Mark Phillips shares his thoughts on Mary King’s career following her retirement, early season events, the FEI dispute with officials, and the upcoming five-stars

Mary King’s successes, and her disappointments on the big stage with King William, are the stuff of legend. Ask anyone about Mary’s career and you won’t get statistics, but stories: of courage, determination and above all, that smile and positivity, even in her darkest hours.

Her longevity has been extraordinary, following in the footsteps of Lorna Clarke in proving that having a family was no barrier to continued success.

I was glad to hear Mary is hanging up her boots now. We can remember her glory days without having to witness age catching up with her riding, which has happened to too many greats who stayed on a little too long.

Early season events

I admired Andrew Nicholson for so eloquently putting into words what I thought after Barbury. It is a great venue, with ideal early-season footing for a CCI4*-S, even if it can be a little windy in March.

I’m not entirely sure, however, that it fits into Alec Lochore’s business plan. He likes his four-stars to be events, not just another competition, something I feel is not always understood by British Eventing. To put on an event, you need sponsors and you need to give them value, ideally across more than one venue in a similar geographical area.

I congratulate Stuart Buntine on a hugely successful Thoresby which, after significant investment, is arguably the standout event of the spring, attracting around 10,000 spectators.

It was a shame that more top horses and riders did not attend. Historically, the footing at Thoresby has been inconsistent, but this year Stuart produced a proper pre-Badminton four-star on his best footing yet.

The next CCI4*-S is Burnham Market this weekend, where Alec will be working overtime to replicate the standard of footing seen at Barbury, albeit with less grass cover. He has designed his best four-star track there to date, but entries are sadly down.

This is largely due to British Eventing awarding Tetworth a new intermediate class on a revised date the weekend before Burnham Market, then allowing the addition of a second day of intermediate at the expense of many ballotted grassroots riders.

There is some irony in that happening, while simultaneously British Eventing is making a strong push to embrace the unaffiliated and grassroots market. One hopes this does not signal the demise of Burnham Market, which could follow in the footsteps of Chatsworth and Gatcombe, as we see fewer true events and more competitor-funded competitions within 150 miles of Oxford.

The FEI and the voice of officials

I was interested to read that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found in favour of the International Eventing Officials Club (IEOC), ruling that the FEI had not followed due process in accordance with their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) when introducing level four officials. Whether the FEI likes it or not, the IEOC is the voice of its eventing officials.

While many of the level four issues are now in the past, eventing remains the only Olympic discipline where officials lack a formal MoU, and therefore an official voice. For years, the FEI has focused heavily on rules, regulations and process, making being and becoming an FEI official increasingly complex.

In these delicate times, with horse welfare firmly in the spotlight, it is time for the FEI to put its “sport” hat back on – starting by re-engaging with eventing officials.

On to five-star

Entries for Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event have a familiar look in numbers and combinations. In contrast, Mars Badminton Horse Trials has its smallest entry in years. Both lists feature high-class pairs, but as ever, while many are qualified to compete at five-star, comparatively few have a chance of winning.

In the modern sport, riders are increasingly selective, choosing the competitions that best suit their horses and Badminton is not for everyone.

Laura Collett with London 52 and Tom McEwen with JL Dublin have both opted for CCI4*-S campaigns ahead of the World Championships in August. The rest will look to stake their claim at Badminton or over the slightly less demanding track at Kentucky.

● What are your favourite Mary King memories? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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Members of the eventing community have paid tribute to the “true legend” that is Mary King as she retires from the sport aged 64.

H&H reported this week that the six-time Olympian and five-star winner was hanging up her boots having started her 46th season in the sport.

Jeanette Brakewell, who rode with Mary on multiple teams including at the 2004 Olympics, told H&H Mary was “fiercely competitive” as a rider, and a “very kind, considerate person”.

“But you’d never want to play tennis with her because she’d just thrash you!” she said.

Jeanette paid tribute to the “phenomenal” drive and stamina Mary has shown throughout her career, including her successes over the past few years.

“Fair play to her, to say ‘I’ve made my decision. Ultimately, quit while you’re ahead, which is what she’s done. She’s not waited for a bad day to make the decision for her, it’s been under her control, and good for her.

“I would class her as a true legend. She’s been so dedicated to the sport, in every way. She just loves it.”

William Fox-Pitt, who was a fixture of the British team with Mary on numerous occasions including all three Olympic team medals, paid tribute to her contribution.

“Through my career, Mary has been a mainstay of the British team – she’s always been there and she’s such a consistent person,” he told H&H.

“Of course she’s had her ups and downs but she’s so upbeat and positive and you could always rely on Mary to be told there’s no problem. She would definitely see every opportunity as a real chance to do something and there would be no reason why not.

“You’d never walk a course with her and she’d say she didn’t like 16b or was worried about the turn from 19 to 20. There are people I don’t walk a course with and people I’d love to walk a course with and she’s in the latter group – with Mary, you are absolutely finishing clear inside the time.

“She’s always been there through ups and downs – she’s the first person to put an arm round you and pick you up if it’s gone wrong or say ‘Good job’ when it goes right.”

The absolute benchmark

British Eventing CEO Rosie Williams said Mary had been “the absolute benchmark for our sport for decades”.

“Not just in terms of results, which speak for themselves, but in the way she’s gone about it,” she told H&H. “Six Olympic Games, medals at every level, Badminton wins… that’s extraordinary, but it’s her consistency, her horsemanship and her humility that have really defined her.

“What I love most is that she’s evolved with the sport – still out there this year, finishing second and clearly enjoying it. She’s given so much to eventing and the sport owes her a huge amount. I know she will continue to have a huge involvement and influence.”

> What are your favourite memories of Mary’s career? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

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“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it” is Mary King’s summing up of her extraordinary and stellar eventing career, as she retires aged 64 to enjoy her next chapter.

The CCI5* winner, six-time Olympian and world and European medallist – and all-round legend of the sport – started her 46th season of eventing this year but has now made the decision to bow out.

“It’s funny; I hadn’t really thought about it, then after riding at Moreton this month, I came second, I just thought ‘It would be better if Emily rides the horse at Thoresby’,” Mary told H&H. “And then I thought ‘Actually, I think I’ll stop’.

“I’m very happy about it; it’s definitely time and I’m glad I’ve taken the plunge.”

Mary, known and beloved across the equestrian world, was born into a non-horsey family, learned to ride on the vicar’s pony and worked her way to the top thanks to talent, determination and unending hard work.

Having started working in eventing with former European champion Sheila Wilcox aged 16, Mary went on to win Badminton twice, in 1992 with King William and 2000 with Star Appeal, Burghley in 1996 with Star Appeal and five British national titles at Gatcombe, including four British Open championships. In 2011, she became the first rider to achieve a one-two at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, winning with home-bred Kings Temptress and coming second with Fernhill Urco.

She went to six Olympics, winning team silver in 2004 and 2012 and team bronze in 2008, and won world team gold in 1994 and 2010 as well as team silver in 2006. She also has four European team golds in the cabinet, team bronze and individual silver and bronze.

And Mary said that first Badminton win, 34 years ago, stands out.

“I’d been very lucky to have been second and third in previous years with King Boris, but to actually win in 92 was just amazing,” she said. “I felt like we’d just beaten the world, and made it – absolutely wonderful.

“My second Badminton win on Star Appeal was again very special as my life had changed so much. I’d got married, I’d had children; people said ‘You wait, once you’ve had a child, you won’t want to do it any more’.

“I didn’t know if I wouldn’t want to do it any more, but it didn’t seem to affect me at all. I was lucky to have some very good horses at the time already there at top level and I still had that drive to do it. I was really one of the first mothers to compete successfully at a high level after having children. Now there are many mothers competing, so hopefully I’ve inspired people to maybe realise that having babies doesn’t mean you have to stop everything.”

And of course representing her country, let alone winning medals, was very special.

“I’d always had aims and ambitions,” she said. “First it was getting to Badminton, then when I managed to ride there, in 1985 and came seventh, it was to try to win Badminton.

“Then that happened in ‘92; Badminton was always the number one, then to try to get to an Olympic Games, then to try to medal at a Games. It has always been having something to aim for.”

Mary has had fabulous horses over her career and she cited King Boris, whom she rode before William, as one of the first.

“He’d been second and third at Badminton; he was such a good horse because I was on such a steep part of my learning curve then,” she said. “I was making mistakes, but he was so forgiving. If I’d had a sensitive horse at that stage, things might have been very different, but he just forgave me and kept jumping; he was a good boy, really special.

“King William obviously was amazing. There was some real heartache with the showjumping, but even so, it was only at real major events with crowds when the showjumping was at its worst. He jumped many, many clear rounds and he was one of the highest points-scoring horses, won many, many events and went on for such a long time. This was when the events were long format and he did Badminton as an eight-year-old, then went on and did two [major events] every year until he retired.”

Mary broke her neck in a riding accident in 2001 but came back to the very top, which also included winning the HSBC Classics series, and becoming the world’s leading eventer, in 2011.

“The sport has its ups and downs, highs and lows, and there’s huge sadness with horses sometimes,” she said. “And also yourself; you fall and hurt yourself and have to be sidelined for a while. I was in it for so long, you just get used to coping with it. If you couldn’t cope with it, you wouldn’t be able to do it really. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Mary must have inspired countless young riders to go into her sport, having herself looked up to the likes of Lucinda Green and Ginny Elliott.

“They were my absolute idols,” she said. “I used to copy everything that they did; wearing the same jodhpurs and riding boots; I even went to the hairdresser with a picture of Lucinda and asked them to cut my hair like hers.

“They were amazing, and I remember my first trip to Badminton Horse Trials, on the Pony Club coach trip, being amazed by what I was seeing. I couldn’t believe how brave the riders were, everyone seemed so rich and their horses were amazing. I thought ‘There’s no way I’ll ever be able to do it’, because I had non-horsey parents and very little money – but it is possible. Hopefully it might inspire people, make them realise it is possible if you’ve got that drive, keep plugging on and trying to improve. You learn every time, every horse is different, which is what makes it such a fascinating sport.”

Mary King retires: a different focus

Mary stepped down from top level after the London Olympics, and has been producing her home-breds and competing up to three-star level. And she is not leaving the eventing world – she was rolling her fields as she spoke to H&H yesterday (31 March) – but she will have a different focus, including supporting her daughter Emily more.

“I’ll still back my young ones; I breed horses, and I’m still very happy to do the initial work with them, the backing and riding away – as long as they’re not too lively!” she said. “But then I won’t do the competing. I’ll send them up to Emily to further their education.

“I don’t really know how to describe how I’m feeling, I just feel it is very much the right situation. I’ll have much more free time and be able to go on holidays without feeling guilty that I ought to be riding the horses at home.

“I love sailing, and have fitted a fair bit in but I’ve sailed two thirds of the way around the world, so I need to get the last third in, to say I’ve sailed round the world!

“I have loved my eventing life, and feel so lucky to have had so many amazing horses, and have wonderful memories which will stay close to my heart for ever.”

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Postmen in Mary King’s Devon village became accustomed in the 1990s to fielding letters addressed to her legendary eventer: “King William, Devon”.

“I suppose there weren’t any other King Williams,” laughs Mary, 30 years on.

The fan mail had started after Mary and the 17hh gelding had won Gatcombe in 1991 and by the following year, hundreds of letters were arriving at the yard. With his prominent blaze, alert demeanour and increasingly consistent one-day-event record, he was easy to recognise.

“Even my mother, who was unhorsey, could always tell which one William was,” remembers Mary.

Eventer King William: the early days

When Mary was told that an exciting five-year-old was coming up for sale at Bernice Strong’s yard near Newbury, she leapt in her car and drove there immediately, “knowing how hard it is to find good young horses”, she says.

Badminton final scores

“As soon as I saw William, I absolutely fell for him. He came out of the stable with his head held high with his big white blaze; I could tell he was a natural athlete. But when I looked at him more carefully, I could see he had poor lower-limb conformation; he was quite pigeon-toed, slightly tied in below the knee and had curbed hocks.

“I thought he was a lovely horse, but thought, ‘Surely I can’t buy a horse with these sorts of conformational faults?’

“I remember being quite embarrassed phoning the former British team vet Peter Scott-Dunn to come and vet him. But he felt the same as me, that as he was so athletic and light on the ground, it was worth taking the risk.”

But it was in the biblical rain and mud at Badminton in 1992 that his celebrity status was cemented. Arriving in the 10-minute box, 38th to go, Mark Phillips delivered Mary the news that no one had yet gone clear and as she set off, she found herself praying: “Please God, look after William.”

But with Mark’s advice ringing in her ears to kick on and ignore the mud, they rode the first clear of the day. And after painstakingly rubbing nearly every showjump on the final day – but knocking down just one – Mary took the Badminton title for the first time; a childhood dream realised at the age of 30.

“Winning Badminton is in a league of its own; it’s like a jockey winning the Grand National – virtually everyone in the world has heard of this occasion, and it’s your big, famous moment,” wrote Mary in her 2009 autobiography.

As adoring crowds and press descended on the pair – “there wasn’t such health and safety then, there were people clambering over him wanting to touch him”, says Mary – they tried to make a quick exit.

“We drove out of Badminton thinking he’ll calm himself down, but as we were coming back down the M5, he was absolutely turning himself inside out,” remembers Mary’s former groom Annie Corbin.

Mary, following in a car behind with David King, whom she would later marry, spotted the lorry pulled over in the pouring rain in a service station and persuaded David to reverse up the slip road to be with them. The rest of the journey was spent with Annie in the back of the lorry scratching his neck until they arrived safely home – it was a reminder that for all his courage and flair across country, William was a sensitive soul.

Showjumping demons – and a split skirt

The heroic victory secured the pair a place on the team for the Barcelona Olympics that summer, a chance to rewrite their debut team performance at the European Championships in Punchestown the year before, where Mary had felt the “hollow victory” of winning a team gold when the pair had retired before the showjumping following a fall in the water.

But in Barcelona, a promising start for the British team began unravelling with Richard Walker falling, Ian Stark’s Murphy Himself igniting an old injury and William having a “humiliating” six fences down in the final phase, dropping Mary to ninth place and the team to sixth.

The press pounced on the team’s failure to secure a medal, with H&H’s former editor Michael Clayton slating the team as being “hypnotised by their own cleverness” having led after dressage, and Mary coming under fire for patting William as he left the arena even though he’d flattened the fences.

It was becoming clear that showjumping on the biggest stages, when crowds peered down from tiered seating and photographers loomed, was thwarting William’s potential medal haul. Even William’s owner Gill Robinson admits to having had to close her eyes on occasion when he was in the final phase (although she “didn’t mind if he had three down or six down, as long as he was OK”, she says. “He was just such a lovely horse.”).

Mary found herself bombarded with advice – including from a woman who offered to cast a spell on him – but eventually it was Lars Sederholm who was able to tweak Mary’s position, encouraging her to keep her weight back and instilling confidence in William.

By the time the World Equestrian Games came around in 1994, the narrative had changed for British eventing. An exposing moment in the trot-up when Mary’s team uniform of a narrow brown linen skirt split up to her hip, as she tried to keep up with William’s elaborate trot, fortunately didn’t set the tone for the championships; the all-female team of Mary, Karen Dixon, Tina Cook and Charlotte Bathe were hailed as heroines as they returned with a gold medal from the Hague.

A special trust – and an individual medal

Having married David in 1995 (with William in attendance at the reception), Mary was five-and-a-half months pregnant with her daughter Emily by the time of the European Championships in Italy that October, and she was stealthily letting out the buttons on her team jacket. Only her mother, groom Annie and the team doctor Michael Dooley were in on the secret, but it was William’s track record across country that convinced her she was making the right decision.

“He was so brave, bold and smooth across country,” she says. “If I’d been on any other slightly more difficult horse, I know my brain would have told me not to do it.”

It was here that she won her first individual medal, a bronze, as well as the team gold after another unnerving showjumping round where William knocked two of the three fences he had in hand.

While the press speculated that motherhood would mark the winding down of Mary’s career, she was looking ahead to the Atlanta Olympics, with Emily’s January arrival expertly planned to allow Mary to be in the running for selection. Riding as an individual, there was an element of relief that the team wouldn’t be relying on William’s showjumping.

But after a dressage test that reduced Annie to tears of pride and the late Dr Reiner Klimke to remark: “That was real dressage,” William and Mary had an uncharacteristic stop on the cross-country and an uncomfortable showjumping round hitting eight fences, meaning they finished in 12th place.

William arrived home full of energy nonetheless and winning the British Open Championships at Gatcombe that year was a consolation for the Atlanta disappointment. And it wasn’t until three years later, when Mary felt his gallop change halfway round the course at Blenheim in the autumn of 1999 that she made the decision to retire him, aged 16.

“He was still happy to jump, but I pulled him up. It was a tell-tale sign that he’d done enough,” says Mary, with William going to Annie in retirement.

Looking back, it was the “boundless energy” that Mary remembers so fondly about William, who was put down aged 19 in 2002 after suffering a pastern injury.

“He was an incredibly sound, tough and powerful horse,” she says. “He’d gallop around Badminton long-format and you honestly felt like he could just do it again, he had such natural energy and stamina.”

While adrenaline might have raced through his blood in the electric atmosphere at championships, at home he was the ultimate gentleman.

