‘We’ll give it a go!’: five-star eventer named on veteran European showjumping squad
The top rider has been carving a new path since stepping back from eventing in 2024.
Five-star eventer Louise Harwood has been named on the British team at the veteran European Showjumping Championships (5–9 August) as she confirms a new chapter.
Louise and her long-term eventing partner Native Spirit will join Corrine Beech and Amigo SWB, Anthony Clark with Rempstone Toronto, Douglas Edward on Golden Boy de Jarsa and Jo Siddans with Nimble-S, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Louise is not the only eventer on the team; Anthony competes at four-star level and Douglas finished ninth in the Osberton CCI3*-L in 2023 but has been concentrating on on showjumping the past two years.
Louise, 50, has been carving a new path for herself since she stepped back from eventing following a serious fall with Blues Cloud in the Blenheim CCI4*-S in 2024. Louise sustained multiple injuries, her horse was uninjured.
“It wasn’t a conscious decision to stop eventing, but since my fall there’s the odd thing my body is still struggling with. It’s knowing whether it will lean back, sit up and do all the right things in the right places to go across country,” Louise told H&H.
“At the moment, I don’t think I’ll return. Native has lost all his FEI qualifications so I’d need to go back to the beginning and it would cost a fortune to get him back up to four- and five-star – plus he’s 17.
“I think I’ve ticked that box. I’ve completed 24 five-stars. Is it time to do something different in my life? I think maybe.”
But Louise has not lost her love of competing and showjumping is providing that fix.
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“Eventing has done me a lot of good and I’ve loved my time doing it, but there are other things out there. Some people go to dressage, but my horses wouldn’t be good enough at that and I don’t think I’d get enough of an adrenaline rush,” she said.
“I love winning, and being able to be competitive. I’m not as fast, and my horses are not as fast as showjumping horses, but if we can do a good angle we can get pretty close to them. Because of the eventing, we can sometimes to a sneakier, cheekier angle than some. It’s a lot of fun.”
Louise and Native Spirit qualified for Horse of the Year Show last year, finishing fifth in the NAF Five Star Silver League Championship.
“HOYS gave me an inkling that I’d like to do some of the ‘razzmatazz’ shows – although I need a fair kit and team of horses to be able to do that, so I need to get some owners on the way,” she said.
“I miss the razzmatazz of Badminton and Burghley.”
Next week Louise and Native Spirit will travel to Copenhagen as part of the British team for the veteran Europeans.
“I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully Native will be on good form and we’ll give it a go!” she said.
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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.