Latest from Horse & Hound in Joe-whitaker

A Who’s Who of Whitakers: how well do you know the famous family of showjumpers?

Jennifer Donald — Fri, 15 May 2026 10:28:36 +0000

The Whitaker family of showjumpers has been the backbone of the sport for nearly half a century.

The famous sporting dynasty stems from the late Donald Whitaker, a Yorkshire farmer, and his wife Enid Whitaker, a keen horsewoman, and it is through their four sons, John, Michael, Ian and Steven, that the legendary Whitaker showjumping name was made.

Here is a complete Who’s Who of the famous Whitaker family.

The Whitaker family Who’s Who

Family of John Whitaker, married to Clare Whitaker

John Whitaker (born 1955) is the oldest of the four brothers and has been at the top of the sport for five decades, winning 21 championship medals, including with the mighty Milton. He and wife Clare have three children, Louise, Robert and Joanne Whitaker, all of whom compete internationally.

Louise Whitaker

John and Clare’s eldest daughter Louise (born 1980) is now a highly respected producer of young horses, married to Ian Turner with two children, Harvey and Sienna.

Robert Whitaker

John and Clare’s son Robert (born 1983) regularly competes at five-star level showjumping and is a British team rider and Hickstead Derby winner. He and wife Kate have two young daughters, Evie and Millie, both of whom are keen young riders.

Joanne Whitaker

The youngest of John and Clare’s children, Joanne (born 1987) is also a hugely talented rider, producing many top horses in their early years.

The Whitaker family tree (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Family of Steven Whitaker, married to Carole Whitaker

Steven Whitaker (born 1957) also competed in showjumping to international level and now runs an equestrian business with son Joe. He and Carole have four children, Ellen, Joe, Thomas and Donald Whitaker, all of whom are international showjumpers.

Ellen Whitaker

Steven and Carole’s eldest daughter Ellen Whitaker (born 1986) is a very successful international rider and has made her name winning some of the world’s biggest grands prix. She has two sons, Harry and Frankie, with her former partner Antonio Marinas Soto.

Joe Whitaker

Steven and Carole’s second child Joe (born 1988) has also jumped on British teams, as well as riding as a National Hunt jockey. He is married to Fiona and they have four children, Sophia, Stevie Joe, Emily and Bonnie.

Thomas Whitaker

The third of Steven and Carole’s children, Tom Whitaker (born 1990) runs his own business, Tom Whitaker Equestrian, buying, selling and producing horses as well as competing internationally and teaching.

Donald Whitaker

The youngest of Steven and Carole’s four children, Donald Whitaker (born 1992) is named after his grandfather, the late patriarch of the Whitaker clan, and he is making a real name for himself on the international circuit, currently based in Germany with girlfriend German team rider Nicola Pohl.

The Whitaker family celebrate Michael and Melissa’s wedding (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Family of Michael Whitaker, married to Melissa Whitaker

Michael Whitaker (born 1960) is the third son of Enid and Donald, following in the footsteps of his oldest brother John to become one of the greatest showjumpers in the world, winning 15 championship medals and the Hickstead Derby four times. He and Melissa have three children, Jack, Molly and Katy.

Jack Whitaker

Jack Whitaker (born 2001) is one of the brightest young stars in showjumping, having won individual gold at the pony European Championships and he is representing the Whitaker family showjumping dynasty as a regular competitor on the five-star circuit.

Family of Ian Whitaker, married to Alison Whitaker

Although he’s a knowledgeable horseman, Ian is the only brother who followed the farming route rather than becoming a professional showjumper. He and his wife Alison have nevertheless passed on the jumping genes as all three of their sons, William, George and James, are involved in the sport.

William Whitaker

The oldest son of Ian and Alison, William (born 1989) is another member of the Whitaker family to represent Great Britain on showjumping teams, as well as jumping to victory in grands prix and he has won the Hickstead Derby. He is married to Elisabeth Whitaker and they have three children, Isabella, Oliver and Evelyn.

George Whitaker

William’s younger brother George (born 1992) is another successful showjumper from the family competing at both national and international level. He is married to fellow showjumper Michaela Whitaker and the couple run Dallamires Stables together. Their young daughter Gracie May is achieving great success in the show ring.

