2024 will clearly be a hard act to follow, so what does Olli have planned for the year ahead?
“I am very lucky, I have a string of really nice horses at the moment and I am very grateful for my owners and sponsors,” says Olli. “I have a few exciting horses who I think are going to come through the ranks, so I am hopeful for a successful 2025.”
Olli Fletcher: opportunities with the Young Riders Academy
Olli was selected for the Young Riders Academy supported by Rolex and he is inspired by its recent graduates including Harry Charles and Richard Vogel.
“It definitely gives me a bit of hope!” he says. “Even to be able to have half the success that those riders have had would be amazing. I think without the Young Riders Academy supported by Rolex it would not have been as easy for them to get to where they are now.
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“It is a fantastic programme, not just for the fact that you have the opportunity to be able to learn from some of the greatest riders and trainers in the world, but you also learn about veterinary care, business and economics, and communication,” he continues.
“This provides us with information that can be crucial in the sport. It has been a great year as part of the Academy and I have learned so much.”
“My parents have been inspirational”
Olli nominates his parents Graham and Tina Fletcher as having a huge influence on his career.
Competing at shows such as CHI Geneva, the home of the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, and other Majors “means everything”, he says.
“There are big shows and big grands prix every week, but as a rider, you know that when it is a Major it is different,” he explains. “There are riders from across the world who have come over to complete on their best horses in the Rolex grand prix. It is spectacular and means a lot to us.”
When asked if there is any horse in history, past or present, who he would like to ride, he pinpoints the great mare Ursula XII.
“There are so many good horses now that it is hard to say,” says Olli. “However, I would have to choose Scott Brash’s Ursula XII. My mum produced her and was double clear in the Nations Cup in Calgary before Scott took her on.
“What a fabulous horse she was – when she walked into the arena she had a great aura around her – she was gorgeous.”
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
