Tales from Tokyo: ‘I’ve never let numbers hold me back’

Irish event rider Sam Watson, currently competing at the Tokyo Olympics, combines his riding career with being the co-founder and chief strategist at EquiRatings – the performance analysis and data company for eventing. So when it comes to an event as huge as the Games, does his in-depth knowledge of the sport play to his advantage, or does he find his head swimming with distracting statistics?

“Sometimes I use it to help me; other times I park it,” he says. “I don’t need to know I’m 20th in the probability of who’s going to win this competition. Sometimes it’s good to believe that today could be the day you hit the top form.

“But although everyone hopes for a medal, you can put too much pressure on yourself. Everyone knows where they are subconsciously, and if you’re coming in here trying to get a personal best, of course it’s going to be disappointing getting a 34.3 when the horse is averaging 30 at the moment,” said Sam, referring to his own performance in the Olympic eventing dressage riding the attractive buckskin gelding Flamenco.

“But that’s championships, and I know [the judges] are probably looking for a higher standard than at home, so I don’t get worried about it and I stay focused on the job. A lot of people would come out of that test and feel downbeat, but I know if I finish [the competition] below 40 I’m going to put a potentially medal winning team score on the board,” said the Irish rider.

“Understanding the sport helps me and I don’t get nervous anymore because I know that mistakes happen in this game – it’s not like the 100m where you’re probably going to perform very close to how you’ve always been performing. This is a game of chance.

“But I have completed every long four-star and five-star that I have done in the past 12 years. Knowing that statistic gives me confidence to think to myself, ‘Sam, what you do in the heat of the moment is good. You are a good team rider, you get round, you get home.’ That’s where it’s good to have some evidence, otherwise you can get here and start questioning yourself.

“I’ve never let numbers hold me back. But I do let them sometimes prop me up if I’m ever doubting myself.”

You might also be interested in…

‘I’m pleased with my horse but disappointed in the mark’: Sam Watson starts Irish challenge in Tokyo

Tales from Tokyo: the one-eyed horse who ‘looked like a meatball’

Meet the buckskin heading to Tokyo: ‘We never knew where his ceiling would be’

Britain holds team gold and Oliver Townend individual silver at conclusion of Olympic eventing dressage

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now