James Whitaker

The youngest son of Ian and Alison, Jim (born 1997) is a regular winner on the national circuit and Queen’s Cup victor, producing some top class horses from his base in Yorkshire. He married Isabella in 2024.

Then we mustn’t forget international rider Joe Clayton, who is a second cousin of the Whitakers and was based with Michael Whitaker in his early days.

It’s quite some family – no wonder the Whitakers have become showjumping royalty!

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Olympic gold medallist makes winning return and a stallion with the ‘biggest heart’: ‘You feel you can do anything on him’

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 16:42:43 +0000

What a week for British riders! In this week’s international showjumping news round-up, we’ve watched grands prix being won by our country’s heroes, seen some superb performances from the next generation of young showjumpers and credit goes to one of the super grooms who make it all possible.

Read on for this week’s round-up of international showjumping news and results

Showjumping news: Olympic gold medallist makes exciting triumphant return

After an unforgettable summer in which Harry Charles won Olympic gold in Paris quickly followed by a glittering grand prix victory in the Longines Global Champions Tour of London, the 25-year-old took some well-deserved time out to recharge his batteries. This week he made a triumphant return to the sport, winning the CSI2* grand prix of Peelbergen in the Netherlands on nine-year-old Bandit after a seven-way jump-off.

This success also marked a return to the ring for the Stall Zet and Peter Charles-owned Bandit, who was last seen unseating Harry in Aachen in July and, although the stallion was unhurt in his stumble, the accident resulted in a broken arm for Harry.

“There was actually a similar oxer-oxer triple combination to the one in Aachen but that was more of a freak fall, so it wasn’t on my mind at all and Bandit really wasn’t bothered – he’s Irish and pretty hardy!” said Harry of the Obos Quality x Cruisings Micky Finn stallion, who was bred in Ireland by Ted McKenna.

“I had four horses in Peelbergen, none of them knocked a pole down all week and Bandit won the grand prix so it was a great way to come back,” Harry added to H&H. “The last few days, I’ve felt really excited and ready to start riding again, which I think means my break did me good and I’ve taken enough time to reflect. The showjumping calendar doesn’t really allow you to take a break so if you want one you have to make that decision for yourself and not many riders seem to do it. But for me it’s worked.”

There were further celebrations for the Charles family on Sunday (15 September) when Harry’s sister Sienna won the medium tour final on Valkiry De Zance.

Peelbergen results

A stallion with “the biggest heart”, says Joe Whitaker, as cousins triumph

Showjumper Donald Whitaker says in his forthcoming interview in Horse & Hound magazine this week (19 September), “What makes us such a successful family is that all over the world, there will be a good result coming in from somebody; there’s motivation everywhere” and to prove it, two members of the Whitaker family enjoyed a grand prix win apiece this weekend.

In Ascona, Switzerland, Robert Whitaker and Vermento landed the CSI4* grand prix with the faster of only two double clears, while in the CSI3* grand prix at Sentower Park, Joe Whitaker and the brilliant Hulahupe JR stormed to glory by nearly 3sec.

“He’s an amazing horse; I’m so close to him now as I’ve had him for such a long time. I started him as a six-year-old, and we’ve had a lot of fun together,” Joe told H&H of Jessica Crane’s 12-year-old. “He’s in flying form.”

Joe missed the first half of the year with a broken hand followed by a hip injury and only returned to the international circuit in June. He and Hulahupe won the CSI2* grand prix of Lier in July, finishing third at the venue the following week, then made a winning return from a couple of weeks off at Sentower on Sunday (15 September).

“He’s come back really strong and won again there, so he’s in great shape, I’m really happy with him,” said Joe. “The grand prix was tough; 60 qualified and there were only nine clears, which speaks for itself about the height and the technicality. When Hulahupe is jumping well like that, you can feel as if you can do anything on him and he won it through the three turns in the jump-off. There was a turn back to the double, then two turns back to the oxers and I jumped them on a very tight angle and I reckon he saved a second on each turn.

“In a grand prix like that I try to stick to my own plan; I’ve made some mistakes in the past trying to chase people when actually I’m quite naturally fast as a rider anyway, so what I’ve learned with a bit of experience is just to try to do the best round I can personally and if it works that’s great. When the horses are jumping that well it gives you the freedom to go a bit faster! It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Joe also won a young horse class at the show with Stephanie Holker’s talented seven-year-old stallion Maserati WS, and Steph won a 1.25m herself riding Guido.

