‘I’ve loved my eventing life’: six-time Olympian hangs up her boots aged 64 after stellar career
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it” is Mary King’s summing up of her extraordinary and stellar eventing career, as she retires aged 64 to enjoy her next chapter.
The CCI5* winner, six-time Olympian and world and European medallist – and all-round legend of the sport – started her 46th season of eventing this year but has now made the decision to bow out.
“It’s funny; I hadn’t really thought about it, then after riding at Moreton this month, I came second, I just thought ‘It would be better if Emily rides the horse at Thoresby’,” Mary told H&H. “And then I thought ‘Actually, I think I’ll stop’.
“I’m very happy about it; it’s definitely time and I’m glad I’ve taken the plunge.”
Mary, known and beloved across the equestrian world, was born into a non-horsey family, learned to ride on the vicar’s pony and worked her way to the top thanks to talent, determination and unending hard work.
Having started working in eventing with former European champion Sheila Wilcox aged 16, Mary went on to win Badminton twice, in 1992 with King William and 2000 with Star Appeal, Burghley in 1996 with Star Appeal and five British national titles at Gatcombe, including four British Open championships. In 2011, she became the first rider to achieve a one-two at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, winning with home-bred Kings Temptress and coming second with Fernhill Urco.
She went to six Olympics, winning team silver in 2004 and 2012 and team bronze in 2008, and won world team gold in 1994 and 2010 as well as team silver in 2006. She also has four European team golds in the cabinet, team bronze and individual silver and bronze.
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And Mary said that first Badminton win, 34 years ago, stands out.
“I’d been very lucky to have been second and third in previous years with King Boris, but to actually win in 92 was just amazing,” she said. “I felt like we’d just beaten the world, and made it – absolutely wonderful.
“My second Badminton win on Star Appeal was again very special as my life had changed so much. I’d got married, I’d had children; people said ‘You wait, once you’ve had a child, you won’t want to do it any more’.
“I didn’t know if I wouldn’t want to do it any more, but it didn’t seem to affect me at all. I was lucky to have some very good horses at the time already there at top level and I still had that drive to do it. I was really one of the first mothers to compete successfully at a high level after having children. Now there are many mothers competing, so hopefully I’ve inspired people to maybe realise that having babies doesn’t mean you have to stop everything.”
And of course representing her country, let alone winning medals, was very special.
“I’d always had aims and ambitions,” she said. “First it was getting to Badminton, then when I managed to ride there, in 1985 and came seventh, it was to try to win Badminton.
“Then that happened in ‘92; Badminton was always the number one, then to try to get to an Olympic Games, then to try to medal at a Games. It has always been having something to aim for.”
Mary has had fabulous horses over her career and she cited King Boris, whom she rode before William, as one of the first.
“He’d been second and third at Badminton; he was such a good horse because I was on such a steep part of my learning curve then,” she said. “I was making mistakes, but he was so forgiving. If I’d had a sensitive horse at that stage, things might have been very different, but he just forgave me and kept jumping; he was a good boy, really special.
“King William obviously was amazing. There was some real heartache with the showjumping, but even so, it was only at real major events with crowds when the showjumping was at its worst. He jumped many, many clear rounds and he was one of the highest points-scoring horses, won many, many events and went on for such a long time. This was when the events were long format and he did Badminton as an eight-year-old, then went on and did two [major events] every year until he retired.”
Mary broke her neck in a riding accident in 2001 but came back to the very top, which also included winning the HSBC Classics series, and becoming the world’s leading eventer, in 2011.
“The sport has its ups and downs, highs and lows, and there’s huge sadness with horses sometimes,” she said. “And also yourself; you fall and hurt yourself and have to be sidelined for a while. I was in it for so long, you just get used to coping with it. If you couldn’t cope with it, you wouldn’t be able to do it really. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Mary must have inspired countless young riders to go into her sport, having herself looked up to the likes of Lucinda Green and Ginny Elliott.
“They were my absolute idols,” she said. “I used to copy everything that they did; wearing the same jodhpurs and riding boots; I even went to the hairdresser with a picture of Lucinda and asked them to cut my hair like hers.
“They were amazing, and I remember my first trip to Badminton Horse Trials, on the Pony Club coach trip, being amazed by what I was seeing. I couldn’t believe how brave the riders were, everyone seemed so rich and their horses were amazing. I thought ‘There’s no way I’ll ever be able to do it’, because I had non-horsey parents and very little money – but it is possible. Hopefully it might inspire people, make them realise it is possible if you’ve got that drive, keep plugging on and trying to improve. You learn every time, every horse is different, which is what makes it such a fascinating sport.”
Mary King retires: a different focus
Mary stepped down from top level after the London Olympics, and has been producing her home-breds and competing up to three-star level. And she is not leaving the eventing world – she was rolling her fields as she spoke to H&H yesterday (31 March) – but she will have a different focus, including supporting her daughter Emily more.
“I’ll still back my young ones; I breed horses, and I’m still very happy to do the initial work with them, the backing and riding away – as long as they’re not too lively!” she said. “But then I won’t do the competing. I’ll send them up to Emily to further their education.
“I don’t really know how to describe how I’m feeling, I just feel it is very much the right situation. I’ll have much more free time and be able to go on holidays without feeling guilty that I ought to be riding the horses at home.
“I love sailing, and have fitted a fair bit in but I’ve sailed two thirds of the way around the world, so I need to get the last third in, to say I’ve sailed round the world!
“I have loved my eventing life, and feel so lucky to have had so many amazing horses, and have wonderful memories which will stay close to my heart for ever.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.