Few dressage riders finished 2025 on a steeper upward curve than Rob Barker. Long regarded as one of Britain’s most promising talents, and well backed by Carl Hester and coach Isobel Wessels, his one-two at the nationals, winning the TopSpec medium gold on Kilian’s Bartholomew and finishing runner-up on Licorno, felt like a real moment of arrival.
However, for Rob, 32, the real satisfaction lay less in the placings and more in what they confirmed.
“What I’m very pleased with this year is how the horses are really coming on and progressing,” he says. “Grand prix is my main focus with all of them. Of course, I was thrilled with the nationals’ results, but more than anything, they reassured me to keep believing in our system here.”
Rob Barker’s early riding career
Rob’s first experience of riding came at a local riding school, after lesson vouchers bought for his mother’s 40th birthday were shared between her, Rob and his sister.
Growing up near Newmarket, his early career ambitions were shaped more by racing than dressage.
“I was very into the racing,” he says. “Being as tall as I am, I knew it would have to be jump racing if any.”
While studying at Hartpury, Rob rode out for Matt and Nikki Sheppard before lectures and at weekends, fully intending to pursue that path.
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The turning point came in his second year, when he was given the ride on the stallion Take It 2 The Limit after the horse’s four-star career with Jeanette Brakewell.
Coming from a non-horsey background, the opportunity made him reassess where his energy needed to go. Training, rather than chasing a single discipline, began to take priority.
After graduating, Rob faced a choice. He knew he had plenty still to learn, but he also had one or two owners willing to support him.
A short spell with Harry Meade followed, but a lesson with Carl Hester proved decisive. A few words of encouragement were enough to tip the balance, and Rob set out on his own at just 21.
“I rode anything and everything,” he says. “And the horses that were a bit tricky, or that people were struggling with, often found their way to me.”
Rob Barker on keeping faith in the process
Backing young horses for Carl soon followed, and when Charlotte Dujardin needed stable space nearby, Rob found himself backing and competing horses for her, too.
“I’ve been given so many opportunities by both Carl and Charlotte,” he says. “I’m eternally grateful. They’ve played a huge part in my career.”
Alongside falls, setbacks and hard lessons, Rob gradually committed fully to dressage. The biggest challenge has been staying focused on his own timeline.
“It can be a constant challenge not to compare yourself with others,” he admits.
“Comparison can be a thief of joy. To stay true to myself and believe in the process isn’t always easy when everyone else can seem further ahead. But it gets easier every year. I think I’m too deep into it now to quit.”
Looking to 2026, Rob is clear about his direction. “I want a team of grand prix horses – who doesn’t?”
Leading the way is Damon’s Destiny, likely to step up early in the year, while Rioverdi has impressed at inter I.
“I’d like to think there will be a couple ready for PSG in the first half of the year too, and another to aim at inter II or grand prix later on.”
Through it all, one lesson stands out. “You never stop learning,” he says. “There are so many types of horses and ways to train. Horses aren’t machines for our dreams.”
On what advice he would give to riders hoping to go professional, Rob is clear. “Take advice from everywhere,” he says. “Watch how different people train and ride, and use those experiences to build your own way of doing things and achieving your goals.”
He also credits long-term work with sports psychologist Debbie Hill. “Having someone impartial who can help with personal, business and competition life is invaluable.”
Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