“I have a photograph of Emily when she was about 18 months old sitting there with him lying down in the stable,” remembers his owner, Gill Robinson. “Emily was touching his face and he was just looking after her. I’ve never seen a horse do that, but we all trusted William. He was just such a kind horse.”

Eventer King William’s crowning moments

17hh bay gelding by Nickel King (dam unknown), born 1983

• 1991: team gold at the European Championships, Punchestown
• 1992: won Badminton and individual 9th and team 6th at the Barcelona Olympic Games
• 1994: team gold and individual fourth at the World Equestrian Games in the Hague
• 1995: team gold and individual bronze at the European Championships, Pratoni del Vivaro
• 1996: individual 12th at the Atlanta Olympic Games

The groom’s perspective: “He had Badminton written all over him”

“When the lorry rocked up on the day that he arrived and they opened up the back, there was this horse that looked like a giraffe coming out the back,” remembers Mary’s former groom, Annie Corbin. “My first thought was, ‘How am I going to get a saddle on that?’ because he was so big and tall. But from the word go, he was the handsome one on the yard.

“As a baby, he had to be the first out and about, he didn’t like hanging around. And he always wanted to know where his neighbour was; we had to be a bit careful not to leave him on his own too much and to make sure he had a friend that he could see.

“From a groom’s point of view, he was quite high maintenance because you had to be conscious of that. I was always working out when the neighbours were taking their horses out because then I’d take him grazing. I used to take a book with me to events and I would go off grazing for hours with William.

“When he proved himself and won Badminton in that awful mud, I was so proud of him. They hadn’t had any clears and as he was about to go out on the course, I wanted to say, ‘Don’t go’, but I knew I couldn’t say that. He always had Badminton written all over him. He just flew across country; it was his thing. He loved working.

“And he made me think outside the box as a groom – about the noise, who was beside him, if there was going to be a parade. I had to be ready. But he gave a lot back. He was always very grateful and he definitely knew my voice. He was very true to me.”

The team-mate’s view: “I was in awe”

“At that stage in my career, in my twenties, I was very much in awe of Mary and King William,” remembers Tina Cook, who rode on a team with the pair at the 1994 World Equestrian Games and 1995 European Championships.

“He was a big, rangy horse who was quite imposing to look at. He was workmanlike, but sensitive and kind.

“I remember thinking what an amazing partnership they had – how Mary had so much belief in her horses and they had in her. I looked up to her and thought she made it all look so easy, even though the showjumping was obviously William’s weakest phase.

“But I was very young – it was a whirlwind going straight from young riders into seniors – and in that situation I was just overwhelmed and in awe to be there with them.”

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It has been said that typically beginners want to work on intermediate tasks, intermediates want to perfect advanced skills, while advanced athletes are always working on the basics, as that’s the key to real improvement. In this training session with Mary King, the eventing legend provides three straightforward ways you can use simple schooling routines to make big progress, regardless of your level of experience – and you can do it all on a 20m circle, whether in a field or an arena.

If you tend to head into the school without a plan of what to do, spend half an hour trotting absent-mindedly in straight lines and circles and put your horse away without a great deal of satisfaction or sense of improvement, you’re not alone. Many of us don’t have much of a structure to our schooling sessions.

While large arenas, fancy jumps and poles are the dream, most riders make do with a 20x40m school – or a field – for our flatwork. However, such limitations shouldn’t hamper our progress. In these super-simple training exercises with Mary King, she shows us how all you need is room to ride a 20m circle and a bit of self-discipline.

Rather than following intricate patterns and complicated exercises, these work on doing the basics really well.

Training with Mary King

1. Rider position

Aim: to have a better seat and be more balanced for all disciplines.

When you ride a 20m circle, it’s a chance to evaluate your position and improve it. We naturally focus on our horse and its way of going, but we are a major part of the equation. Mary suggests riding on a circle in trot, analysing each part of your body to assess whether you are in the correct position. Then make a transition to walk, while maintaining the same good position.

Mary says: “Think of a rider whose position you really admire, and try to channel them as you ride around the circle.

“Carl Hester’s tip is to make the front of your body longer, rather than just sitting up tall.”

Head: Mary advises keeping your head straight, and looking directly ahead, not down towards the ground.

“Don’t look to the inside, look between the ears, forward and in front of you, not turning too much.

Hands: “Your hands should not be going up and down with your body as you rise to the trot,” says Mary. “You should be able to hold your hands so they are not resting on the withers, and they should stay still. Glance down at them as you are trotting along to see if you are keeping them still.”

Mary’s tip is to keep a “nice bend in the elbow to help soften your hands”.

Lower leg: Mary rides dressage with her stirrups 10 holes lower than for cross-country. Whatever length your stirrups, keep your ankles relaxed so your heels are softly down, and use your calf to give leg aids clearly rather than nagging with your heels.

“If your horse is lazy, don’t just keep pressing or your heels will rise,” she advises. “Give more of a slap with your lower leg, then keep the leg still.”

2. Transitions

Aim: to make your horse more responsive, enabling you to make transitions at exact markers.

Mary regularly uses this exercise when riding in the school, practising 15 minutes of walk-trot, trot-walk and halt-walk-halt transitions.

She advises using markers – which can be a certain tree or fence post if you don’t have arena letters – so that you can prepare in advance where you want your horse to make a transition, and be accurate.

“When going from walk to trot, make sure the walk is energetic enough so that when you ask for trot with your leg, they go on straight away,” she says. “The horse should stay in a good position in their head and neck, not lifting up.

“If it takes a while until they make the transition, you need to work at getting it sharper. Keep your lower leg down, not swinging back.”

The downward transition also requires preparation to ensure it happens on the marker and not a few strides after.

“You should always think of riding forward into walk or any downward transition,” says Mary. “Prepare, not being in strong with your hand, so that the horse is light and up in front. You don’t want him pulling down into walk, but coming forward so push a little with your leg to keep their hindlegs active.”

3. Making transitions within the canter

Aim: to encourage the horse to listen and react.

This training with Mary King exercise works in canter on a 20m circle, going from working to medium canter and back again. They key is not to break into trot.

“It’s especially good for horses that are a bit behind the leg,” says Mary. “It’s a difficult exercise on a quiet horse.”

Start on a 20m circle in a working canter, making sure you have plenty of energy. Then go forward to medium canter for half a circle, and back to working canter. Do another circle, and then again into medium. The horse should go forward when you ask and “show a real difference in their stride”.

“You want the horse to accelerate, not just going faster but to open up their stride so they are covering more ground.”

Mary suggests how your mindset should be to open up the stride on a lazier type.

“Think, ‘let’s go for a gallop’, to show a change in stride,” she says.

She explains the aids for condensing the stride again.

“Then prepare to come back to working canter,” she says. “Bring your upper body back a bit, shoulders back, to indicate something is going to happen.

“Close your fingers on the reins, but keep your leg on as you don’t want the horse to trot. Don’t just pull the reins or they will slow up on their forehand.

“Keep the canter short but energetic.”

Mary’s tip for horses that break into trot or find it hard to collect is to “make the circle slightly smaller – 15m – which will help them to collect as it encourages the hindlegs to engage”.

Next time you’re short of inspiration as you trot aimlessly round the school, imagine you’re training with Mary King and your session should bring you greater satisfaction – and progress.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Spent more time playing Mary King’s Riding Star than riding your actual pony? Fond of a polo neck? And do jodhpur clips give you the shivers? It sounds like you were a horsey child of the 90s

1. Mary King’s Riding Star game was more time-consuming than looking after your real-life pony

Mary King’s Riding Star computer game promised to turn you into a “world champion”. But it wasn‘t easy. There was a lot of (virtual) grooming and feeding to be done before you reached those lofty heights.

2. The Saddle Club books dominated your bookshelf

You had so many Saddle Club books — largely given to you by non-horsey relations who were chuffed to find an equestrian-related present — that there was no hope of getting through them all. Did they do bulk offers? No-one ever had just one…

3. Dandy brush polo necks were how you rolled

Turning up to a party in a polo neck with a grooming kit print was a fast-track way to get you in the party mood.

4. Taping Badminton was an important fixture in April/May

You recorded Badminton on a video — and then watched it again, and again and again. That was life before iPlayer.

5. Jodhpur clips made you cry

Jodhpur clips seem to have gone off the radar. Perhaps you were part of the last generation that suffered:

a) The irritation of getting them on — and them flicking off three minutes later.

b) Trying to keep them on — and enduring the agony when they came off and your jodhpurs crawled up your legs.

6. Dismounted rallies were a competitive event

When foot-and-mouth disease hit in 2001, you went to so many dismounted Pony Club rallies that:

a) You could take your bridle apart in record time

b) Your mother ran out of thread to sew the endless stable management badges onto your sweatshirt.

7. You’ll never forget Mary King’s 2000 Badminton victory

When Mary King and Star Appeal won Badminton in 2000 (pictured above), she cemented her status as your ultimate idol.

8. Five was the soundtrack to Pony Club camp

Five’s 1999 release “If Ya Gettin’ Down” was a sure way to get everyone on the dance floor at the Pony Club camp disco. You knew all the moves and the bit where you lent back and touched the ground with your right hand was done in sync with your line up of friends.

9. ‘Derby the Horse’ was for looking at — not playing with

You were told that your TY beanie babies were going to make you millions — as long as you left their tags on in a protective plastic cover. Which is why Derby the Horse was left in his box (and is still there).

10. Bollocks was an acceptable swear word…

…in the context of a “Bollocks to Blair” car sticker.

11. You were not a Moody Mare

When you reached your teenager years your parents sniggered as they presented you with a “Moody Mare” rugby shirt for your birthday. You didn’t see the funny side.

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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

Suppose your Christmas stocking contained a ride on the horse of your dreams… We find out which superstars of yesteryear this top rider would love to have been in the saddle on

Mary King, a six-time Olympian who counts Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky wins on her record – along with a seriously impressive medal haul – admired a certain grey superstar who took the showjumping world by storm.

“A horse I would have always loved to have ridden was Milton. I remember seeing him in the flesh at a show in Leicester and I was absolutely bowled over as he walked past. He just looked so amazingly soft, supple and athletic – and that was just walking, let alone how incredible he looked jumping,” says Mary.

Milton is best known for his iconic partnership with John Whitaker, who was given the ride in 1985. The pair were a match made in heaven, and Milton became the first horse outside racing to win more than £1m in prize money. Known for his carefulness and rarely touching a pole, he was loved by showjumping fans around the world.

“I first saw him around about the time I was riding King William. I’d been having some fences down at big three-day events, so it made me even more in awe of Milton,” says Mary King.

“He just had this aura about him, he was so incredible in his heyday. He was so quick off the ground and soft in the air. Although I never met him, I admired him from afar and used to think, gosh, what it must feel like to ride such an athlete.”

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Mary King back in the saddle after breaking bones in her neck in a fall at home

From the Badminton Horse Trials archives: watch when Mary King won her first title in 1992

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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

Mary King has been stood down from competition for three weeks after a fall at Dauntsey Horse Trials.

The double Badminton Horse Trials winner reported that she fell off when five-year-old King Patrick spooked cantering across a field between fences, approaching a dark wooded area.

“Gravity took control and won!” said Mary. “All fine except I knocked my head so am not allowed to event for three weeks.”

A three-week suspension is standard in such cases – the British Eventing rulebook states: “If the event doctor reports in the MOR [medical report form] a finding of concussion, suspected concussion, head injury or other injury likely to result in concussion, the competitor will be automatically medically suspended for 21 days.”

Mary’s daughter Emily King will take over the ride on King Patrick at BE100 level at Aston-le-Walls next week and will also pilot another of Mary’s usual rides, the six-year-old Kings Belief, at novice.

Emily has an exciting month ahead as she is building up to her Burghley Horse Trials debut. She will be riding Valmy Biats, owned by his breeder Philippe Brivois and a syndicate, and the pair recently had a good prep run, finishing third in a CCI4*-S section at Burgham.

Another daughter of a former top rider was on form at Dauntsey; 2009 European champion Tina Cook’s daughter, Isabelle, won the sole intermediate section on Espoir Landais. David Doel won the open intermediate with his five-star campaigner Galileo Nieuwmoed, whose owner Gillian Jonas used to own Apache Sauce with Mary King.

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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

Eventing legend Mary King has completed an “epic” 14-day solo cycling adventure from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

The six-time Olympian took on the challenge in memory of her sister-in-law Julia Thomson, who died this year from early onset dementia aged 64. Mary was also raising funds for the Sid Valley Memory Cafe and Sidmouth Admiral Nurse Appeal Charity.

Mary, who celebrated her 62nd birthday en route, on 8 June, told H&H she was inspired by a friend who had cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End solo a few years ago.

“I’m not a cyclist, but to do that on my own, with a tent, and just wing it really appealed to me. It went on the back burner for a while, but Julia was a great cyclist and her road bike was in my garage and it spurred me on to do the challenge in her memory,” said Mary.

Mary started her journey from John O’Groats on 29 May. She spent four nights wild camping, and other nights were spent either in a bed and breakfast, or with friends.

“I was mainly on cycle paths and country lanes and it’s amazing how much beautiful countryside you get to see, and these beautiful little villages. My journey was completely unplanned and every day I would just see how much I wanted to cycle and when I got tired I’d find somewhere to stay, or have a rest,” she said.

“It was such an epic journey. I met some amazing people; when I stopped for a break I’d end up talking to people and other cyclists and heard some really inspiring stories. I was blessed with superb weather, no punctures, and the only rain I had was once I got to my home county of Devon.”

Mary King raises thousands for charity

Mary, who reached Land’s End this morning (12 June) said the “whole journey was a highlight”. She has raised almost £8,500 for the charities. To donate visit Mary King’s JustGiving page.

“It was just lovely doing my own thing. I wasn’t very fast compared to other cyclists, but I didn’t mind the long hours. I’d usually set off around 6am each morning, and cycle until 6pm,” she said.

“My brother Simon gave me some of Julia’s ashes to take with me, and when I completed the ride I scattered them at Land’s End. I kept speaking to Julia as I was cycling along saying ‘Come on Julia, you need to push harder up these hills’!

Mary is now hosting a two-day trail ride on Dartmoor with Liberty Trails, and going to Luhmühlen later in the week to support her daughter Emily, who is competing in the CCI5*.

“I’m getting back in the normal saddle!” said Mary.

“The horses at home have been looked after brilliantly by my former head girl Annie Corbin. They’ve had a quiet time so I’ll get them back into work and plan to be competing again around mid July.”

You might also be interested in:

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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

As the countdown to Badminton Horse Trials continues, join us on a trip down memory lane to re-live the moment that Mary King won her first Badminton title, aboard King William back in 1992.

As a child, Mary would go on Pony Club coach trips to the Badminton Horse Trials, and she admits that it seemed “impossible” that she would ever “gallop around that course and jump those huge fences.”

“I never thought I’d get there, especially as I grew up in a rented verger’s cottage and we had no money, so it was such a dream to ride at Badminton for the first time,” says Mary. “I was second in 1989 and third a year later, with King Boris, but my first Badminton win — with King William, in 1992 — stands out as my proudest moment.”

When looking back at the five-time Olympian’s incredible success in the sport, it’s hard to imagine her starting out.

Badminton final scores

“At the age of 11 I went to Badminton with the Axe Vale Pony Club, and suddenly I realised there was another world and another level of riding out there,” she wrote in her autobiography. “I couldn’t understand how people could be so brave to jump these huge fences. Every year I collected the Badminton programme and studied the fence names.

“When it came to decision time at school, I realised that eventing was what I wanted to do and competing at Badminton was the completely impossible ultimate aim that I would pursue to achieve my dreams.”

And it was aboard the British-bred gelding King William, by Nickel King, that a 30-year-old Mary was able to fulfil these dreams.

“I fell for William the moment I saw him,” she remembered. “He was a beautiful, striking, big, dark bay horse with a white blaze, who looked so alert, purposeful and light on his feet.”

When King William died in 2002, Mary looked back on that first Badminton victory as an enduring memory.

“Winning Badminton on King William was the best moment of my career,” she said. “He was an incredibly sound horse who was renowned for his cross-country ability.

“The public adored him — he was very recognisable with his big white blaze. A fan once sent him a letter addressed to ‘King William, Devon’ and it reached us.”

Having first competed at Badminton in 1985, when she finished seventh on Diver’s Rock, Mary went on to win for a second time with Star Appeal in 2000.

Mary’s daughter, Emily King, is following in her mother’s footsteps and is a key contender at Badminton in 2023. She heads to the event with the in-form Valmy Biats.

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you are interested in watching Badminton Horse Trials live from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later.

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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

Mary King is eyeing up a return to competition before the end of the eventing season, less than three months after breaking several bones in a fall from a young horse. Mary started riding again on Wednesday (14 September), having been grounded for 11 weeks as she had to wear a neck brace to enable the fractures she suffered to the C3 and C7 vertebrae to stabilise.

She posted a video of her hacking out on the coast in Devon, saying, “Here I am, neck brace off, back on board a horse enjoying the best view in the world.”

The 61-year-old told Horse & Hound that she “feels really lucky to have healed so quickly – they said it could be up to 16 weeks in a collar”.

“I went and picked up my horses from [daughter] Emily’s straight away, and I’ve ridden every day since,” she continued. “I asked the doctor if I could ride, and he said, ‘go carefully for a few weeks, and don’t fall off’.”