“I’m delighted for Steph because she’s been working so hard with her horses,” said Joe, who also credited groom Lucy Smith for his string’s fantastic wellbeing.

“Without her we wouldn’t be there because I fly home to the family every Sunday and go back a couple of days later and she’s doing a great job of keeping the horses fit and getting them ready, which gives me the freedom to do that,” Joe said. “You need somebody very trustworthy and good with the horses to be able to do that, so when the horses are all in such great form, it’s all credit to her.”

Showjumping news: an invincible pony Nations Cup squad

Next in this week’s international showjumping news round-up we look to the British heroes of the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Youth Final at Azelhof Horse Events in Lier, Belgium, who were once again the gold medal-winning pony squad. The team of Hollie Gerken (Galaxy V), Sophia Rogers on Neil 55, Lucy Capper with Oscar Van De Beekerhiede, Maisie Alsopp on Vaughann De Vuzit and Cate Kerr on 17-year-old Cindy won with a team tally of just one penalty picked up in the first of three rounds of jumping, finishing ahead of second-placed Ireland with Belgium in third.

“We knew we’d won before Cate went in, but she wanted to jump, jumped clear and we finished on a total of one fault!” said chef d’equipe Clare Whitaker. “They all rode really well, it was a great result!”

In the children’s Nations Cup the Dutch took the title ahead of Great Britain, with Ireland in third.

Kent Farrington and Greya win the World Cup qualifier in Traverse City. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“I thought it would be fast – I didn’t think it would be wild”

And finally in this week’s showjumping news round-up, the 2024/25 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup North American League kicked off with victory for Kent Farrington on 10-year-old mare Greya ahead of runner-up Sam Hutton of Great Britain on Melusina BVL Z in Traverse City.

The US rider was first to jump double clear in the seven-way jump-off and couldn’t be beaten with a winning time of 37.19sec over Alan Wade’s track. The British challenger came within 0.2sec but had to settle for second.

“Going first, I thought the jump-off would be fast, but I didn’t think it would be wild,” said Kent, who withdrew Greya from the Olympics when she developed a “bad cough” that required a course of antibiotics. “The first part of my round was secure, and then at that point going to the last jump, I thought I played it a bit safe. I thought I had done a pretty aggressive round that someone would have to try hard to catch. It got a little closer thank I would have liked, but we had luck on our side today.

“She’s a sensational horse,” Kent added. “She was always extremely, extremely careful. She had a bit of a wild personality, but she’s always been an exceptional athlete and a special horse. I’m very proud of what she’s developed into. We’re still at the very start of her career. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

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Welcome to the next generation of Skeltons and Whitakers: ‘We have a Nations Cup team now!’

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 13 May 2024 09:36:20 +0000

Two famous equestrian families have welcomed new arrivals, with showjumper Joe Whitaker and his wife Fiona celebrating the birth of baby Bonnie, while husband-and-wife jockeys Harry Skelton and Bridget Andrews have welcomed baby Rory to the world.

For Joe and Fiona, this is baby number four. Bonnie Whitaker was born at home on Sunday, 28 April at 9.16am, with Joe saying “Our hearts are so full”.

She is a little sister for Sophia, Stevie Joe and Emily Rose, and the latest addition to the famous Whitaker dynasty.

“Everyone’s doing well and she’s settling in nicely,” Joe told H&H. “She’s sleeping well, doing three hours in between feeds, so that’s great – she’s a little cracker, we’re absolutely smitten.

“I think she’s going to be a little rider – there are three or four ponies waiting for her when she’s ready and her brother and sisters are getting them revved up for her!

“They’re all smitten with her, too – all three of them are fighting for kisses and cuddles with their baby sister at the moment.”

While Joe – who is the son of Steven and Carole Whitaker, brother to Ellen, Thomas and Donald Whitaker – and Fiona’s first daughter Sophia was born in hospital, the following three have all been born at home, with Joe actually delivering baby number two, Stevie Joe, himself.

“Fiona was definitely a bit more relaxed having the midwife this time!” said Joe, revealing that Bonnie weighed in at 9lb 10oz, much to the surprise of him and his wife. “She was big! Fiona did amazing in the labour – she had a couple of very good midwives with her, who kept her relaxed and positive, which made such a difference.

“Fiona’s an incredibly strong woman.”

