It’s all very well watching the likes of Charlotte Dujardin and Holly Smith doing their thing at the top of the world stage, but if you’re a young rider set on building your career with horses, some of the best inspiration can come from following other teenagers making their way in the sport at a young age. Here are just some of the talented and influential young riders in Britain that you should be following online…
She’s only 13 but has taken the showjumping world by storm with her 15 ponies and two super horses. Tabitha was named H&H young rider of the year in 2020, the same year she won four grands prix classes in a single day, and won the Pony Showjumper of the year title at Horse of the Year Show. Find out what goes on behind the scenes via her social media.
Ruby Hughes – 13-year-old dressage rider and vaulter @classicrebecca
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Ruby has not just one, but two top grand prix riders for parents – mum Rebecca and dad Gareth, who is a frequent member of British championship teams and European medallist. Ruby has certainly inherited their talent for dressage and was the 2020 British children-on-horses champion and overall under-21 champion. She is also a talented vaulter, representing Britain at the senior European vaulting championships in 2021.
A British Eventing ambassador, Suffolk-based Gracie has racked up a whopping 200,000 online followers across all her social media platforms. Gracie competes up to BE105 with her ponyLiskillen Prince, a 14.2hh Connemara, and charts the ups and downs of her eventing career.
Maisy’s dad is none other than top British showjumping Guy Williams, so you can bet that Maisy is one to follow for jumping inspiration. The 14-year-old is already flying high with her top horses Native Warrior and Chaccos Land and with five international wins under her belt in 2020 alone, she looks like one day she might achieve her dream: “to win more than my dad”.
North Devon-based Lilli jumps up to 1.20m level and has her sights set on competing at Horse of the Year Show in 2021 with her pony Flo. When she’s not jumping, she’s sharing her journey online to her thousands of followers across Instagram and TikTok, and is refreshingly honest about the highs and the lows of being a young rider in the sport.
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Annabella has already represented Britain at the Pony European Championships three times with her stunning palomino pony Cognac IX. She is now stepping up to juniors with the chestnut stallion Belafonte, and sharing her journey with over 10,000 followers online.
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