Mary King fall: ‘Each day I’m getting stronger’

Mary reported no pain as she makes these early steps back towards competing again.

“It is fine now, and it really wasn’t too bad,” said Mary, who broke eight ribs in multiple places and her shoulder blade, as well as the neck fractures. “Years ago I sprung a rib and I couldn’t laugh for days. This time I could still laugh and cough, but I couldn’t sneeze.”

While she will “take each day as it comes”, the two-time Badminton winner is hoping to be back in the start box in October. She last competed in May, before the accident, which happened at home when a young horse was spooked by a gate blowing into him in the wind.

“I am aiming to be back this season, and do three events with my young horses,” she said. “I tried to keep fit doing a lot of walking up and down the steep hills in Devon which must have done some good. Each day I can feel I’m getting stronger.”

During Mary’s enforced absence, her daughter Emily King has been eventing Mary’s rides Kings Belief and King Louis, and has totted up a couple of wins at BE90 and BE100 on each of them.

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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

Mary King is continuing her recovery from injury after a fall at home in June, but will not be able to ride or drive for another six weeks.

“I’ve just been for my five week X-rays,” said the 61-year-old in an update on her Facebook page yesterday (Thursday, 28 July).

“My bones are all healing well and staying in line, but with my broken C3 [vertebra] – neck, I have to wear my collar (and not drive or ride) for six more weeks until follow up X-rays.

“I’ve decided to let Emily King, my daughter, take on Kings Belief (Barry) and King Louis (Dobby) this autumn to event and further their careers. They are five and six years old and need to be out doing things.

“Emily is riding Valmy Biats at the British open championships at Gatcombe next weekend (good luck Em!) so I will take my two there for her to take back to her yard.”

In her injury update, Mary King added that her goddaughter Katie Corbin has been doing “an amazing job getting [the horses] fit, and preparing them for Emily” and posted pictures of herself watching Katie ride and enjoying a drink with friends, wearing a neck collar.

The multiple five-star winner is recovering having been taken to hospital after an accident at home when the wind caught the arena gate and blew it into a young horse’s quarters. She fractured her C3 vertebra, wings of several other vertebra, seven ribs and her left scapula.

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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

Mary King says she is comfortable and mobile, and looking forward to fitting some eventing in before the end of the season.

H&H reported yesterday that the multiple medal-winning rider had suffered a number of broken ribs and vertebrae, as well as a fractured shoulder blade, in a fall at home.

But she told H&H today (24 June) she is “absolutely fine”.

“I’m marching around, putting the washing on, and emptying the bins; I’m absolutely mobile,” she said. “Luckily, although I’ve broken a lot of bones, they’re all in line. Nothing is displaced, so as long as they all stay in line, they should just heal and I’ll be away.”

Mary said it is the wings of most of the vertebrae that are broken, and “just one is broken in half”.

“That one’s in my neck so I’m wearing a stiff collar but it’s quite comfortable,” she added. “Nicola Wilson and I were sending each other photos of ourselves and we’ve got the same collar on; we’re twins with our ‘necklaces’ as we call them.”

Mary added that her shoulder blade is “quite broken” but she can use her left arm, which doctors said would be a good idea.

She said the fall had been a freak accident.

“I went into the arena on this lovely young horse, a really, really nice four-year-old from Ireland who’s been really well behaved, and when I went to go through the gate, a big gust of wind picked it up and whacked it against his quarters and he shot forward,” she said, adding that she landed on the stony area outside the arena.

“The horse was fine, he only broke his reins, and luckily I had my phone on me so I could ‘phone a friend’. I rang Annie Corbin, who used to work for me and keeps her horse here, and she came to the rescue.”

Mary said she has an appointment in a couple of weeks to check her progress but she hopes it will not be too long until she is back to normal.

Her eventer daughter Emily said yesterday Mary was “threatening to pick up her tennis racket”, and Mary said she hoped this would not be too far off.

“I am quite tempted — but I had better be good!” she said. “It’s good it’s all mainly on my left side, so I hope I’ll be back on the tennis court quite soon, and I should be able to get some events in before the end of the season; that’s the main aim, to educate these young horses.”

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‘Her spirits are unbroken’: Mary King sustains fractured vertebrae, ribs and shoulder blade in fall

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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

Mary King is recovering having fractured vertebrae, ribs and her shoulder blade in a fall from a young horse.

The 61-year-old eventing legend was taken to hospital after the “unplanned dismount”. Her daughter Emily King explained that the wind caught the arena gate and blew it into the horse’s quarters.

“She hung on like a pro as he bronced across the soft sandy school but unfortunately timed her dismount with the wooden siding to the arena/stony outside,” Emily said.

“Unfortunately this has resulted in fractures to her C3 vertebra (and wings of several other vertebrae), seven ribs and her left scapular.”

All the fractures are stable and do not need to be operated on, Emily said, adding that Mary is now back at home and her “spirits remain firmly unbroken”.

“She’s 100% in herself and is already looking at the event calendar and threatening to pick up her tennis racket (!!),” Emily said “I’ve warned her to stop joking or I’ll be putting her on a lead.”

Emily also said a “huge thank you to Annie Corbin for dropping everything and zooming to her aid”, and to the “incredible team at Derriford Hospital who cared for her impeccably”.

“I also wanted to say that even though the media has maybe died down a little — Nicola Wilson and Caroline March, we are still thinking of you every single day and praying that you both make as successful recoveries as possible… never, ever feel that people have stopped thinking and praying for you,” she added.

“Times like these remind us how precious life is and that we must not take any day or anything for granted.”

Mary King is one of Britain’s best-loved and most successful eventers, with two Badminton titles and one Burghley win, five British national titles and four British open championships.

She has represented Britain at six Olympics, winning two team silvers and one team bronze, and three World Equestrian Games, with two team golds and one team silver. She also has four European gold team medals and one bronze, and individual silver and bronze.

She broke her neck in 2001 but came back to the top level, and has notched up a win and five top-10 placings in national classes this year.

Happy 60th Birthday, Mary King! Celebrating a brilliant career in pictures

‘Light at the end of the tunnel’: Nicola Wilson shares update on her recovery

Eventer seriously injured in cross-country fall undergoes ‘successful’ spinal surgery

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

Eventing legend Mary King will take on the London Marathon next month as she ticks another item off her “bucket list”.

Mary, who turned 60 in June, will run the 26.2-mile marathon on 3 October in aid of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Mary is no stranger to taking on new challenges; in 2019 she took part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

“Racing across the ocean was really fantastic and hardcore through the roaring seas and after that I thought ‘what else can I do?’. I’ve always loved having challenges to aim for and now that I’m not eventing as much as I used to at the top level and I’m just doing the young horses, I thought ‘I’d love to run a marathon’,” Mary told H&H.

“With lockdown the marathon didn’t happen in 2020 and when the organisers said it was definitely happening in autumn this year I thought ‘right, let’s do it!’ so I started training in April.”

Mary used her knowledge of getting horses fit to help with her own fitness for the marathon.

“Starting from April I’ve run every third day, a bit like you would galloping horses. To start with I couldn’t really run up the road and I wasn’t very good but now I can keep on going,” she said.

“I haven’t followed a particular running programme but I suppose having got the horses fit many times, I’ve just done my own thing and used common sense. You gradually push yourself more and more, and this last month leading up to the marathon I’ve done a couple of longer runs.”

Mary said she is not aiming for an “ultra-fast time”.

“I just want to get the job done. I will be running with my former head girl Annie Corbin, who was with me for 11 years during my days with King William and Star Appeal,” she said.

“Running makes you feel great. Healthwise it keeps you fit and strong and you can eat lots! It’s a bit like galloping across country, when you finish, it feels really good. You get a real buzz from it.”

Mary said the London Marathon is likely to be her first and last marathon, but next on her bucket list is to finish sailing around the world.

“I wouldn’t ever do it all in one because it would mean being away too long but I’ve sailed across the Atlantic, and I’ve done the Indian and Southern ocean in the race. I just need to do the Pacific and through the Panama Canal, then I will have completed the around the world sail, so that’s my next plan,” she said.

Donations can be made to Mary’s Just Giving page.

Are you taking part in the London Marathon for a good cause? Get in touch with becky.murray@futurenet.com for possible inclusion in our London Marathon round-up story.

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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

Mary King walked the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course for next week’s five-star event – watch her talk through three of the most difficult combinations on course and read her thoughts on these fences below…

Fence 6abc: Chedington Oxers and Triple Bar

Mary says: “After a decent pull uphill and left-hand turn, Mark Phillips has given horses some flatter ground on which to catch their breath before what he rightly says is the first question on the course which is more than four-star. We have a white oxer with a two-metre top-spread and four strides to a second one, with three strides to a skinny triple bar, which has a black-flag alternative. Here competitors need power, impulsion and control.”

Fence 16abc: Ariat Challenge

Mary says: “This is interesting and could be influential – an “old-fashioned” type of question where horses are asked to jump a pinned rail, bounce over a decent ditch and again bounce out, this time out over the 1.45m arrowhead brush. A real “coffin canter” with proper collection and enough impetus will be needed. There is an alternative route with more space between elements – a different rail as element a, then the left-hand end of the ditch as element b, then a right-handed turn to the left-hand arm of element c.”

Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course: final water

Fence 22abcd: NFU WaterMary says: “Competitors now turn back on themselves and head back to this final water complex on the five-star Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course, which will take quite a bit of course-walking by riders to determine their exact route. Mark and I had a lengthy discussion about how many strides we thought there were between the first brush element and the enormous brush drop into the water – he thinks five, I think four!

“Angling the first should bring you nicely straight to the drop, and you should then get three strides comfortably to the skinny brush in the water, and then the last brush should come up well too. It’s a clever fence and will be really interesting to watch – it will make riders think hard, because getting through to the end of the question successfully is dependent on what they do at the first part.”

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

Read Mary’s overall thoughts on the course and her assessment of every fence in this week’s magazine (issue dated 26 August). 

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

Mary King reflects on Houghton and the ups and downs of this season

THE King family result at Houghton was definitely one-nil to my daughter Emily. Her CCI2*-L win on the Kerr-Dineen family’s Imposant was especially pleasing, because it was bad luck when they came down on the flat at Thoresby last season, and also because it’s been a rough few weeks with her boyfriend, Sam Ecroyd, sustaining multiple facial injuries in a horrible rotational fall.

Emily had a broken hand, so I went up to north Wales to help out with driving, so she could visit Sam in hospital, but he has made an incredible recovery, thank goodness. He was able to come to Houghton to watch and looks as if nothing has happened – and he still has his teeth!

At Houghton, I ended up on the floor – or, rather, underwater – which was so annoying as King Cyrus had done a nice dressage, but he made a babyish mistake, landing unbalanced and stumbling. I was properly submerged and got a mouthful of dirty water. However, I have learnt something new, as the doctor told me I should straight away go and drink a can of full-fat coke to kill any bacteria.

Overall, though, it was a great family weekend and the ground at Houghton was the best it’s ever been.

COMPLEX OPTIONS

JUST as you think and hope that horse trials are returning to some sort of normality, there is more bad news.

First the cancellation of Burghley, which will have serious ramifications for British Eventing’s finances unless a meaningful replacement at a prestigious venue can somehow be scrambled together, then the red tape and inconvenient quarantine rules faced by British-based riders getting to Luhmühlen.

This could result in a severely dented CCI5*-L, as the top German horses tend to run in the CCI4*-S.

Fortunately, most top British horses, as well as those ridden by Australian and New Zealand riders, are double entered at Bicton. I believe, at the time of writing, a couple of riders were trying to circumvent the problem by travelling from Millstreet in Ireland this weekend, where the entry is predominantly Irish, but this is a fiendishly complicated option.

The announcement of the Olympic long-list presented some sort of normality, although how normal the Games will be is anyone’s guess. Long gone are the days when a championship team of four would be a mix of strengths and weaknesses; now, everyone has to be thoroughly proficient in all three phases to win medals, even with the new substitution rules.

This long-list certainly demonstrated the strength in depth in Britain if combinations of the calibre of Houghton winners William Fox-Pitt and Little Fire, Tina Cook with Billy The Red and Pippa Funnell’s 2019 Burghley winner MGH Grafton Street can be left off.

ON TO BICTON

BY the time you read this, I will have marked a significant birthday. My treats include leading the annual Dartmoor Derby – fortunately a spoiling night in a five-star hotel is included – and Bicton this weekend, where Emily has her last chance to win the under-25s again.

I am looking forward to seeing what organiser Helen West has done to upgrade the event, with the help of Mark Phillips; I am sure they will have done an amazing job.

I was delighted to hear about Helen’s recent appointment as British Eventing CEO; she’s very much in touch with all aspects of the sport through her competing and course-designing, as well as running Bicton Arena, and is a lovely, straightforward person.

She’s got a daunting challenge on her hands, but let’s hope she can move the sport on out of this current difficult patch.

This exclusive column is also available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 10 June 2021

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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

Today (8 June) British eventing legend, Mary King, turns 60 and we’re marking the occasion by celebrating Mary’s stellar career in pictures.

Born in 1961 to unhorsey parents, she learnt to ride on the vicar’s pony. Her eventing career began while working for European champion, the late Sheila Willcox.

A regular British team member, Mary has been to six Olympic Games, collecting team silver in Athens 2004 and London 2012, as well as team bronze in Hong Kong 2008. She was on the all-girl gold medal-winning team at The Hague World Equestrian Games in 1994, gained team silver at the Aachen Worlds in 2006 and team gold at the Kentucky WEG in 2010. She has four European team gold medals (1991, 1995, 1997, 2007) and two individual medals (1995 bronze and 2007 silver), as well as a team bronze (2011).

Mary won Badminton in 1992 on King William and again in 2000 on Star Appeal, who also won Burghley in 1996.

Mary, we wish you a very happy 60th birthday from all of us at Horse & Hound HQ.

Mary riding Divers Rock at Badminton Horse Trials in 1985

King William and Mary at Badminton in 1992

Mary and Star Appeal at Badminton

Mary enjoying a relaxing ride at home in Devon

Mary at Badminton with King William in 1992

Mary exercising King William at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics

Mary riding Kings Temptress at the CCI5* in Kentucky in 2011

From left to right: Nicola Wilson, Tina Cook, Mary and William Fox-Pitt celebrating winning team gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky

Mary and Kings Temptress in the CCI5* at Luhmühlen in 2009

Mary and Kings Temptress in the CCI5* at Badminton in 2013

The British team on winning silver at the 2012 London Olympic Games. From left to right: Zara Tindall, Tina Cook, Mary, Nicola Wilson and William Fox-Pitt

Mary and Kings Temptress win Kentucky in 2011

And more recently, Mary riding King Robert II to victory in the open intermediate at Bicton Arena in July 2020

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 to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens 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

Mary King discusses why the lack of high-profile events is now worrying

THE 2021 season has begun where the last one left off – with a no-frills system of “compete and go” and limited grooms and owners permitted. Who could have predicted, one year after the pandemic started, that we would still be subject to such restrictions?

I’ve managed to keep fit with a lot of tennis and I am starting to run in earnest – I am part of the GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital) team for the London Marathon on 3 October, which will be my first. I’m fundraising at justgiving.com/marykingmarathon and support is much appreciated. I’ve also been learning bridge online, which I have found unexpectedly fascinating.

I have low-key weekly outings with my young horses to look forward to; Tweseldown, the first, was a great start: the sun shone, the ground was excellent and both my babies, King Seamus and King Cyrus, were placed in BE100 sections.

Portman was slightly harder work – the lorry registered a temperature of -4°C as we approached the event. It really wasn’t eventing weather and all the officials did well to stick out an absolutely freezing day.

Snow at Weston Park and cold rain at Larkhill this last weekend didn’t deter from some great sport, but roll on summer!

The silver lining to another difficult season is that my local event, Bicton Arena, will finally host a much-deserved CCI4*-L, stepping in to replace Bramham. Organiser Helen West has been longing to do this and it’s well overdue.

It seems a shame Bicton can’t count as an Olympic qualifier, but then there has to be a question mark over Tokyo; thank goodness some farsighted people pushed the FEI for a European Championships, and how great to see it at a new venue, Avenches in Switzerland. I have never been there, but I remember Ginny Leng (now Elliot) winning there on a precocious Murphy Himself.

HIGH-PROFILE EVENTS

THE worry is not the lack of national and behind-closed-doors events, where many organisers are heroically managing to provide qualifying runs for all, but the lack of high-profile occasions for a second consecutive spring and the challenging decisions facing organisers of major internationals.

Badminton was always facing a race against time and the cautious roadmap out of national lockdown. Had it been able to run behind closed doors, it might still have been a vehicle to promote pure elite sport and elite riders and horses on television, with a sports press desperately in need of stories.

However, unlike racing, which has been able to showcase fantastic sport at Cheltenham and Aintree, we are now in a situation where the last big horse trials in this country was 18 months ago, at Burghley in 2019. Pippa Funnell’s comeback win there was as good a sporting story as any, but the memory is in danger of fading from the public psyche.

Equestrianism is a sport in which Britain wins medals, but there hasn’t been any opportunity for that either and a perfect storm of Brexit costs, equine herpes and the slower rolling-out of the coronavirus vaccine in Europe isn’t helping riders to prepare for this year’s championships.

