff Billington. “We used to go to the same riding club and he’d turn up in the cattle truck with the ponies he’d been delivering milk with in the morning while I was riding ponies for a coalman, and we’d just take the mickey out of each other.

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    Jennifer Donald
    Jennifer Donald

    H&H showjumping editor
    Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
    Jennifer Donald

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