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‘It was time to back myself’: rider switches nationalities and aims for World Championships

Becky Murray Becky Murray

    • Dressage rider Jess Dunn is aiming for selection for this summer’s World Championships under the Irish flag, having switched nationality at the beginning of the year.

    Jess, who is based at Jennifer Whittaker’s White Hill Stud in Lancashire, made her first start in a green jacket last month with her top horse Dan Its Carston, at Lier CDI3*, finishing eighth in the grand prix special and 17th in a 41-strong grand prix.

    In an exclusive interview in the current issue of H&H, on sale until tomorrow 26 March, Jess discussed the nationality change and her hopes for the future.

    “I have a really good team behind me at White Hill with Jen, her husband Toby and our yard manager and competition groom Amber Flynn. Danny is showing so much potential, I thought it was time to back myself.

    “It feels quite ballsy to say I’m aiming for selection, but I’ve always had these pipe dreams. I would get so far then something maybe happens like a horse goes lame or you need to sell them, so I thought while everything is going in our favour, let’s go for it.”

    Jess said everyone has been really positive and she has had support from Irish Olympic rider Abi Lyle.

    “Abi has known my plans for a while and we’ve had some really good chats. It’s a lot of pressure to put on myself but we have a really good structure at White Hill, and although it feels like, ‘This is the chance for you to really achieve your dreams’, I’m just enjoying that I’ve got to this point and been brave enough to put myself out there,” she said.

    “More than anything I’m enjoying the process of training a horse like Danny, and learning along the way. Becky Moody has been great in helping us get a plan together for the next few months so that we’re hitting our peak at the right time. We’re planning to go to Belgium in the spring, and we have some other internationals pencilled in.

    “I know what we need to work on and, all going well, we’ll see what happens this summer.”

    Read this interview in full in H&H magazine.

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    Becky Murray
    Becky Murray

    H&H senior news writer
    Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
    Becky Murray

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