The cancellation of so many county shows – the Royal Cornwall recently raised the white flag on its September date – shows the difficult decisions facing any organiser of a major event, whether it be it a music festival or a horse trials.

The infrastructure required – seating, tentage, contractors and so on – plus sponsorship is a huge commitment and, without a guaranteed audience, some events aren’t viable. A lot will depend on the success of the test-and-trace procedures put in place at next weekend’s World Snooker Championship and at the FA Cup final next month.

I believe things can and will recover in 2022; eventing, which can call on so many dedicated people, is too good a sport and too much a part of British country life not to. However, everyone will need to pull together and make compromises.

This exclusive column is also available to read in this Thursday’s H&H magazine (15 April, 2021)

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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

Male and female riders may now compete as equals, but a few skilled horsewomen paved the way in a historically masculine sport, finds Jennifer Donald

Since a lady first chose to ride astride instead of side-saddle, female riders have been breaking the glass ceiling in the equestrian world. Equestrianism is the only Olympic sport other than sailing in which men and women can compete on equal terms, but the playing field hasn’t always been level and we are still waiting for a female showjumper or eventer to win individual gold at the Games.

In 1984, the all-conquering Ginny Elliot, then Holgate, and Karen Stives of the USA became the first female eventers to win individual medals at the Los Angeles Olympics. Despite it not being recorded in the record books, Torrance Watkins had won an individual bronze four years previously at the alternative Olympics in Fontainebleau, but it would be Ginny and Priceless who made official history when they won bronze in the year Mark Todd took gold on Charisma, with Karen in silver on Ben Arthur.

“I’m not sure a big deal was made of it at the time and I suppose the fact I won a medal, and a team one as well, was so overwhelming that you didn’t really think about being the first woman,” says Ginny. “It wasn’t until someone mentioned it not long after that I realised no woman had won an individual medal until I rocked up. So that was a great thrill.

“I suppose, having been brought up from the get-go that you are competing on level terms with men, it just seems normal, but there’s always competitive banter when the girls win and the boys don’t! But it is surprising that a woman has yet to win the Olympics.”

Ginny followed in the wake of some trailblazing horsewomen. Due to the military history behind Olympic equestrian events, women were not allowed to ride at the Games until 1964 in Tokyo, when US rider Lana Du Pont was the first woman on an eventing team, helping her team to clinch silver in the process.

Margaret Hough is remembered as the first woman to triumph at Badminton, taking the title in 1954 with Bambi V (pictured).

“It was ground-breaking for a woman to win it,” says her son Peter Gleave. “Especially as one or two of the men at the time looked down at women having a go and doing well. But although she knew what she’d achieved, she never made a big deal out of it. My father was always dead proud of her; he’d always be telling people about it and she’d look at him almost as though she was telling him off!”

Later that decade, the supremely gifted Sheila Willcox became the first rider to win the event three times in succession, from 1957 to 1959, an achievement yet to be matched. Her first victory came at the age of just 21, at a time when women were still prohibited from competing in the Olympics, meaning her first team call-up came in the 1957 European Championships when she rode High And Mighty to become the first female champion.

As Mary King says, she was “one of the first really successful female riders in a male-dominated sport”.

In a golden era for the fairer sex, while Sheila was soaring round Badminton, Pat Smythe was carving a name for herself in showjumping. She became the first British female showjumper to ride at, let alone win a medal from, the Olympics, in 1956, helping the team win bronze. In a career full of fine accolades, Pat was also the first woman to win the Hickstead Derby, in 1962 on Flanagan.

It would be Marion Coakes who became the first female showjumper to win an individual medal at the Olympics, riding the great Stroller to silver in Mexico City in 1968, while the pioneering Liz Edgar finally beat her male rivals to take the title at the world-famous Aachen grand prix in 1980.

On home soil, the historic King George V Gold Cup at the Royal International dates back to 1911, but was men-only until being opened up to women – somewhat controversially at the time – in 2009. Five years later, US rider Beezie Madden lifted the solid gold trophy for the first time, returning for a second successive victory on the flying Cortes C.

“We girls were always a bit jealous we didn’t get to jump in this class, so it was a great feeling to win it,” says Beezie.

Behind the scenes, too, women have been paving their way. Di Lampard, a hugely successful international showjumper in her own right, became the first female chef d’equipe in British equestrian sport when appointed to the role in 2015.

“I wasn’t aware of that when I took the role but when it was brought to my attention, I did think, ‘Gosh, yes, that’s pretty special,’” says Di. “It just felt normal for me, having competed so much against the men – equestrianism is very much a sport where men and women go toe to toe. But you do see a bit more balance behind the scenes in other sports now, with more female referees and so on.”

Di has been credited for championing female talent on her teams but, she says, that’s more about how the sport has evolved.

“You take the best partnerships available at the time, but it has slowly changed,” she says. “But we’ve had some great role models over the years – I certainly followed Caroline Bradley, Liz Edgar and had many pictures of Pat Smythe in scrap books.”

Canada’s Gail Greenough became the first world champion in 1986 but it was only as recently as 2018 that Germany’s Simone Blum riding DSP Alice equalled her feat, herself becoming the first woman to win a title at a World Equestrian Games (WEG). Then, 16 years ago, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum earned the number one spot in the world rankings, the first woman to do so; no woman had ever ridden on the German team before the US-born rider earnt her place, either.

Dressage is one discipline in which women have often reached the top. Germany’s Isabell Werth holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by any rider, while among Charlotte Dujardin’s astounding list of achievements is to have been the first British woman to retain an individual Olympic title.

But it was 20 years after women were admitted to the Olympic dressage competition – previously it had been open only to commissioned military officers – that Liselott Linsenhoff became the first lady to win gold, with the team medal in 1968 and the individual crown in 1972.

The remarkable dressage rider Lis Hartel, from Denmark, was one of the first women to compete head-to-head with men in an equestrian sport at the Olympics in 1952, and her ground-breaking silver medal was even more remarkable as in 1944, at the age of 23, she had contracted polio and was left paralysed below the knees and with limited mobility in her arms. Seeing her struggle to dismount, the gold medallist, Henri Saint Cyr from Sweden, helped her to the podium to stand side-by-side with her male counterparts. Her success was a defining moment for equality in our sports.

On the racecourse, Meriel Tufnell paved the way as the first female jockey to win a race under Jockey Club rules in 1972. But it is only very recently that the voices have finally been heard calling for all jockeys to be classed as such, rather than defining the accomplishments of women on the racetrack by their gender. This change has been driven in part by Great British Racing’s #JustJockeys initiative. Since 2015, the number of winners from female jockeys has risen by a huge 76% thanks to skilled riders such as 24-year-old Hollie Doyle, who broke her own record for Flat winners in a season (116) last year.

“I have made the point many times that I think gender is irrelevant when it comes to jockeys,” says ITV Racing presenter Francesca Cumani. “For too long, female riders have not had the same opportunities as their male counterparts and have not had the chance to show the extent of their skills. “Hollie has proved that, when given an opening, she is just as capable, if not more so, as any of her colleagues.”

Charlotte Brew was the first woman to ride in the Grand National, in 1977, raising the tape on the race to find a female winner of Aintree’s legendary steeplechase. The strike rate has been much higher at the Cheltenham Festival, both in the saddle and from the training ranks. In March 1987, 21-year-old Gee Armytage became the first female jockey to win against the professionals, when landing the Kim Muir Challenge Cup, doubling up in the Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup the next day on a horse aptly named Gee-A.

“I actually had five rides at Cheltenham that year and that in itself was a big story at the time,” says Gee. “My first ride in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle didn’t go to plan though, and I was carried out by a loose horse at the second obstacle. As I cantered back up the straight, people were throwing plastic bottles at me and shouting, ‘Useless girl.’ I just had to keep my head held high. But of course after I’d ridden those two winners, I was the hero again.

“I do look back and think how lucky I was, but it all happened so easily for me then; I was riding lots of big winners. I was so confident in those days and would push trainers to be allowed to come and ride out. If I hadn’t done that, undoubtedly I wouldn’t have had nearly as many opportunities.

“Being singled out as a woman jockey actually helped me, because people were so anti them then that you got a lot of attention when you did well. Some trainers would never have put a girl up, but almost in desperation I did get the ride on horses that weren’t going well.”

Three years earlier, Jenny Pitman, a phenomenal trailblazer for women, sent out Burrough Hill Lad and became the first woman to train the winner of the Gold Cup – a year after she trained her first Grand National winner, Corbiere.

These days, the likes of Bryony Frost, the first female to win a Grade One at the Festival, Hayley Turner, Bridget Andrews and Rachael Blackmore have made finishing first past the post a far more frequent occurrence. We also saw Khadijah Mellah hit the headlines last year as the first hijab-wearing jockey, winning the Magnolia Cup at Goodwood.

Success and opportunity have not always come easily for women. Fortunately, long gone are the days when US polo player Sue Sally Hale had to disguise herself as a man when she first rode in the 1950s. There is still work to do, but let’s celebrate these pioneers who paved the way for the next generation to enjoy this wonderful sport on their terms.

Ref: 7 January 2021

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H&H’s eventing columnist on 2020’s heroes, and which events should be the top of our sport

As I write, the rain is pouring down and news has come in that Dauntsey this weekend has sadly had to be cancelled but, on balance, we have had it pretty good in the West Country. There has been an accessible event most weekends, keeping the diesel bills down, and I still have Calmsden, Bovington and Bicton to go.

All have been well supported to the extent that Andrew Reeve, the organiser of Launceston in Cornwall, decided, for the first time, to have a second running; he had plenty of entries and, amazingly, had managed, with Lucy McCarthy’s design, to reverse the cross-country so that it was presented as a completely different course.

Many people have done a terrific job to keep the sport alive, but the revelation of this weird season has been Miranda Collett’s superbly efficient times and scoring website, eventingscores.co.uk; I’ve found it great for following how my daughter Emily is getting on and it’s kept owners and supporters who can’t attend events involved. The dressage marks are up so quickly and you can find out your showjumping and cross-country scores almost before you’re back at the lorry.

That and the live-streaming on offer have been brilliant; I’m now looking forward to watching Le Lion d’Angers and Pau. Watching a five-star will be a mixed pleasure, however, as I no longer have a horse who’s approaching that level. King Robert, my advanced horse, sold very quickly – via video link – to America, where he will be downgraded to give experience to a young rider.

I’ve always been able to make a quick decision when I feel a horse isn’t going to make top level, but when you’ve bred and produced the horse yourself, it’s certainly more of a wrench.

Horses for courses

There’s an interesting division of opinion in the discussions about whether the Event Rider Masters (ERM) series should be upgraded to “five-star short” – with five-star dressage and showjumping and four-star cross-country – as the organising team and some riders would like.

As with any similar debate, much of it depends on the sort of horse you have in your yard. A more “foreign” type that doesn’t gallop so well will obviously be suited to it, but the traditional event horse that perhaps doesn’t move as flashily, yet has stamina, will still be reserved for the CCI5*-L events which are, and should remain, the pinnacle of the sport.

Prestige also depends, to a certain extent, on prize money levels. While generous, there is still a considerable difference between ERM classes, currently run at CCI4*-S level, and CCI5*-L rates, which reflect the difference in standard.

The ERM case is that potential sponsors, who can provide more prize money, are more likely to be attracted to top-level sport. Perhaps, therefore, consideration should be given to the name, so that it conveys the idea that it’s prestigious, but without trying to give the impression that it’s the top of the sport.

There has to be a question mark over the viability of the Tokyo Olympic Games, which is why it’s so important that the CCI5*-Ls are preserved.

Hopefully, after a light season, there will be an abundance of sound horses for these in 2021 – another reason why talk of saving the 2021 European Championships is encouraging. Great Britain should have no difficulty fielding a squad for it, but many other smaller eventing nations are equally keen.

Thanks for keeping eventing going

I’m now heading into a quiet autumn with my young, home-bred horses – and being a good farmer’s wife! – but, above all, I am overwhelmingly grateful to the patient owners, determined organisers and cheerful, willing volunteers who have kept eventing going in 2020.

Ref Horse & Hound; 8 October 2020

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

H&H’s eventing columnist enjoys competing in the “new normal” – and scores a win

I’ve now been to six events and it’s been a strange time: very enjoyable in many aspects, but always with the underlying worry that this cannot be sustainable long term. What has been great are the sensible practices – such as printing your own number sheets and paying start fees online (and getting them refunded if you don’t compete), all of which I hope will stay and reduce organisers’ workload and riders’ time at events in future.

Being able just to turn up, compete and go home has been refreshing and relaxing. The warm-ups are quieter and, as Andrew Nicholson mentioned (column, 30 July issue), the lack of commentary was blissful – Tweseldown, the first competition I went to, was so peaceful. Of course, riders are rarely aware of commentary while on course, but the continual noise can be tiring in the lorry park. I always try to avoid parking next to a speaker.

Owners have been forbearing about only one per horse being able to attend events (or two if from the same household); fortunately for me, I own most of my youngsters, but Bobby (King Robert) has a syndicate of eight. Some of them would love to come and watch, while others are happy just to support and keep in touch.

The livestreaming is a brilliant idea and has kept everyone interested and in the loop. I’m looking forward to watching Burgham this weekend, where lots of top horses will be on view. I know Paul Tapner has been working on this livestream; best wishes to him for a speedy recovery after his horrible fall.

Thanks to organisers

Everyone is just happy and grateful that competitions are running, particularly when there is no income from spectators or tradestands and some must barely be breaking even. It’s especially good of the smaller, less commercial events to run and I hope the fact that they’ve caught the eye of more riders than usual will benefit them in the future.

Launceston in Cornwall is relatively local for me. They had many more entries than usual, the ground was good and, as a result, organiser Andrew Reeves was enthused and is now hosting a second running. Moreton, another local one, was a lovely outing; I went quite steadily on the firmish ground, but they’d done a great job.

At Dauntsey, Beanie Sturgis produced her usual decent, beefy, natural cross-country course over farmland, jumping from field to field. You can tell she’s a hunting person: there were hedges and ditches and it was educational.

Bicton, where Helen West and her team did their usual brilliant job, got through a huge number of competitors – and I won the open intermediate on Bobby. There’s life in the old girl yet!

Aston-le-Walls ran well over 1,500 horses over six days – it was a huge feat, and not helped by diverse weather conditions. Scorching heat on the earlier days and electrical storms on other days – but the show went on, with horses and riders happy to be out.

On top with the tech

I have the impression that most riders have quite enjoyed lockdown and having the time to spend with their young horses. Since the easing of lockdown, those of us who are more established have also had the advantage of being able to earn money from teaching.

I’ve been teaching near Durham and combined it with finally being able to catch up with my daughter Emily, who has been under much stricter restrictions in Wales. I accompanied her to Cholmondeley where she had an intermediate win with a promising new French-bred horse, Valmy Biats.

I’ve also had to get to grips with the new technology. I recorded a voiceover for a new Australian PlayStation game. They ordered a microphone for me on eBay, set me up via Zoom and, hey presto! So much easier than going into a studio. It’s definitely the way forward.

Ref Horse & Hound; 20 August 2020

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The foster mare who adopted Mary King’s foal after he lost his mother, Kings Temptress, has died from colic.

Naomi Franklin’s Wendy had stepped in to foster colt Vinnie following the loss of King’s Temptress (Tess) who was put down on 18 April after suffering from peritonitis, as reported by H&H. On Monday (4 May) evening Wendy developed colic and a twisted gut and was put down.

Mary told H&H the news was “very sad” for the Franklin family – and for Vinnie.

“First my mare, then the beautiful mare of the Franklins’. Wendy had colic for the first time in her life and they couldn’t save her.” she said.

Mary said Pat Ormond, the Franklins’ neighbour, found a new foster mare, Maizee, through Facebook, and travelled with them from Warwickshire to Staffordshire to collect her from owners Suzanne and Georgia Turner.

“I knew Vinnie was in very good hands with Pat and the Franklins and I knew they would be doing their best for him,” she said.

“The Turners’ mare sadly had a dead foal on Monday so she had lots of milk. All I could do was keep my fingers crossed that the mare accepted him.”

Mary said Vinnie and Maizee were introduced on Wednesday (6 May) lunchtime.

“The join-up went very well. He was hungry so he was ready to suckle,” said Mary.

“They kept them in last night and today they went out in the field. I’ve been sent some photographs and they look very happy together. Luckily he’s quite a strong, tough type of foal and seems to have taken it all in his stride.”

Mary said Vinnie and Maizee will remain at the Franklins’ at the moment but may join her in Devon later.

“We’ll see how everything goes,” she said. “Everybody has been very relaxed and willing to help; the Franklins and Pat have been amazing.”

Article continued below…

Devastation as home-bred five-star winner dies; foal adopted by foster mare

The home-bred mare won the US five-star for Britain and was placed in the top 10 at Burghley twice, as

From the Badminton Horse Trials archives: watch when Mary King won her first title in 1992

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Mary said the support she has received in response to her Facebook post seeking a foster mare after she lost Tess had been “really heartwarming”.

“When I lost Tess I contacted the National Foaling Bank, and I thought I’d put a post on Facebook and it was just amazing the amount of people who viewed and shared it or commented with an offer of a mare,” she said.

“Fingers crossed Vinnie is successful and can pay everybody back for their kindness in helping him early in his life.”