So can we expect a baby number five to add to the Whitaker family clan?

“Never say never but I think that’s it – we’ve got a Nations Cup team, that’s all we need! We just need to get some horses now,” he said.

Bridget and Harry Skelton: a baby boy

The day before, Saturday 27 April, Rory Skelton made his appearance at 5.10am weighing 8lb 13oz, a first child for jockeys Bridget and Harry Skelton and a second grandchild for Harry’s father 2016 Olympic showjumping champion Nick Skelton.

Rory’s early morning arrival meant Harry could hotfoot it down to Sandown Park for four rides in the crucial season finale to the jumps season, where his brother Dan Skelton was vying for the trainers’ championship with history-making Willie Mullins.

“Once Bridget and Rory were doing well, I went down to Sandown and her mum came up and spent the day with her and they watched the racing,” Harry told H&H. “There were no winners unfortunately, but Rory’s settling in at home now and Bridget’s doing really well so I couldn’t be prouder of the two of them.

“I’ve changed lots of nappies already – you get plenty of practice, pretty quickly!”

With the sport of Kings clearly in his genes, Rory has already enjoyed his first racing experience, with the new family visiting their local Mollington point-to-point in Warwickshire.

“He had a good day out there,” said Harry. “He’s a bit off getting a pony yet, but he’s had lots of lovely presents from a lot of people, so I’d like to thank everyone for their good wishes.”

British entries revealed for European Showjumping Championships

Eleanor Jones — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:57:48 +0000

The nominated British entries for the European Showjumping Championships have been announced – and the final list will not be far behind.

British Equestrian (BEF) and the British Showjumping selectors have announced the 10 combinations on the list for the event, which runs in Milan, Italy, from 29 August to 3 September.

The British nominated entries for the European Showjumping Championships are:

Harry Charles with 12-year-old mare Aralyn Blue

Owner: Ann Thompson

Breeder: Franjo Udovc (SLO)

Breeding: by Chacco-Blue, out of Apienne, by Ludwig AS

Harry Charles with 13-year-old gelding Casquo Blue

Owner: Stall Zet

Breeder: Gestuet Lewitz (GER)

Breeding: by Chacco-Blue, out of Whizz Kid, by Carthago Z

Tim Gredley with 11-year-old gelding Medoc de Toxandria

Owner: Unex Competition Yard Ltd

Breeder: unknown

Breeding: by Der Senaat 111, out of Koriganne De Toxandria, by Kelvin de Sainte Hermelle

Samuel Hutton with 12-year-old stallion Oak Grove’s Laith

Owner: Caramello Company

Breeder: SCEA Riverland (FRA)

Breeding: by London, out of Sirene de Riverland, by Quaprice

Ben Maher with 10-year-old mare Dallas Vegas Batilly

Owner: Charlotte Rossetter, Pamela Wright and rider

Breeder: J Viollett (FRA)

Breeding: by Cap Kennedy 2, out of Violetta Batilly, by L’Arc de Triomph

Ben Maher with 13-year-old stallion Faltic HB

Owner: Charlotte Rossetter, Pamela Wright and rider

Breeder: H A Brinkman (NED

Breeding: by Baltic VDL, out of Beloma B, by Concorde

Ben Maher with 12-year-old mare Ginger-Blue

Owner: Jane Forbes Clark

Breeder: P Verberne (NED)

Breeding: by Plot Blue out of Royal Rose, by Royal Bravour

Jessica Mendoza with 11-year-old gelding Play

Owner: rider

Breeder: E von Essen (SWE)

Breeding: by Luidam, out of Naiade Des Abers, by Diamant de Semilly

Donald Whitaker with 12-year-old stallion Di Caprio

Owner: Reitsportanlage Dagobertshausen GmbH and COKG

Breeder: Harms Carsten (GER)

Breeding: by Diarado, out of Zanzahra, by Cassini I

Joe Whitaker with 11-year-old stallion Hulahupe JR

Owner: Jessica Crane

Breeder: J Reitsma (NED

Breeding: by Bubalu, out of Verixt, by Indoctro

Selection decisions are subject to riders’ and horses’ fitness and performance. The selected squad of four combinations and one reserve to travel to Milan, and non-travelling reserves, will be announced by 7 August. The grooms’ names have not yet been confirmed but will be included in the final squad announcement.

