Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson isn’t only continuing to compete at grand prix level, almost nine years after the 2012 London Olympic Games, but she is also now a mum of three young children.
“Three is definitely too many children,” Laura jokes. “No, it’s really fun and it brings other things to my life that I wouldn’t change for anything. For sure there are times when having children makes re-establishing my career more challenging, but that’s something I’ve chosen and it’s something I have to live with.”
Laura then explains how she is trying to set an example to her two daughters too.
“I want to show my girls that you can have it all — that you can be a very present mum and be at the top of your game at the same time. It might take a little bit longer and it might be pretty exhausting at times, but it’s still do-able.”
When it comes to switching her attentions between children and her riding career, Laura says that she is “lucky”.
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“I’ve always been someone who can compartmentalise quite well,” she explains. “So I can be mid-maths homeschooling one second and the next, I’ll whizz down to the yard, put my boots and hat on, get on my horse and I’ll be in the zone for that.
“Riding horses is almost like a meditative thing for me — it’s a moment to myself and my moment where I can zone out from everything else that is going on and just focus on what I’m doing on that particular horse. It’s a break from the other part of my life and vice versa — it works, because it has to!”
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Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