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If it hadn’t been for the coronavirus outbreak, we would be gearing up for Badminton Horse Trials, which was due to take place this week (6—10 May). So instead we will take a few trips down memory lane. Here is the interview that was conducted with Emily King before her first Badminton in 2016. The Badminton debutant talks about the pressure of being Mary King’s daughter and her ride’s peculiar jumping style

Emily King is not only the youngest rider at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (5-8 May) this year, she’s also got the pressure of a mother who is a household name — at least, among the kind of households who come to Badminton.

But Emily, 20, isn’t letting the fact she is the daughter of double Badminton winner Mary King bother her.

“I’ve grown up with her being my mum,” she says. “There might be a few more people watching me, but at the end of the day I’m going to go and do as well as I can and not think about that part too much.

“It’s surreal to be getting ready and going to Badminton myself. I’ve been going there to watch and support Mum ever since I popped out.”

Emily started riding her Badminton mount, Brookleigh, at the start of 2013, although it came about in “a roundabout way”.

Australian rider Clayton Fredericks, who produced the Rockwell son to three-star, was moving to the US and Brookleigh’s owner, Nikki Brooks, didn’t want the horse to go with him.

But Brookleigh had had an injury and was lacking recent form, which meant he wasn’t a great prospect for sale. Emily, who had previously tried the horse to buy to ride for an owner, was asked to take him on for a year in order to make him more saleable.

Emily had a fantastic season with Brookleigh, with a win in the TCN2* at Hambleden, third in an advanced at the Festival of British Eventing and second in the young rider CCI2* at Weston Park.

At the end of the year Nikki still wanted to sell, but Jane del Missier stepped in and bought Brookleigh for Emily to keep the ride.

“I really clicked with him and felt so lucky to be able to ride him,” said Emily. “Finding him an owner made him feel more like our horse and we could aim for bigger things. I wanted to see what potential he had.”

‘A peculiar style’

Brookleigh’s temperament stood out for the Kings’ from the start, because of his “amazing nature”.

However, he does have “a peculiar jumping style”.

“It feels more drastic than it looks,” says Emily. “He doesn’t bend his back and he leaves his legs a bit open, so to compensate he goes high over the fences. If he tucked his legs up, he wouldn’t have to jump so high.

“It took me a long time to get used to it, particularly because at the start I was quite young and hadn’t ridden a lot of different horses.

“We’ve used different exercises and I’ve trained with lots of showjumpers, but no matter how much we teach him he could put less strain on his body, that’s his way and it’s something I’ve had to learn and adapt to. It happens particularly in the showjumping, not so much when we are galloping across country.

“He doesn’t want to touch fences. I have to remember to come to fences with a lot of energy and give him more space than other horses in front of the jump. If I put him too close, that’s when he’s more likely to have a fence down.”

Emily and Brookleigh, who is now 14, finished last season with fourth at Pau on their CCI4* debut.

“That result really helped mine and Brook’s confidence, but obviously it’ll be very different at Badminton,’ says Emily. “We’ll just be going to do as well as we can in all three phases. I’d like to come away from it knowing we did our best and if that comes with a good result, that would be fantastic. I can’t wait to start the cross-country and see how Brook and I tackle it.”

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Kings Temptress, the mare who won Kentucky 2011 with Mary King, was put down on Saturday (18 April) after suffering from peritonitis (inflammation of the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the inner wall of the abdomen and covers the abdominal organs) after giving birth to a foal. Her colt is now doing well with a foster mare.

“I am absolutely devastated to have lost her. I was so lucky to have bred such a wonderful mare, who gave so much to me and others through her life to the end,” said Mary.

Kings Temptress completed five four-stars (now five-stars) in her career, taking fourth on her debut at the level in Luhmühlen (2009) and finishing seventh (2010) and third (2011) at Burghley. But her career high came at Kentucky in 2011, which she won.

“She wasn’t an amazingly super-talented horse, but she was really genuine and tried her heart out,” Mary told H&H.

“Tess” was retired in 2015. She did her dressage at Badminton that year, but was lame when brought out for exercise on Saturday morning, which signalled some arthritic changes in her near hind.

Tess was the third horse Mary bred out of her foundation mare Kings Mistress and not the most obviously talented.

At the time of her retirement, Mary told H&H: “When I started jumping Kings Gem and Kings Fancy they were really neat and organised from the start. When I started jumping Tess, she really couldn’t do it and I thought, ‘What have I bred?’

“But when she got to intermediate level she started to learn to get high enough and she went on to become really confident. It’s amazing she did what she did. Her two older sisters both reached four-star, but she’s the one who won one.”

When Tess was seven Mary wanted to keep the ride but needed to sell her to fund the building of her new house. Derek Baden, who had supported Mary for a number of years, bought the horse and a syndicate of six people called The Mares Team came on board to help with her running costs. When Tess retired, Derek gave her back to Mary to use for breeding.

Tess had eight foals in total, with five produced by embryo transfer while she was competing, including King Robert who was eighth in the CCI4*-S at Tattersalls last year with Mary.

When Tess fell ill after giving birth to Vinnie on Friday, Mary posted on her Facebook page that she needed a foster mare and the post was shared 5,400 times.

“It was a lovely feeling that so many people want to support you,” said Mary, adding that the post had been viewed over 300,000 times.

Mary drove Vinnie from Devon to Warwickshire where he was adopted by “lovely foster mare” Wendy, who had had a stillborn foal at Lazy Acres Stables, the yard of Naomi Franklin, aunt of five-star rider Sarah Olivier (née Stretton).

Vinnie is by Van Gogh – as the painter’s Christian name was Vincent, his full name is King Vincent.

Article continues below…

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“A huge thank you to the wonderful response from my Facebook followers who led me to the Franklins’ foster mare. A massive thanks also to Pat Ormond [of College View Stud, a friend of the Franklins] who made the fostering process go incredibly smoothly, and to my vets Stringer Equine for all their support,” said Mary, who also paid tribute to Johanna Vardon of the National Foaling Bank for her help.

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In this article, first published in Horse & Hound‘s 135th anniversary issue, 2019 Badminton winner Piggy March (neé French) gets together with her childhood hero Mary King to talk about the fan mail she sent her, combining motherhood with competing and Mary’s future in the sport...

Piggy: I must have been your most persistent fan — there can’t have been anyone who beat me in the fan status, surely?

Mary: You were the most consistent and it was such an easy name to recognise. Before social media, I used to get lots of fan mail. Occasionally someone would write a second time, but you just kept going. I tried to send different pictures, to remember which ones you already had.

Piggy: I have them all still. Most of the letters start with, “Thank you very much for the lovely talcum powder or apricot face cream you sent me for my birthday.”

I was forever drawing King William or Star Appeal. You’d also respond when I told you my pony was off with a splint or we’d moved house. Did you think I resembled you as a child or was I just a stalking weirdo?

Mary: I could tell you were really passionate about eventing. You were similar to me, with my heroine Lucinda Green — or Prior-Palmer as she was then. I didn’t write to her — I wasn’t very good at writing. But I used to follow everything she did.

Piggy: I admired the fact you were immaculate on a horse. I loved all your “King” horses — there was a theme, a family. I also liked the way you loved what you did and

your horses, and it always meant so much when you won.

Mary: Lucinda was so elegant on a horse, so attractive and tall, and a natural rider. She had that style across country — lower leg forward, riding forward. In those days, the standard was lower and other riders would interfere and go to their hand all the time. I saved up enough money for Davies boots like Lucinda’s — I remember the wooden trees cost as much as the boots. And then she met David Green. He was so handsome and she was so beautiful and I was in awe.

Piggy: Who was your best horse?

Mary: King William was an amazing cross-country horse — in his heyday, around when I won Badminton in 1992, he was brave, strong, secure and fast.

I had some great rides on Star Appeal — he was a big Irish horse, not as elegant or with the same movement as William, but you could ride a very accurate test on him.

Imperial Cavalier was hugely talented in all three phases and should have won a number of major events, but he loved the sport too much — he was so enthusiastic all the time.

Call Again Cavalier wasn’t quite such an expressive mover, but he was a fabulous jumping horse and was easier to manage temperament-wise.

Piggy: If an owner wanted to buy you a horse for Badminton now, would you look for the same stamp and blood?

Mary: The sport has changed a lot and you can have a different horse now for Event Rider Masters or championships to Badminton or Burghley — in my day, Badminton and Burghley were your major selection trials.

Longevity is important — I still love horses with plenty of thoroughbred blood. The foreign horses can win a major event and seem amazing, unbeatable. But then they are generally more fragile. King William did Badminton as an eight-year-old and kept doing two long-format top-level events every year throughout his career.

Also, it used to be about dominating the horses, whereas now riders have become more knowledgeable and kinder with their training, realising that forming a trusting partnership will bring out the best from your horse.

Piggy: I’ve just been lucky enough to win at Badminton. Do you still remember your first win very clearly?

Mary: Oh yes. I’d been fortunate enough to be second and third, but to win was in a complete league of its own — it just gave you such satisfaction to think you’d done it, beaten the rest of the world.

We didn’t have television when I was growing up and when I went on the Pony Club coach trip to Badminton, I didn’t really know what eventing was. I was 11 years old and in awe of the whole event — shiny horses and shiny riders, who all seemed so brave and rich. I thought, “This is what I want to do.”

Piggy: Did anything change afterward your win?

Mary: I still kept really hungry, still wanted to produce other horses. The second win in 2000 was wonderful for different reasons. To have children and win Badminton — I felt guilty really, for being so lucky.

I hope I inspired other mothers. It used to be that once you had children, that was the end of your eventing or other job. I went to my first event in March after having Emily at the end of January. People said I wouldn’t feel the same. I remember setting off out of the start box, jumping the first fence and thinking, “Nope, it doesn’t feel any different, it’s just the same.”

Piggy: Obviously you’ve played a massive part in Emily’s career.

Mary: People think I must have helped Emily a lot, but she’s always been very independent — she is by nature strong-minded, and most importantly I wanted to stay friends with her. So I tried to keep my mouth shut and let her learn from her mistakes, unless what she was doing was dangerous.

Piggy: And have you had much input in her horsepower?

Mary: She chose her first horse herself. She was 12 and came to groom for me at Pau, where she was fascinated watching the horses in the sale loose jump. She said she’d seen a horse and when I watched it, she really had chosen a very nice one.

The next day, she said: “Andrew Nicholson’s trying ‘my’ horse, can I ride it?” She rode it, then asked me to buy it. I said no, because all my life I had been reliant on owners owning the horses I rode. Then she used my phone to text Sue Davies, who owned the Cavalier horses: “Dear Sue, I’ve seen a horse that will really suit me, will you pay for it for me?”

Minutes later, Sue phoned. I apologised and she said she would pay for it, but not running costs. Emily suggested we call the horse King Joules and ask Joules to pay his costs.

Piggy: I want my son Max to learn to ride because it’s so fortunate for kids to be brought up outside, work with animals and have that responsibility. But after that it’s completely up to him. I would only let him be an event rider if he was seriously passionate about it.

Are you a very nervous mum watching?

Mary: I feel a bad mother, but I would have more butterflies if I was doing it myself than when Emily’s riding.

Piggy: I don’t think I’d be very good if Max was going cross-country.

Mary: What is your mum like with you?

Piggy: I think she was — and is — quite stressed about the whole thing. She had about four fags on the go. She just wants everything to be OK.

Without horsey parents, you started from scratch — how important is that? Do you think young riders now expect a final result and skip their ABCs?

Mary: Absolutely, and I think that’s why so many riders do brilliantly as juniors or young riders and don’t seem to be able to make it in the senior world. They have so much help at the start and the opportunity to ride really good horses early on. You need a broad base of knowledge to build your career on.

Piggy: I really do think it’s lacking — just from studding up your own horse, feeding, washing. I don’t do studs any more, but I will quite often tack up. I try to know the horses’ personalities — you pick up things you can take with you to a competition. I was always hopeless though, I would never have been employed as a groom. I still couldn’t pull a tail now — I thought it must hurt so I didn’t do it.

Piggy: I know you still love the sport, but your competing is limited by an issue with

your neck?

Mary: I still really enjoy it and I’m very happy breaking in and producing my home-bred horses. I don’t have anybody working for me and I have 12 horses around, with two I’m eventing at the moment, plus broodmares and youngsters. I just do them all myself. They live out in the field so I don’t have to muck out.

When I was younger, my friends would say, “Let’s go riding,” but I much preferred to be on my own with my pony.

Piggy: I’d be the same. And do you still want to get back to Badminton?

Mary: I’d love to, but I know I’m not riding so well and I don’t want to be there riding badly. I have injections in my neck every three months and there are times when I have more control of my head and times around the injections when my head’s quite loose and out of control. It affects my balance, but I do get a month of thinking I can ride just like I used to, so that’s what keeps me going.

Mary: I felt so proud when you won Badminton.

Piggy: I had a text message!

Mary: Was it one of your first? I was quite quick off the mark.

Piggy: I was like, “Oh my God, yes it is from Mary,” and Emily sent me one too.

We are the first and last winners of the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy, but we’ve had some weird connections — Imperial Cavalier went lame for the Europeans in Fontainebleau in 2009 and I was called up last minute and won the silver medal. This box came with all the kit, labelled “Mary King”. You have a good pair of boobs — I needed some padding.

Mary: And when did we first meet — can you remember?

Piggy: One of the first was at Holker Hall when Mum was competing and you had King Alfred. I think I patted your pony all week and hung about like a crazy person.

And obviously there’s that picture at Burghley, with me in my braces. I walked the course with you and I remember running off to buy you an ice cream. I’m so glad I kept the letters. I can’t imagine ever not doing so, though. We used to hang around for the post if it was your birthday, knowing I’d get thanked for the talcum powder!

As told to Catherine Austen and Pippa Roome

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Mary King has won 13 Olympic, European and world medals as a member of the British eventing team. She has won Badminton twice, as well as Burghley and Kentucky. She has also been British open champion four times.

A few people have had a big impact on my career. Double European champion Sheila Wilcox was my mentor and thanks to the two years I spent working for her I formed a broad base of knowledge. Without that education, I would have reached the peak of my career at an earlier stage.

I think gaining that all-round knowledge is where many riders miss out. Sheila was a real stickler in every aspect; from stable management to training, to getting the best out of different types of horses, to dealing with injuries. She had tremendously high standards and it becomes ingrained in you.

My lower leg used to slip back, but through training with Pat Burgess I learnt to keep my lower leg forward across country. Lucinda Green was my heroine – she still is – and she was also a Pat Burgess student. Lucinda was one of the first riders to have an exaggerated forward lower leg. I would copy Lucinda and pretend I was her. I still do this – I’m Charlotte Dujardin doing dressage, Marcus Ehning in the showjumping.

My one regret training-wise is that I never spent time training at a showjumping yard. Sheila helped me hugely on the flat; I am naturally brave and competitive across country – I’ve always loved going fast – but showjumping is my weakest phase.

The horse I wish I had now is Divers Rock, who took me to my first Badminton in 1985, where I came seventh. I was a novicey rider, but he was extremely brave, bold and forward across country. He was so talented and could have done much better had I been more experienced.

Now I have fewer horses at top level, I’m really enjoying keeping them out. I love being able to do them myself and I can manage four from the field. They do look scruffy and muddy when they come in, but I think, especially for young horses, living out does them the world of good.

It’s a natural life; it’s good for their minds for horses to be freely moving all the time. It helps them mature, to deal with mud, and learn to look after themselves, rather than always being in a stable or on a perfect surface.

My dear mummy was a huge support to me. She always told me to smile, whether I won or lost, and it helps me today when things haven’t gone well. She made me smile and it became second nature. It’s something I’ve tried to pass on to my daughter Emily because there’s nothing worse than seeing riders come out of the ring yanking their horses and all cross when they don’t get the result they wanted. I see it in other sports, too – some people don’t even smile if they win.

Whenever I leave the start box, I remind myself to enjoy the ride and to try and be positive. I remind myself how lucky I am to be able to do this sport.

Ref Horse & Hound; 26 March 2020

Eventer Mary King will be chasing a new adrenaline rush this month when she takes part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

The 58-year-old rider will be sailing on the race’s third leg, which crosses 4,750 nautical miles of the Southern Ocean from the Cape of Good Hope to Fremantle, near Perth.

The 70’ clipper Seattle will leave South Africa on 17 November with 20 crew and arrive in Australia around 23 days later.

It will not be the first time Mary has crossed an ocean — two years ago, she sailed across the Atlantic on an 18-day voyage to help deliver a friend’s boat.

“I have always wanted to sail round the world, it’s always been on my bucket list, but it’s not possible to take that much time away from the horses, my husband and family,” she told H&H.

“I thought if I can do it ocean by ocean, then that might be a way of ticking it off. I’ve done the Atlantic, I’m doing the Southern and hopefully over the next few years I’ll fulfill my aim.”

Although Mary’s father was a naval officer, he was invalided out before she was born, but she said that may be where her love of the water comes from.

“I always said if it hadn’t worked out with horses then I would have done something with boats,” she said.

“Growing up we didn’t sail as a family but I went on tall ships as a trainee when I was 19 with the Sail Training Association. That was sailing great big square riggers rather than yachts but apart from that, my experience has really only been sailing with friends.”

