Jemima Green and Fantabulous may have been newcomers to the British squad at the European Para Dressage Championships – but when they cruised to an unexpected individual bronze medal in the grade II on the first day of competition everyone stopped in their tracks. If that wasn’t enough, just a few days later they claimed their second medal, when they danced their way to individual bronze in the freestyle.
In the lead-up to the Europeans, the pair had been posting solid scores – including a +76% freestyle at Hartpury CPEDI3* in July – so earned their place in Ermelo, but as championship first-timers, and Fantabulous only seven years old, the pair were untested in this environment.
This inexperience far from showed when they were the first of the Brits to go on day one of the competition, and they promptly delivered Britain’s first medal, thanks to an assured performance for 73%.
Jemima and “Fanta” were last to go in their grade II section and when Jemima found out they had earned a place on the podium, it was clear just how much this moment meant.
Jemima told H&H that she never dreamed a medal was on the cards.
“At first I had no idea I’d won bronze because I didn’t hear the scores. I was just so focused on our goals; I wanted to get round the arena, have good transitions, and hold it together,” she said.
“When I was told, I thought ‘Pardon?’. Later that night we had a moment to reflect, my dad teared up, my husband teared up, God, I teared up. It’s still a little bit surreal – we actually have a medal, it just seems odd!”
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Jemima learned to ride as a child and knew from a young age she wanted to work with horses. After studying beauty therapy, she went to work full-time as head girl for eventer Jodie Amos at Aston-le-Walls, then became her second rider. During this time Jemima produced her own thoroughbred, Ebony, to British Eventing intermediate level.
In 2015 Jemima had a non-riding accident and suffered a complete spinal cord injury, which left her paralysed from the waist down.
“My dad said when I came out of the coma one of the first things I said was ‘Oh it will have to be the Paralympics now’. I don’t actually recall being told I was paralysed, my body just knew. But I always said I want to give riding a go, even if it was just hacking, I wanted to try and get back riding,” said Jemima.
“I had to have quite a few surgeries, and January 2016 was my first attempt at getting back on a horse. I got on this amazing [Riding for the Disabled Association] RDA pony, and that’s when it really hit me: ‘Wow, this is going to be a massive challenge’. I had no balance, I couldn’t let go of the front of the saddle, and I was exhausted.”
Jemima persisted with riding – even though she “really struggled” – and she worked with her RDA coach Sarah Harris, then turned towards para dressage.
“I started riding a 14.2hh Connemara, and it was just building up little stepping stones. He didn’t have the best walk but he was so safe and balanced, and it was very much ‘This might not be our final goal but I need to get my stamina up and learn’,” said Jemima.
“It was a lot of learning. I knew how to ride, but you’re then going, ‘Hang on a moment, before I would do that – and now I don’t know how to do it in my new way’. There were a lot of frustrating times.”
“It was very much building up the mileage, and I did have to go through a few horse changes,” she said.
“One of my biggest goals was getting back on my horse Ebony, who I evented. We had a really strong bond and I did manage to get to some CPEDI3*s with her and we were selected for the British Equestrian podium potential pathway more than four years ago. That was a huge step.”
In 2023 Jemima bought Fanta as a four-year-old and had help from Anna Miller, who competed him in young horse classes, initially, as horses need to be six to compete in para dressage.
“As a four-year-old his temperament was really, really solid. He was well produced and very balanced. Obviously he has a great walk and trot, which is what I need in my tests,” said Jemima, who recalled an incident when trying him that sealed the deal.
“I wear Velcro thigh straps and had forgotten to do one up. I went off trotting, and he didn’t flap at all. He was so confident and really forward-thinking. Where I have no leg, they have to be forward-thinking. He’s so trainable, and from a four-year-old you really have the benefit of going: ‘This is what I need’, and teaching them from day one.”
When Fanta turned six last year Jemima started competing him in para classes and the pair made their international debut at the Hickstead CPEDI3* last May.
“At six, we were ‘Right Fanta – let’s go’,” said Jemima, who is supported by her trainer Georgie Nicholls, who also rides Fanta, and groom Maisie Hodge.
“I had no idea how we were going to cope, but he tried really hard for me last year and it was very much about gaining exposure. Then this year, he’s come out and he feels stronger, I’m stronger in my riding and we’ve really just stepped up.”
“I had pretty much accepted we weren’t going”
Jemima aimed to do her first international abroad this year – Hagen in June – but she still didn’t dare to dream of team selection.
“It wasn’t something we’d really written in for this year. I felt it was our first year of trying to be a little more consistent in our scoring, and I’d felt silly asking if I should put my expression of interest to British Equestrian in,” said Jemima.
“When teams started to look like a bit of a potential, and then having the nomination for the Europeans, it was really overwhelming. There were some really strong Paralympic and European combinations, and I had pretty much accepted we weren’t going.
“Then I got the phone call. I thought they had made a mistake, I honestly didn’t think it was real. Obviously you hope for these things, but I almost felt like a bit of a fraud.”
Fast-forward to the Europeans in Ermelo this week and Jemima and Fanta have shown they deserved their place.
“Fanta has outdone himself. He’s been a complete overachiever, which is fabulous, but you almost kind of think ‘Is the next one not going to go so well?’. But he’s grown with confidence, he’s got stronger, so it’s going in there and just giving him a good experience because again, he is only seven,” said Jemima.
“I need to go in the arena and say ‘You can trust me, we can do this’. I’ve almost got to hold his hand, which is a bit of a new one for me, and then putting that trust into him – it’s a lot of learning and we’re on the journey together, which is amazing.”
Looking ahead
Jemima adds the future looks bright for Fanta – but first and foremost is his continued training.
“I want to do him justice in his education. That’s the thing for me, at seven, it’s really trying to keep that focus and thinking of the future,” she said.
“It’s incredible to have won a medal, but we still need to build on his training. But it’s exciting, because I know that first test didn’t feel anywhere like I know we can get to. There’s more in there and when he starts to relax in those atmospheres, I can say ‘Come on then, let’s give this a little bit more’. To see where he could go is very, very exciting.”
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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.
