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‘I’m a horseman before I’m a showjumper’: the horse-first mentality that underpins Matt Sampson’s success
British showjumper Matt Sampson talks about his love for British shows, reveals his showjumping idol and gives us an insight to his ice-cool mentality, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers
MMT6BA 13 May 2018, Hamburg, Germany: Horse Back Riding, Jumping: 89th German Jumping derby: The British winner Matthew Sampson sitting on his horse Gloria van Zuuthoeve and cheering his victory. Photo: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa Credit: dpa picture alliance/Alamy Live News
Matt Sampson’s showjumping career is on an upwards trajectory. He has three top horses who have all had success at five-star level, and a string of up and coming rides, but there are still dreams to be realised.
Matt is gearing up for a busy summer, going back to his favourite stomping ground Spruce Meadows, while he also has his eyes on more Nations Cup team appearances.
Matt Sampson and top ride Daniel competing at one of his favourite venues, Spruce Meadows.
(Image credit: Alamy)
“Dublin last year was a great experience, and we were third,” says Matt.
“There’s no better feeling than when you put the team jacket on. Somehow you just get a spring in your step, it’s a different feeling and everything changes. It’s like, ‘Right here we go, we’re doing this together.’ It’s an amazing feeling.”
Matt will also be scheduling in some time to support his home shows.
“I love the British shows; Hickstead, Windsor and London. Unfortunately Bolesworth is on when I’m in Calgary, but I love it there too,” he says.
“There’s other shows that shouldn’t be forgotten like Chepstow and Chard, it’s not super easy to get international riders to come from overseas for these internationals, but they’re doing a great job.
“There’s nothing better than riding at those shows at home, it’s the vibe and the people and the crowds and everything. I always try to come back and do those shows, no matter where I am because I think it’s super important to support them.”
‘There’s no better feeling than when you put the team jacket on”: Matt Sampson and Ebolensky competing in a Nations Cup in Rome.
(Image credit: Alamy)
“Showjumping is up and down; focus on the positives”
Matt’s upbeat personality is infectious and it’s easy to see how much he enjoys what he’s doing. But has this positive mindset always come naturally – and how does he deal with pressure?
“With showjumping it’s always a bit up and down; horses get injured or you have a few bad shows in a row, but I try to focus on the positive parts. I think it’s something that everyone has to work on a little bit with showjumping,” he explains.
“But I’ve always had the mentality that I’m a horseman before I’m a showjumper. And as long as the horses are good and healthy and everybody else is good and healthy, then it’s not the end of the world when the result doesn’t come.
“A lot of it is down to confidence, and I think it’s important for every rider to know that even riders doing five-star shows every week go through stages where you lose a bit of confidence, be it in your riding or plan – it’s human.”
But Matt admits he does enjoy the pressure and the thrill of riding in those big grand prix classes.
Eyes on the prize: Matt Sampson relishes the adrenaline of a grand prix.
(Image credit: Alamy)
“It’s those butterflies when you’re at a big competition and it’s something you’ve been thinking about for a long time, then when you have the chance to actually do it, that’s when the adrenaline gets up. It’s a strange feeling, but I like it,” he laughs.
Matt Sampson’s showjumping hero
When it comes to success, Matt puts it down to the team around him and his parents Ruth and Sam.
“People ask me who taught me the most about horses and it was my parents. It’s all the small things that they told me that makes the biggest impact,” he says, adding that when it comes to horsey idols, there could only be one: John Whitaker.
“Without a doubt John is my hero, the way he manages his horses and rides them, and how they perform for him,” Matt says. “He can get out of a horse what nobody else can and I look up to not only as a rider, but as a person.
“He’s always there for advice, and normally his advice is so simple that you think it’s just not even advice, but it works.”
A congratulatory hug from Matt’s idol, John Whitaker, after winning at the London International Horse Show.
(Image credit: Alamy)
Looking beyond 2025, Matt still has dreams he wants to fulfil.
“I’ve not done a senior championship yet. I think the Olympics is the main goal for all of us who initially start competing seriously,” he says.
“It’s something that you dream about, especially as a kid. To do a senior championship and an Olympics are the two things that I really want to do.”
There’s also the small matter of a wedding to plan. Matt got down on one knee and proposed to Kara Chad, a Canadian showjumper, while the pair were on holiday in Canada in January.
“She said it was about time,” he laughs.
“I proposed in Whistler, which is a place Kara has been going skiing every year since she was a little kid and it’s her favourite place. It was really nice, and she said yes, so that was even better.
“We’re hoping to get married sometime next year, we’ve just got to try and fit it around shows!”
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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.