This summer, Mary managed to fit in a month of compulsory training for the crossing around her eventing commitments and said she is very excited about the upcoming adventure.

“I really enjoyed the training,” she said. “The Southern Ocean is one of the most arduous legs famous for the Roaring Forties — really big seas with strong westerly winds. There are waves breaking over deck constantly — you have to be clipped on all the time in dry suits, it’s all very exciting.”

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The trip will be raising money for Devon Air Ambulance and UNICEF, and donations can be made through Mary’s JustGiving page.

Mary will be mixing work with pleasure, also teaching in South Africa before she leaves as well as riding on a safari in Stellenbosch.

“My family are all coming out to greet me in Australia — David, Emily and Freddie,” she said. “We should leave the boat by 17 December and then we’ll do some travelling before spending Christmas with my cousin near Sydney.”

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Through the highs and lows of equestrian sport, Horse & Hound has been there – documenting the many achievements of Britain’s top riders and sharing their experiences on the world stage. We all have our treasured memories from the last few decades of competition, but what would some of our best-loved celebrities single out as their proudest moments? Next up, as we celebrate H&H’s 135th birthday with a bumper issue (dated 20 June), is eventer Mary King…

As a child, Olympic event rider Mary King would go on Pony Club coach trips to the Badminton Horse Trials.

“It seemed impossible at the time that I could ever gallop around that course and jump those huge fences,” says Mary (née Thomson). “I never thought I’d get there, especially as I grew up in a rented verger’s cottage and we had no money, so it was such a dream to ride at Badminton for the first time. I was second in 1989 and third a year later, with King Boris, but my first Badminton win — with King William, in 1992 — stands out as my proudest moment.

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“We were in the lead after the dressage and maintained that on day two, so I knew that we could win, but the showjumping was always difficult with King William. The realisation that I’d beaten everyone was incredible — you can’t really believe it, you just feel on top of the world. It wasn’t until the following morning, however, when my father’s Daily Telegraph arrived on the doormat and I saw myself in the headlines, that it really sank in. There was no social media in those days, but people were interested and you were asked to do so many things. I received endless cards and letters of congratulation from fans, and King William did, too — he got his own post.

“Photos of me holding that Badminton trophy are now hanging in my loo. It was the best moment of my life.”

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

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Top event rider Mary King has become the first ever equestrian ambassador for welfare charity the Blue Cross.

Mary, who has represented Great Britain at six Olympics between 1992 and 2012, winning team silver in 2004 and 2012 and team bronze in 2008, has been a “keen supporter” of the charity for many years and will help to raise the profile of its important welfare work in the UK.

Mary has supported the national equine welfare survey which was organised by the charity and has ridden a Blue Cross horse called Sheridan around part of Badminton “although admittedly not over any of the cross-country jumps”.

Mary said: “I am truly thrilled to take on the role of equine ambassador for Blue Cross. I have immense respect for their welfare and rehoming work and hope that I will be able to help raise their profile in many ways.

“I am particularly excited about spreading the word about this year’s Christmas Dinner project which aims to make sure all the horses at the Blue Cross Burford centre get some festive spirit and plenty of love on Christmas day.”

Senior horse rehoming manager Rosie Mogford said: “We are honoured and excited that Mary has agreed to become our first ever equine ambassador. She is one of the most accomplished and admired riders in equestrian sport and we could not wish for a better representative to support our welfare work.”

Mary King talks about surviving winter

Emily and Mary King make eventing history

Emily King first went round a European Championship course when her mother was 5½ months pregnant with her — so

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Blue Cross runs two horse welfare centres in Oxfordshire and Staffordshire where neglected, abandoned and unwanted horses and ponies are rehabilitated and then rehomed. The charity also operates a Home Direct scheme to help owners find suitable new homes for their horses, if they can no longer keep them.

The Christmas Dinner project is a scheme launched by the charity to provide pets with a “hearty Christmas Dinner”. Blue Cross is asking for a donation of £1 to help fill a horse’s bowl this Christmas.

Do you have a topic you’d like to share with H&H readers? Then write to hhletters@ti-media.com for a chance to see your views in H&H magazine and win a bottle of Champagne Taittinger (please include your name and address; letters may be edited). 

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

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

It’s official – the West Country horsey haven of Devon has come out on top in the 2018 H&H study of Britain’s horsiest counties. But just why is Devon so great for riders?

1. It has every type of riding terrain you could wish for

Devon isn’t (quite) the only place that boasts both beach riding and open moorland, but it is the only British county to feature two separate coastlines AND two moors, in the form of sprawling Dartmoor — the largest open space in southern England — and part of Exmoor. And in between you’ll find patchwork fields, quiet forests, idyllic villages with dream country pubs — everything you need for perfect, varied hacking.

2. It’s home to some top-notch equestrian events

You don’t have to travel out of the area to catch some of the country’s top riders in action. There’s international eventing at Bicton, and plenty of the UK’s best showjumpers and showing teams flock to the Devon County Show, with its host of prestigious qualifiers, every May.

3. There are competition venues for everyone

Devon may not have as many show venues as some more central counties, but the ones it does have are pretty great. From Bicton, to the Grange and Wellbeck — plus a host of fantastic agricultural shows — there’s showjumping, dressage, eventing and showing on offer to everyone, whatever the level. And for those wishing to travel further afield, there’s fast road access via the M5.

4. Winters are usually kind to riders

Endless snow, freezing conditions and the frustration of not being able to ride as much as you’d like? A familiar winter story in many parts of the UK — but rarely Devon! The county enjoys a generally mild climate — while you’ll find plenty of snow on the moors, for most of county it’s the exception not the norm, and the area doesn’t suffer from such stifling summer temperatures as many inland areas either.

5. You’ve got Pony Club branches galore

Horsey children growing up in Devon are spoilt for choice when it comes to Pony Club. Both Area 15 and 16 occupy Devon, with the county boasting more branches than any other in Britain.

6. It doesn’t fall down on hunting options, either

With such fantastic landscapes it follows that hunting in Devon is a treat, and there’s no shortage of packs to follow — 12% of all Britain’s hunts are to be found in Devon, from the South Devon and the Dartmoor to the Devon and Somerset Staghounds and the Axe Vale Harriers.

7. Fitness work comes as standard

There’s no getting away from it — most of Devon is hilly. Very hilly. But this is a blessing when it comes to getting your horse — and yourself — fit. From Mary King’s base on the south-eastern coast, the valley that runs down to the sea means it’s possible to ascend and descend 600ft in half an hour.

8. Top riders are flocking to Devon

As well as the established Devon-based riders, such as Mary King, Lucy McCarthy (nèe Wiegersma), Helen West and Justin Tuff, several other top riders have felt the lure of Devon recently. These include leading dressage rider Anna Ross, who will move from Wiltshire to the beautiful Barons Wood Equestrian Centre in east Devon at the end of July.

9. Devonians are the friendliest bunch of horse people you’ll find

As such a rural county, Devon is chock-a-block full of riders. But you’ll be hard-pushed to find the snootiness you might come across in some other horsey areas of the country — the Devon equestrian community is one of the most down-to-earth and welcoming you’ll find. It’s often said the pace of life is slower in the West Country, and you’ll certainly feel relaxed down here.

10. Mere mortals can actually afford to live here

A cottage with land and stables in Surrey for under £1million? Forget it. Not so in Devon, however. Even in the most sought-after areas of the county you could snap up a five-bedroom house with stables and around 30 acres for under seven figures. And, if you travel to the west and north-west of Devon, you’ll find even more for your money.

Pick up a copy of today’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (21 June 2018) to find out how your county fared in our survey — and why top riders have chosen to base themselves in these horsey hotspots

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

Find out which county came out on top in our study to find the horsiest county in Britain

In today’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (21 June 2018), our extensive study has crowned Devon as the horsiest county in Great Britain.

Having analysed data across a number of elements of equestrian life, Olympic eventer Mary King’s county came out on top, with Hampshire taking the runner up spot and Somerset in third place.

Thanks to help from governing bodies and other organisations, statistics were compiled for eventing, showjumping, dressage, showing, racing, pointing, hunting, polo, veterinary care, access to farriers, Pony Clubs, riding clubs, bridleways, livery yards, riding instructors, riding centres and tack shops and feed merchants.

We also took into account where some of the biggest events in the equestrian calendar take place as well as where top riders and equestrian legends of yesteryear live.

“Looking at the stunning images of Olympic legend Mary King exercising Kings Ginger along the south Devon coast and surrounding villages for the cover and feature in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine is enough to make any equestrian enthusiast covet a property in this area,” says H&H’s Editor-in-Chief Sarah Jenkins.

“Well served by hunts, Pony Club branches, equestrian centres and instructors, too, Devon really is rider heaven. No doubt readers will be keen to see how their our own counties are rated, and with such a diverse readership the overall winner will not be of as much interest to some as the county that fared best in their preference discipline, for example.

“There were some surprises for H&H’s journalists compiling the research — who would have guessed Essex would be best served by bridleways, for example? — but the overwhelming feeling we had in creating the article is how fortunate we are to be based in a country with such rich equestrian heritage and provision across the board. We might long to move to Devon, but wherever we are based we are not far from equestrian excellence on our small island.”

The top 10 horsiest counties according to our 2018 survey

• Devon
• Hampshire
• Somerset
• Gloucestershire
• North Yorkshire
• Surrey
• Kent
• Staffordshire
• Lancashire
• Wiltshire

Pick up a copy of today’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (21 June 2018) to find out how your county fared in our survey — and why top riders have chosen to base themselves in these horsey hotspots

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

Mary King, winner of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials in 2000 and 1992, walked the course for this year’s event (2-6 May 2018) for Horse & Hound.

Check out these pictures of Mary with the iconic fences…

Mary with course-designer Eric Winter at the HorseQuest Hump (fence three). This is a completely new fence, on a newly raised piece of ground, which should jump well but gives horses a little something to think about before the first combination on course.

Badminton final scores

Mary checks out the HorseQuest Quarry (fence 4ab). The walls here are very familiar from previous years and it’s a fairly straightforward test, dropping in over one wall, a left turn at the bottom and up a hill to the second wall.

The first water fence, the Wadworths Water (fence eight). This will give a great photo opportunity as Badminton House is in the background when viewed from the other side and it will let horses wet their feet before The Lake.

Designer Eric Winter lines up Mary for the second and third elements of The Lake (fence 9abc), consisting of a brush fence in the water and then a run up a bank on a right-hand curve to another brush, which is angled and sculpted in a way which encourages a run-out. Watch a video of Maryy walking The Lake.

Mary at the final element of the straight route out of The Lake, showing the line riders need to take — and just how inviting it is for horses to nip out on the left-hand side.

Mary lines up the corner which forms the final part of the straight route through the Outlander PHEV Mound (fence 14, 15 and 16ab). On the direct route, the combination starts with another open corner, before a run down into a dip and up onto the mound, where the b element upright rails are sited, before this final corner.

Eric Winter and Mary King look into the Eclipse Cross Pond (fence 18abc). Here riders on the direct route will jump an upright birch rail, five strides through the water and out over a parallel.

Mary at the oxer out of the Eclipse Cross Pond (fence 18abc). Note the red MIM Clips on the end of the birch rails — this is a safety device designed to give way under a certain level of pressure and prevent a serious fall of horse and rider.

The Hildon Water Pond (fence 20abc). Riders taking the fastest option will jump this log pile, then down the steep bank to the water cascade, left-handed through the water and out over the brush (seen in the background).

Mary King walks the right-hand curve through the water at the Hildon Water Pond (fence 19abc).

The chunky hedge on the exit from the Hildon Water Pond (fence 20abc).

Mary tests out the ditch at the KBIS Vicarage Vee (fence 22/23). Riders take off from the bank on the far right, landing on the bank on the left in the picture. This iconic fence is supposedly slightly softer this year, but is still likely to catch a few pairs out.

A great photo opportunity in front of the house at the Joules Corners (fence 26abc), where riders tackle a big brush parallel before the two corners. Watch a video of Mary walking the Joules Corners.

Checking out the angles at the Savills Escalator (fence 29abc), the final combination on the track. Horses will be tired by this point so riders may need to work hard to get the necessary control to jump the big brush in followed by two angled skinny fences.

What did Mary think of this mount? The last fence, the Shogun Sport Saddle (fence 32).

Pictures by Peter Nixon

Read Mary’s thoughts on every fence on the course in this week’s Horse & Hound (issue dated 26 April 2018), plus the full form guide for every horse and rider

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

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Having lifted the prestigious Mitsubishi Motors title twice, Mary King will always be synonymous with Badminton Horse Trials. This year she is sharing her views on the course exclusively with Horse & Hound readers in today’s magazine (26 April), and in our online videos.

Fence 9abc

The Lake

Mary says: “The spectators’ favourite, and they will be able to see more fences than ever before from this area, which adds to the intensity of the atmosphere. There’s a log drop in with a nice profile that encourages riders to be brave and ride forward, then five strides to a brush in the water, followed by a very sharply angled brush after the bank out. It walks on three strides, but will probably ride better on a holding four.

“There were quite a few problems here 
last year, but the only step out this time is 
part of the long route and, although there 
will inevitably be some that slip out of the side of the final brush, it should be a less problematic question.

Badminton final scores

“Riders need to ensure their horse’s eye 
is firmly on the c element as they come up 
the bank; there is a lengthy alternative for those who don’t get a great jump over the brush in the water. It’s a real four-star test, 
but very jumpable.”

Fence 26abc

Joules Corners

Mary says: “These have a different location and more room between each element this year, but golly, they are massive. The first element is a brush box, followed by two brush corners on four strides on a turning left arc. They should jump beautifully and are more a test of scope and braking power than of pin-point accuracy, but need real respect, especially if the ground comes up soft.”

Read Mary’s thoughts on the rest of the course in this week’s Horse & Hound (issue dated 26 April), plus full form guide for every horse and rider.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

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

H&H’s star equine blogger Hovis has claimed his spot as the latest hero on the eventing scene.

Large crowds gathered to watch Mary King ride the part-bred Clydesdale in demonstrations at Belton Horse Trials on Saturday (14 April).

Hovis, who was groomed to perfection with gleaming white feathers, looked to be thriving on the atmosphere and relished being at the centre of attention as he showed off to the crowds.

Hovis, whose Friday diaries feature on the Horse & Hound website, was there to raise awareness and funds for Lincolnshire-based welfare charity Bransby Horses.

Mary beamed as she took her “new ride” for a trot, before showcasing a few dressage moves in the CIC3* arena.

The eventing legend returned for a second ride that afternoon, by which time Hovis was feeling even more sprightly — eyeing up the inviting logs used for the inter-hunt relay and putting in a couple of cheeky bucks.

“He was so happy and felt like he was really enjoying himself,” Mary told H&H. “He seemed used to crowds and enjoyed showing off a bit.

“He felt slightly different to a fit event horse, but he was a nice, good solid feel — it is all for a brilliant cause and I hope it makes people aware of the work Bransby does.”

Hovis met with established members of the “Hovite Army” — his dedicated fanbase — and made plenty of new friends, including catching selfies with Lycetts Grantham Cup winner Jonty Evans, Mark Todd and British eventing performance coach Chris Bartle.

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Jonty Evans and Cooley Rorkes Drift took their first international win in the feature class at Belton Horse Trials, the

“That was a dream come true,” said Hovis’s “mother” Karen after Mary had dismounted and given him a pat.

“When I started doing this I could never imagine a world — having joked about it for eight years — where a top eventer like Mary would ride Hovis.

“As much as it has been fun, the whole purpose of this is to raise much-needed funds for a Lincolnshire-based charity that is right on the front line of the equine welfare crisis.

“While we joke about him, the money we raise is going to help so many horses and ponies in need.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

.

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

Equestrian PR and marketing consultant Rhea Freeman gets the low down on what a rider’s cross-country colours mean — and how they can help them to build a distinctive brand

When you think of a brand, what do you think of? The font they use? The colour of their logo and packaging? There’s a whole world of colour psychology out there to explore and it’s something that brands pay a lot of attention to. But do riders do the same? And what about riders who are very much a brand in their own right? How do they view their cross-country colours and what it says about them?

Brands and colours get linked; in fact some spend a lot of money defending the use of ‘their colour’ as it’s a part of their DNA. Colours generally mean different things to different people, but they also have meanings if you explore colour psychology. So blue can mean calm and yellow optimism, for example. But when deciding what colour to run in, do any of the above factor?

Mary King: green and white

Mary King (pictured, above) is known for the emerald green and white colours she rides in, but these were actually chosen by a sponsor many years ago. “My second ever sponsor was owner of The Classic Horsepower Company, and they asked me if I’d run in their colours, which were green and white,” she says.

“As the company was owned by Gill Robinson’s husband, one of my loyal owners, I said yes. And it stuck. I’d always liked the colour green, so it made sense. I was sponsored by Hiscox for a couple of seasons and ran in their red and black for these seasons, but it didn’t feel like me, so I switched back as soon as I could!”

As any Mary fan will know, green isn’t limited to Mary’s cross country colours — the green has become a big part of her brand with her green being used on her lorry too. In addition, when Mary worked with Joules to create a clothing range, Mary’s green was used on a number of lines.

Paul Tapner: red

Paul Tapner has ridden in red for many years, but only after he forgot to pack his original navy and light blue colours for an event.