“The funding that the British Equestrian World Class Programme receives from the National Lottery and UK Sport is pivotal in preparing our teams for senior championships and supporting them on the ground,” a BEF spokesman said.

“British Equestrian is also extremely grateful for the support we enjoy from our partners – Bates Saddles, Dodson & Horrell, Fairfax & Favor, Haygain, NAF, SEIB and Toggi – and team suppliers – Equi-Trek, Horseware, Lotus Romeo, Marksway Horsehage and Point Two. We’re indebted for the year-round support they provide to the World Class Programme and British teams, which helps us to best prepare for senior championships.”

‘Mum and Dad were glued to the livestream’: brothers jump on British team together for the first time

Jennifer Donald — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 08:32:41 +0000

The 2023 Nations Cup showjumping series kicked off in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where Great Britain finished runner-up to winners Austria after the five-star competition went right down to the wire, forcing a jump-off to decide top honours.

Among the quartet flying the British flag in tremendous style were brothers Joe Whitaker and Donald Whitaker, who were jumping together on a five-star Nations Cup team for the first time, a moment 35-year-old Joe describes as “meaning the world”.

“To be on the same team as my brother for the first time and for us to get the same score [four faults] was really nice, and at a really prestigious five-star event as well,” says Joe, of his younger brother Donald, 30, both of whom are, of course, part of the legendary Whitaker clan.

“It meant the absolute world to us and Mum and Dad were so proud. They couldn’t make it to Abu Dhabi as they were too busy looking after the yard and the horses at home, but they were glued to the livestream!”

Joe was riding the 11-year-old Hulahupe JR while Donald teamed up with new ride Millfield Colette. They were joined on the squad by William Funnell with his home-bred mare Equine America Billy Picador, while Tim Gredley was riding the 11-year-old gelding Medoc De Toxandria.

“It was really nice to be on a strong team like that – William’s experience was great for us all and that showed in his second round when he jumped clear after his horse spooked in the first round, which was a bit unfortunate,” says Joe. “The way he came back was amazing, and what you need in that situation.

“My brother Donald had a new ride and rode out of his skin, which makes me very proud.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Joe was selected as team anchorman and stepped up to go head-to-head with Austrian rider Christoph Obernauer (Kleons Renegade) in the jump-off.

“Being put as fourth rider by Di Lampard was a huge honour,” says Joe. “Hulahupe jumped a fabulous clear in the first round to keep us in the competition. We didn’t have much leeway, so I’m proud of him jumping the way he did.

“Then we had a good second round too – I had to jump clear to win, which didn’t happen, but we still finished second, which is a great result. We were very unlucky. For Hulahupe to jump clear and four in his first five-star Nations Cup, I would have taken that with open arms. When it comes down to the wire, we’re all desperate for it, to jump that double clear.

“Di said when we went to jump-off ‘Your horse looks good, he’s jumping well’ and he’d won the grand prix the week before against the clock, so we had to go in. And I wanted to – I felt confident.

Joe Whitaker: ‘I had to take that risk’

“I have to give full credit to the Austrian rider Christoph Obernauer because he did an amazing round,” added Joe. “The fences were really big, so he not only jumped clear, which is tough enough, but he did such a good round that was really hard to beat, he didn’t leave anything. I had the last fence down trying to catch him. I had to take that risk as I didn’t have the same length of stride. He opened his horse right up and did an amazing round. So you have to give him full credit, it was very much deserved. It was great fun for us guys and it made a good class of it.

“But it’s a big thank you to the Bullock family, John and Jan, and Jess Crane, who owned Hulahupe JR until I bought him last year. They always believed he was a good horse and he put their belief in me. So it’s a big thank you towards them for everything. Without them we wouldn’t be here at all.”

Joe Whitaker and Hulahupe JR at Bolesworth (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Donald Whitaker, who is based in Germany at the Dagobertshausen stables of the Pohl family with his girlfriend Nicola Pohl, travelled to compete on the UAE circuit for the first time last year, jumping a double clear on his five-star Nations Cup debut in this competition 12 months ago, saying: “We’d been trying to get into bigger shows for a while but they were either cancelling or we couldn’t get into them and, with the amount of shows that are out here in UAE, between four and five star, it absolutely made sense to come here.”

He recommended that his brother Joe joined him on the circuit this year.