“As an avid Aussie Pony Clubber, my zone, zone 23, had red and white as their colours. I was in a lot of zone teams, so I had a lot of red kit,” he says. “When I forgot to take my blue colours to an event, I wore my Pony Club red kit and had lots of comments on how much easier I was to see out on cross-country. When I decided to go pro, I realised the value of having a really recognisable colour.”

Tapner Eventing is a brand that’s known as red, and this is something that although challenging at in the early days, has really helped Paul to attract sponsors latterly.

“Some sponsors want you to ride in their colours, and depending on what the offer is, sometimes it’s the right decision, but for me I was set on red, even when sponsors said it clashed with their branding,” he says.

“It did make it difficult with sponsors when I was relatively unknown, but when you decide to treat yourself as a business, and understand all the marketing and branding that goes along with that, it becomes really important. Any global brand has a colour scheme that is associated with them. Logos change over time, but the main colours stay. It’s important to create a brand image and it’s been valuable for me as a business. It also give sponsors the opportunity to come to me with promotional ideas — they know I’m willing to take things to the extreme and I’m passionate about my brand colours.”

David Doel: red

David Doel, like Paul Tapner, also rides in red, but he started riding in this rather bold shade for different reasons. “I started off riding in red so my Granny knew which one was me going cross country,” he says. “The colour stuck and now most of our things are red, from rugs to buckets, but that’s a good thing. Having such a bold colour has made our team much more recognisable.”

Nicki Strong runs Headstrong Equestrian and has a background in PR and marketing. When she designed her cross-country colours, her brand identity was at the forefront of her mind, and is something she’s maintain through her logo, website and social media. “Everything should be consistent and recognisable as my brand in tone and visually. I use navy, dark red and white on everything. I worked in communications for Macmillan Cancer Support for many years, who are famous for their green; they are a brilliant example of how to us a colour palette as a key feature for a brand.”

Continued below…

Could you be an equestrian brand ambassador?

Find your next set of cross-country colours here

A personal choice

Where do you go to get some customised kit and design your own cross-country colours? And what if you want to stray beyond one colour and incorporate a number into your colours? There are companies set up with this sole goal in mind, one being Super X Country.

“So many people are obsessed with getting the right colour and design,” says Becci Harrold from Super X Country. “The choice of colour(s) and the design is so personal to them and it’s really interesting.

“It’s not so much about building brands for a lot of people, or even building up recognition for people watching, it’s got a lot more to do with good luck and fortune, or just because people like the colour and it’s special to them in some way. Of course, riding in strong colours can be big for building a brand, and keeping that consistency is a big deal and something I think we’ll continue to see more of now that getting personalised cross country colours and accessories is easier.”

Cross-country colours are only one part of your brand, but if it’s something you want to carry through to your website and more, it can be a great way to start to build that brand recognition that you as a business and sponsors want.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine out every Thursday

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

Mary King is a linchpin of the British eventing community, the idol of so many young riders — but it is her unhorsey mother, Gillian (Jill) Thomson who died suddenly on Monday (8 January), who she credits with enabling her to reach the top of her sport.

While Jill didn’t have a natural affinity with horses — she would just about hold one to hand-graze at an event — she went out of her way to help Mary.

In 1995 Jill had a bout of salmonella and was told to stay in hospital — but she pulled out the drip to drive the lorry back from Thirlestane in Scotland, where Mary had finished first on King William and second on Star Appeal in the final trial for the Europeans, all the way to Devon.

And when Mary broke her her wrist and ankle bone in 1999, Jill looked after Mary’s two children, Emily and Freddie, full time.

In Mary’s book ‘The Autobiography’, she remembers just a few of the those selfless moments:

The ultimate competition companion

“On my way up to the [Young Rider] training I competed at Stowell Park Horse Trials near Cirencester. ‘Make sure the people you park next to know you’re on your own…’ said Mum. Again I took off like a madwoman across country, and stupidly galloped straight at an upright white gate in a hedge-line. Humphrey chipped in a stride and hit the gate hard. I flew off and hit my head. When I woke up in the ambulance on the way to Cheltenham hospital, all I could do was repeat confusedly, ‘I’m on my own, I’m on my own.’ […] At that point, Mum decided that her accident-prone daughter shouldn’t go to any more events on her own.”

On hand for a new mother

“When I was first married, the half-hour ‘commute’ to my yard came as a shock. Now, with two tiny children, the strain began to kick in. Again, my wonderful mother came to the rescue. She gave up fostering children [Jill fostered over 36 of children over the years] and helping with the Guides, and instead devoted herself to her grandchildren, while I restricted myself to five or six horses and just rode in the mornings. Fortunately, Dad didn’t mind staying at home on his own while Mum accompanied me to events. She would drive while I spent time with the children in the back, and then she’d mind them while I was riding.”

Continued below…

Mary King pays tribute to her ‘selfless and inspirational’ mother

“She told me to always smile — when I came out of the ring whether I had fallen off or

A matter of fact approach to illness

“In June 2007, Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her immediate reaction to the diagnosis was typically calm, to the point of flippancy. […] She had an operation on 10 August and 12 days later we went to Urchinwood Horse Trials with four horses, two grooms and four children. Mum had been told she mustn’t drive the horsebox for at least a month, so there she was cooking eggs and bacon for eight of us. […] My mother’s resilience never fails to amaze me, and this alarming interlude only emphasised how much I owe her. The reality is that I simply couldn’t have this career without her.”

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

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

Mary King has paid tribute to her “selfless and inspirational” mother Gillian Thomson who died suddenly on Monday (8 January).

Jill was a well-known and much-loved face at events, helping and supporting her daughter and granddaughter, eventer Emily King.

Mary credits her mother with making her own career as an event rider possible.

Jill did not have an equestrian background, but did everything she could to support Mary in her chosen career.

When Mary became a mother, Jill would help look after Emily and Freddie while she was riding, meaning Mary was able to follow her ambition to ride at the top of the sport.

“She was so selfless,” said Mary.

“She was an angel for so many people and I have been so lucky to have such an inspirational mummy.

“She told me to always smile — when I came out of the ring whether I had fallen off or won, she insisted that I always smile.”

Mary’s father, Michael, suffered a severe head injury as a young man.

In her autobiography, Mary describes the selfless, uncomplaining dedication with which her mother cared for her father.

But Jill did not just dedicate her time and care to her own family, but to many others who needed help and fostered 36 of children over the years.

She was a verger at her local church in East Devon, ran the community badminton club, taught bell ringing and also ran a free playgroup at the church.

Jill also served as a Guiding volunteer, and as treasurer of the Axe Vale branch of the Pony Club for “many years”.

As well as this, she helped to care for older people in the community.

“She touched so many people’s lives,” added Mary.

“She wasn’t horsey, she was quite scared of horses, but she would just about hold one to hand-graze at an event — but she loved watching and was such a supportive mother and grandmother.

“She was also a brilliant lorry driver and a week before Christmas she passed her medical to continue driving the horsebox for another year.

“When Emily and Freddie were little she was so good and would drive to events while I played with them in the living.

“We were a good team and the best of buddies.”

Jill leaves behind her daughter, Mary, son, Simon Thomson, and grandchildren, Emily, Freddie, Andy and Claire.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

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

Former Burghley winner Mary King walked the track for this year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (31 August-3 September) for H&H. Find out what she thought of three of the key fences in the videos below and buy this week’s magazine (dated 24 August) for her thoughts on the whole course. 

Fence 6abc: Lakeside Corners

Course-designer Mark Phillips says that there are 11 combinations where riders must choose a left-handed or right-handed option, and this is the first.

The left route entails running out of the water and over a single right-hand corner; the right means jumping up a step, over a log and four strides to a left-hand corner.

It’s obviously better to save energy and jump the single corner, but riders must be 
very definite on their line. The right-hand option is straighter, but they risk tripping 
up the step.

Fences 9, 10, 11ab: Storm Doris

This is a new fence on a new area of the course along the lakeside, which has been cleared of trees and undergrowth and offers a spectacular view of Burghley House. Three enormous poplar trees blew down in Storm Doris in February, and they have been used here in 
a zigzag.

The direct line, on the right, means jumping the first single log to a big, acute corner made from the other two logs on two strides. The left-hand route means jumping three elements rather than two, a corner on a curving three strides to a single log and then a third, narrower part.

The logs present a lovely profile to the horses to jump, and being bold and staying right will be the choice of those here to win.

Continued below…

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Fences 22, 23abcd: Land Rover Trout Hatchery

This is similar to last year. There is a choice of D-shaped brushes at fence 22 — which one riders jump will be determined by whether or not they plan to take the most direct route through the water.

The quick way involves a big log into water over a drop of 1.80m — people who overjumped here were caught out on landing last year — and a skinny brush arrowhead coming out, before a sharp right turn to another brush in the water. If they take the left-hand line over a smaller log, they must jump up out of the water then turn left to another skinny brush further away from the bank.

It will all happen quickly and the best riders will make it look straightforward, but there will be mistakes here. The long route is twisty and time-wasting, taking more out of tiring horses.

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

We've trawled through the H&H archives to bring you some of the current legends of the equestrian world — now and how they looked as fresh-faced young hopefuls back in the day

1. Mary King

Now 56, eventer Mary is still riding with the same grit and determination as she did on board the wonderful, helicopter-tailed King Boris back in 1987.

2. Michael Whitaker

Showjumper Michael, 57, won the first of his four Hickstead Derby titles in 1980 at the age of 20, complete with a full mop of hair, riding Owen Gregory.

3. Richard Davison

Dressage rider Richard, now 61, and Hiscox Artemis competed at the 2012 London Olympics in the same classic style seen 22 years earlier on Vidello.

4. David Tatlow

The king of the show ring then and now strikes quite a pose at the National Hunter Show at Shrewsbury 58 years ago, having taken the Horse & Hound Challenge Cup with Altimira.

5. Mark Todd

With five Olympic medals under his belt, Mark, now 61, did enjoy a seven-year retirement before returning to the sport in 2008 to continue his winning ways. He and The Irishman II are seen in action at Badminton in 1989 — nine years after he won his first title there with Southern Comfort III. Aside from his 1980 win, he also took the title in 1994, 1996 and 2011.

6. Ian Millar

In 2014 at the age of 67, the Canadian showjumper beat 20-year-old Reed Kessler in a two-way jump-off to take the sport’s richest prize, the CP International at Spruce Meadows, Canada. Back in the early 1970s when this picture was taken, “Captain Canada” had already made his debut at the first of his record-breaking 10 Olympic Games appearances.

7. Geoff Billington

He may now be 62, but there’s no sign of the popular showjumper hanging up his boots just yet. In 1986 the showman enjoyed one of many moments in the spotlight, winning the Foxhunter championship with Edisford Bridge.

8. Robert Oliver

The stylish showman will forever be remembered for his great partnership with the six-time cob of the year Superted, seen here at Leicestershire County Show in 1988.

9. John Whitaker

Still winning at the age of 61, John first rose to fame with the great Ryan’s Son, already stars of the showjumping ring in 1977. “I didn’t know too much about the job back then, but he suited my style and we hit it off,” says John. And long may his winning ways continue.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

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

Eight guests mounted on hunters joined Mary King as they crossed Dartmoor on a luxury two-day riding holiday — and quizzed the eventer along the way on how she uses the terrain to keep her eventers fit

“I can’t believe I’m following Mary King,” said Catherine Watts as she cantered on open moorland behind the straight back and long legs of the legendary event rider.

Mary was the ‘celebrity guest’ on a new 30-mile two-day horse riding holiday organised by Liberty Trails across Dartmoor with accommodation in the luxury Bovey Castle hotel.

“We must have covered about 18 miles on the first day, including river crossings, rocky tors, forestry plantations and heathery moors with skylarks singing above,” said Mary.

With her were eight paying guests, most mounted on local hunters well-tuned to navigating Dartmoor’s rocky terrain. As she lives nearby, Catherine, who is a local equine physio, brought her own horse Bee, a 16hh Dutch warmblood who is still very green. “She learnt a huge amount,” said Catherine.

Riders quizzed Mary about producing horses and how to get them fit along the way.

How does Mary use the Devon countryside to keep her eventers fit?

A true Devonian, Mary King is adept at using the county’s hills to keep her eventers, both young and old in peak condition.

“We keep the young horses in a steep field about 400ft from bottom to top. It helps make them strong,” Mary says. “If a young horse grows up in a flat paddock it won’t develop as well.”

Admitting she’d “be totally lost” living in a flat county, the family’s event horses are walked out every other day up the steepest lanes.

Mary believes the fitness regime has helped many of her top horses stay sound for so long.

“Maybe it’s because we have these hills and are constantly walking up and down them. They have less chance of injury when competing as they are stronger and harder than horses trained on flat ground,” she said.

The bridleways round her east Devon home can be a bit rutty for her eventers, but there are plenty of hilly farmer’s fields to do the canter work.

On Dartmoor, Mary was mounted on a young horse born on the moor so used to the going. The riders were shown the way by guides who had hunted on the moor and knew how to avoid bogs and open gates safely.

“Once our horses are competing they need to be looked after and not going over rough terrain,” she said, “but the moor is a good education for younger horses.”

Continued below…

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Mary and Emily King open 300-year-old forge

The eventers will cut a ribbon to mark

Riders also grew in confidence as they rode past newborn foals relaxing in glorious sunshine. By the end of the week two fit young 50-something riders who didn’t have their own horses were thinking about coming back to go hunting.

But if they don’t want to brave the winter weather, Mary has said, depending on her eventing schedule, she will come again next year.

“It’s been really special to ride over the moor I live close to but don’t get to see enough of,” she admitted.

The new Liberty Trails luxury adventure with Mary King cost from £2,300 to include three nights full-board at the five star Bovey Castle hotel, horse hire, guiding, ground support, lunches en route and pick ups from Exeter if required. For more details visit: liberty-trails.com

For all the latest news and reports, don’t miss the latest copy of Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

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

Tributes have been paid to the first rider to win Badminton three times in succession, who has died today (9 June) at the age of 81.

Sheila Willcox, who took the title in 1957 and 1958 with High And Mighty (pictured), and 1959 on Airs And Graces, died peacefully at home, having suffered from Alzheimer’s for some years.

Sheila and High And Mighty also took team and individual gold at the 1957 European Championships, and a second team gold in 1959.

Brother John Willcox described Sheila as a “very determined sportswoman and a very gifted rider”.

Sheila continued competing at the highest levels of the sport in the 1960s, until she was badly injured in a fall at Tidworth Horse Trials in 1971 and switched to dressage.

Badminton final scores

Olympic 2012 team silver medallist and two-time Badminton winner Mary King worked for Sheila for two years as a teenager.

“She made my life – made my career,” Mary told H&H, adding that Sheila was “one of the first really successful female riders in a male-dominated sport.”

“Without her input and help at the start when I worked for her, there’s no way I would have had the career I so fortunately have had,” Mary said.

“I owe her everything as far as my competitive success goes.”

As detailed in her autobiography, Mary found life at Sheila’s tough.

“She was an absolute stickler for everything to be correct,” Mary said. “It was hard work; there were many tears shed.

“But I was determined to stick with it and that’s what made me.”

Mary said she left Sheila’s on “tricky terms” to pursue a competitive career – but she remembers Sheila calling to congratulate her the day after Mary won Badminton on King William in 1992.

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“That was the first time we’d spoken since I left but it was lovely she was following what I did,” Mary said.

Badminton media director and former competitor Julian Seaman paid tribute to the first rider to win the event three times in succession, a record that still stands. He added: “She was probably one of the first real professionals in the sport.”

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

Eventer Mary King has donated a top of the range signed saddle to help fund lifesaving treatment for a girl suffering from anorexia.

Sophie Hartwell (pictured) is currently responding well to treatment in America, having not benefited from the UK approach to the condition, but her family needs funds to allow this £12,000 per month treatment, as well as £400 per week medication, to continue.

It is hoped the auction of Mary’s donation, a brand new saddle created by Philip Dutton and Ronald Zabala-Goetschel, should help boost the fund (see below for details of how to bid).

Sophie’s grandfather Anthony Hartwell told H&H Sophie’s sister Emma worked for Mary and Emily King for some years, and that the family is very grateful for the “very kind” donation of the saddle.

“If the Sophie Hartwell Trust could achieve 50% of the saddle’s retail value, it would be a tremendous boost and of course it would be an excellent buy for an enthusiastic rider,” he said.

“But as the trust was given the saddle by Mary King, to whom we are all very grateful, to raise funds, any reasonable amount of money would be gratefully received.”

Mr Hartwell explained that NHS treatment “couldn’t help” Sophie.

“That’s why we sent her to America,” he added. “She’s been there seven months and they think it will be another two to five months – and we need to raise another £100,000.”

Sophie’s mother Diane said the family flies to America to visit every four to five weeks, as “that’s an important part of her recovery”.

“We didn’t have any choice but for her to go there,” she told H&H. “If she hadn’t, we wouldn’t have her now.

“Every time I see her, I see an improvement, it’s wonderful, but to take her away now would mean the past few months had been for nothing.

“She can get better and she will get better; we’ve always believed that – but she has to continue her treatment.”

The lightweight jumping saddle, which has a changeable gullet and WISAIR airflow system, is signed by Phillip Dutton and would normally sell for £2,200.

Anyone interested should email their highest bid to sophie183@yahoo.com and the highest, at 7pm on 25 April, will win the saddle. A reserve of £750 has been set.

Mary King told H&H the Hartwells live “very close” to her base in Devon, and that Emma was a “wonderful” employee.

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“They’re so supportive of Sophie and do everything they can to help her get better,” she said. “But it all costs money and Sophie’s best chance of improving is very expensive.

“Donating the saddle was the least we could do.”

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

Event riders Mary and Emily King will be joining the celebrations in Devon this weekend as a 300-year-old forge fires back to life.

Farrier Nick Rule — who shoes the Kings’ horses — has fulfilled his dream to renovate the historic smithy in Widecombe in the Moor, Devon.

“I’ve always had an interest in old forges, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. There aren’t many of them left,” he said.

“This one hasn’t been a working forge since 1955. I moved into the area about six years ago, and I’ve had my eye on it since. The windows were all boarded up and one day there was a for sale sign up, so I bought it.”

Although the building had four walls and a roof, everything else, including the forge itself, had to be replaced and renovated.

Nick will now be working with a resident blacksmith to run the forge, which has an attached gallery selling items such as candle holders, various types of hooks, mirrors, bottle openers and sculptures.

“Everyone in the village has been really positive about the idea. So many old buildings end up being turned into housing, but it’s a piece of English heritage and I wanted to preserve it,” Nick added. “The area has been going through a bit of a revamp lately, so I’m hoping it brings added appeal to the village.”

Tomorrow (Sunday, March 12) at 11.30am, Emily and Mary will cut the ribbon on the forge and gallery in a charity opening ceremony.

Continues below…

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There will be live music, horseshoe-throwing and a shoeing demonstration in the centre of the village, using shoes made in the forge.

Proceeds from the event will be going to Alzheimer’s Research UK and Widecombe Primary school.

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

We ask the experts to tackle some common cross-country problems, from dealing with green horses to keeping your horse focused

1. Fitness tips

Q. What is your advice on getting my horse fit for going cross-country?

A. “The most crucial thing with fitness is to find a regime appropriate for your horse,” advises Francis Whittington. “You can’t just follow a set programme because each horse, even within the same level, needs different work. Get advice from a trainer who knows your horse well and who has practical fitness experience. I also like to take my horses cross-country schooling about once a month during the event season — it builds up their confidence and their fitness.”

2. Tackling skinnies

Q. What exercises should I be using to improve how my horse and I jump skinny fences across country?

A. “I do a lot of work on skinnies at home in the arena using single fillers. 2ft is big enough — it doesn’t need to be big,” advises J-P Sheffield.

“Begin by placing poles on the fillers in a v-shape and approach in trot to start. Trot is an easier pace to control and you can place the horse at a deep take-off spot. Never kick for a long stride at a skinny because it gives a horse too much opportunity to run out.

“Then place the poles on the ground and attempt it again in canter — make sure your canter is short and bouncy and you must sit up. Once the horse feels comfortable doing this, you can make it harder by placing another filler a few strides away in line from the first. This can then be built up to three fillers.”

J-P adds: “By regularly doing exercises like this, skinnies become second nature. If at any point you feel it going wrong, step back one stage until you feel your horse growing in confidence.”

3. Warm-up tips

Q. Do you have any handy tips for warming up before the cross-country?

A. “Start off by jumping the warm-up fence (begin over the smallest fence) in a straight line a couple of times to get you horse in the zone,” advises Angus Smales.

“If you have a corner fence to jump in your course or any angled fences, it is always a good idea to angle your warm-up jump a few times to get your horse’s eye in before you head out across country. Also if you plan to run faster, try jumping the warm-up fence a bit quicker than usual — this will help get his eye in.”

4. Improving straightness

Q. I have taken on an ex-racehorse but I’m having problems with him running out across country and then I feel we both lose confidence. How do we overcome this?

A. “Straightness is the most important factor here. You need to work really hard on teaching him to stay straight,” says Nick Gauntlett. “Using grids at home is the best way to achieve this, but keep them small and easy so his confidence levels are maintained. Try jumping different types of fences, rather than trappier combinations, which will only catch him out.

“When you go schooling begin with straightforward fences, then progress to more complex ones and go back to the easier ones after that to reassure him. If he starts running out again, take him back to basics. Take him to as many small shows and hunter trials as possible so he sees lots of different fences. Build a pyramid of experience from the bottom up.”

5. How to keep focused

Q. I can often feel my mare losing concentration on the approach to fences, usually during cross-country when there are other things to look at. What should I be doing to make her more focused?

A. “It is vital for you as the rider to establish communication with your horse,” says eventing icon Lucinda Green.

“Fundamentally, you need to have a ‘stop’ and ‘go’ button — if she mucks about, you need to go back to basics until she understands discipline. Focus your horse’s attention on the fence by putting her in what I call ‘the tube’ — wrap your legs around her, imagining your calves are attached to her eyeballs by invisible wire — and locking on to the fence yourself.

“You might have to get tough with your legs and hands to metaphorically say ‘this is where we are going’ but being tough at the wrong moment will take her focus away from the fence on to evading you.”

6. Is side saddle too dangerous across country?

Q. I have grown up eventing but wanted to try something a bit different last year, so took up side saddle. I have been out hunting side saddle and loved it but would you say that going cross-country is too risky?

A. “There are a couple of things you have to take into account before going cross-country side saddle, as yes, it does present more of a health and safety risk,” says professional eventer and side saddle rider Fiona Davidson.

“In the event of a rotational fall a side saddle rider won’t be thrown clear. Although we hunt over big country you don’t tackle combinations in the same way you do on a cross-country course and rotational falls are rare out hunting.

“Current British Eventing rules prevent you from competing affiliated side saddle, but I do feel riding side saddle leads to a marked improvement in how you ride. You sit up straighter and this carries through to when you ride astride so you can hope to do a much more elegant dressage test.

“When you ride side saddle you are forced to keep your shoulders more upright — allowing for a cleaner jump. You will see some horses definitely jump better with a side saddle rider rather than one that is astride.”

7. Bringing back confidence

Q. I suffered a bad fall last season while going cross-country and I now lack confidence when out competing. What can I do to rebuild my cross-county confidence?

A. “Keep things simple by spending time perfecting the smaller fences and simpler tracks, which will provide a great boost,” says Mary King.

“At home, for example, start with a cross-pole to get going. Consider going back to a lower level to regain some confidence and remember you don’t have to do anything, so remove any expectation of yourself to do things that you aren’t completely confident with. If you don’t want to move up a height or level then don’t.

“If things go wrong there must be a cause, so go back to the early stages to iron out any issues. It is useful to have someone on the ground to assess you and the horse.

“Two final things. One, relax and have fun. Nobody enjoys being stressed and horses are good at sensing it. Secondly, get out there. Whether it is showjumping, a clinic or local show they are a good way to stay familiar with a competitive atmosphere.”

8. Seeing a stride

Q. I have recently bought a new horse and want to take him cross-country schooling, but I’m worried my ability to see a bad stride will be detrimental to his training. What should I do?

A. “Take your horse cross-country schooling and start off with some simple logs just to see how he reacts,” advises top rider Nick Gauntlett.

“The biggest difference between eventing and showjumping is that most eventers ride a rhythm and most showjumpers see a stride. You need to believe in the rhythm and ride strong, instead of worrying about seeing a stride. Make sure your horse is going forward and in front of the leg to give him confidence.

“I can guarantee a good rhythm is better than a good stride.”

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9. Knowing when your horse is ready to event

Q. I have a four-year-old who I want to start eventing soon but he is very green across country. What can I do to help him become more confident?

A. “It is important with a four-year-old not to push him too much, you have to learn to have fun. There is no need to hurry a youngster — sometimes less is more,” says Nick Gauntlett.

“Make sure that you are always riding positively and use your lower leg to keep his canter engaged. Keeping your hands wide will help him focus and never be tentative on the approach to a fence — he needs to be forward-thinking.

“Once you feel your horse is positive and balanced cross-country schooling go and do some hunter trials — but make sure they are well built and the ground is good — before taking him to an affiliated competition. Most importantly, give him time to grow up and enjoy it.”

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

Eventing legend Mary King has a new title to add to her collection.

The Olympian has been appointed deputy lieutenant of Devon.

Her new role will involve assisting the lord-lieutenant, David Fursdon, and representing him at community events and local ceremonies.

Mary told H&H she feels “very honoured” to have been asked.

“I have had a lot of support from my local community here in the Sidmouth area in terms of support from people who have followed my career for years,” she said.

“Devon is very much where my roots are — I feel it is very much my home and I am proud to be living in such a lovely county.”

The lieutenancy office is the monarch’s “link” with the county and its role is to uphold the dignity of the crown and arrange royal visits to Devon.

It also celebrates residents’ achievements, helps to promote the county’s culture and supports the forces, in particular the reserves and cadets.

Mr Fursdon took on his position a year ago.

“I think I am one of the first deputy lieutenants he has asked,” Mary said.

“We represent the county and if we do have any royal visitors, we are there to be on hand if they come to any particular functions or openings.”

Mary, who has competed at every Olympics since 1996 — winning two silver medals and one bronze — as well as winning the world’s biggest four-stars, was appointed on 24 March.

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“Mary, like I, feels proud to live in the wonderful county of Devon, and I am pleased that she will be taking up this important post,” said Mr Fursdon.

“She has been an inspiration to sportsmen and women, not only in Devon but also throughout the UK, where she is known and respected for her successful equestrian career.

“While she is of course also internationally acclaimed for her skill and talent as a three-day event rider, Mary remains firmly rooted in Devon.

“I know that her experience will bring a great deal to the Lieutenancy in the county.”

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

You know what they say about keeping it in the family? These riders are at various stages in their competitive careers, but all are carrying on the family tradition by making their own waves in equestrian sport.

1. Emily King

The daughter of Mary King, who’s competed in six Olympic games and won Burghley, Badminton and Kentucky, Emily had some pretty big (horse)shoes to fill when she decided to pursue an eventing career, but she’s doing pretty well so far. Now aged 20, she represented Britain for the first time aged 15, and made the step up to four-star last year, coming an impressive fourth on Brookleigh at Pau in France.

2. Zara Phillips

Her grandmother — Queen Elizabeth II herself — is probably the most famous horsey woman in the world, and both her parents, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, have won Burghley, so it was probably pretty inevitable that Zara’s destiny lay in equestrianism. Riding Toytown, she won the European Eventing Championships in 2005, the World Equestrian Games in 2006, and was presented with a silver medal by her mum at the London 2012 Olympics where she rode High Kingdom.

3. Izzy Taylor

One of Britain’s top eventers and one of the most stylish on the circuit when going cross-country with her popular mare KBIS Briarlands Matilda (pictured), Izzy Taylor’s love of the sport definitely runs in the family. Her grandmother, Jane Whiteley (Drummond-Hay), was placed at Badminton, while her great aunt, Anneli Drummond-Hay, won the first ever Burghley Horse Trials in 1961, was second five times, and also won Badminton. And don’t forget her mother, Nichola, who represented Great Britain at both junior and young rider levels — not bad going! These days, Izzy runs her eventing business from her home in Banbury, Oxfordshire, alongside her mum’s hunters. With two young children of her own, will they be following in the family’s horsey hoofprints…? Only time will tell.

4. Sienna, Scarlett and Harry Charles

Showjumper Sienna (pictured, above) is already making her father proud — which is quite an achievement as her dad is none other than showjumping legend and Olympic 2012 gold medallist Peter Charles. She made history in 2014 aged 12, by becoming the first rider to win the Horse of the Year Show 128 cm championship twice — following in the footsteps of older sister Scarlett and brother Harry, who’ve both won this class before. Move over the Whitakers, there’s a new showjumping dynasty in town.

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7 riders with celebrity parents (you may be surprised…)

5. Jack Whitaker

Talking of the Whitakers, Jack is the latest one to watch — at the age of 13 he was picked for the British children on horses showjumping squad last year for the Wierden Nations Cup show. The son of Olympic team silver medallist Michael Whitaker, Jack has famous showjumping uncles and cousins all over the place. Wonder what they end up talking about when the family gets together for Christmas dinner…?

6. Oliver Fletcher

Another child from a showjumping dynasty is Oliver Fletcher, whose parents are Graham and Tina Fletcher. He went clear on Dad’s bay mare Little Business for the British children on horses team at the European Championships in Wiener Neustadt, Austria last year at the age of 12 — an even more awesome accomplishment considering he was the youngest member on the team. Oliver is also one of the youngest team riders ever to represent Great Britain. The team walked away with silver medal — well done Oliver!

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

Want to find the secret behind top riders' achievements? Stephanie Bateman discovers successful eventers' training tips

1. Harry Meade (pictured above)

“Don’t look for eureka moments. Training a horse is similar to that of a gymnast – they can’t bend over and place their hands flat on the ground straight away, it requires years of development where you are looking for a virtually undetectable improvement each day in terms of physical development. It’s about correct athletic training which is constant and repetitive but easy, and then you are not forcing the horse’s body to perform something which is uncomfortable.”

2. Daisy Berkeley

“Keep everything black and white. Clarity in training avoids confusion for the horse and rider. If an exercise is not performed as you wish, repeat until the desired result is achieved, and then reward. Try to avoid punishment for mistakes, but reward good effort and successful outcomes.”

3. Laura Collett

“Always have a goal of what you want to achieve and then make a plan of how you’re going to achieve it. Accept that things go wrong and work through any problems in a calm way. I use this motto at the beginning of a training session as well as the beginning of the season.”

4. Tom McEwen

“I have been taught about six key principles and I apply them to my daily training for both jumping and dressage. In order of importance they are; rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection. I keep these in my mind every time I ride to ensure I’m on the right track.”

Continued below…

VIDEO: 3 top tips for juggling a full-time job with eventing

Four-star amateur event rider, Ben Way shares his secrets to successfully juggling a full-time job and eventing

Mary King: 10 ways to become a successful event rider

Riding and competing successfully are all about creating a solid partnership with your horse. Mary King bases hers on these

5. Chris Burton

“For amateur riders still improving their feel for a distance to a fence, use poles each day while you flat school your horses. Seeing a distance to the pole is no different than seeing a distance to the fence, and it can also become a flatwork exercise as you lengthen and shorten your horse’s stride between two poles. Start with two poles about five strides apart and do anywhere from three forward extended canter strides up to ten collected canter strides. Also be fussy on yourself in regards to straightness on the line over and between the poles.”

6. Emily Llewellyn

“If you have a limited time to ride, go for a hack or exercise on the track, don’t try and start something new. When teaching a horse something new or tricky, you need time to ensure the horse understands what you have asked and give it time to sink in, rather than rush the process and end up confusing the horse even more.”

7. Mary King

“If you are fortunate enough to have your own arena and all-weather gallops, don’t be tempted to use them all the time. Try to get out onto the grass as much as possible in preparation for competitions. Horse’s muscles and ligaments need to be trained for the surfaces they will compete on.”

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

Whether you're keen to improve your core strength, lungeing techniques or posture, take a look at these equestrian training books on the market

‘Rider + Horse = 1’

By Eckart Meyners with Hannes Muller and Kerstin Riemann

The blurb: Equestrian sports physiologist Eckart Meyners, and Hannes Muller, head instructor for the German National Riding School, have put together 60 exercises for horse and rider — beginning with a thorough explanation of the classical training scale and a six-step program to build balance and rhythm.

Price: £18.99

Publisher: J.A. Allen

ISBN: 978-1-908809-32-2

Visit: halebooks.com

‘The complete guide to polo’

By Lauren Dibble

The blurb: A beginner’s guide to the sport of polo, with simple explanations of playing techniques and skills, rules and equipment.

Price: £25

Publisher: J.A. Allen

ISBN: 978-1-908809-34-6

Visit: halebooks.com

‘Katie Jerram’s Modern Horse Management’

By Katie Jerram and Carolyn Henderson

The blurb: Improve your stable management skills with this blueprint for modern horse husbandry — from stables and shelters to horse health and first aid.

Price: £22.50

Publisher: J.A. Allen

ISBN: 978-1-908809-27-8

Visit: halebooks.com

Continued below…

6 horsey film and TV bloopers *VIDEO*

From loose horses, Johnny Depp's saddle slipping and a serious booting, films and TV shows have provided us with som

‘Lungeing, Long-Reining and In-Hand Schooling’

By Claire Lilley

The blurb: A practical, illustrated guide to the art of training horses from the ground.

Price: £19.99

Publisher: J.A. Allen

ISBN: 978-1-908809-26-1

Visit: halebooks.com

‘Posture and Performance’

By Gillian Higgins with Stephanie Martin

The blurb: This illustrated book looks at how to deliver a safe, varied, fun, effective and achievable training programme, based on the principles of anatomy and biomechanics with welfare in mind.

Price: £19.95

Publisher: Kenilworth Press

ISBN: 978-1-910016-00-8

Visit: www.quillerpublishing.com

‘Training and Riding with Cones and Poles’

By Sigrid Schöpe

The blurb: Over 40 exercises to improve your horse’s focus and response to the aids, while sharpening your timing and accuracy.

Price: £12.99

Publisher: J.A. Allen

ISBN: 978-1-908809-36-0

Visit: halebooks.com

‘The Dressage Horse Optimized’

By Jim Masterson

The blurb: This book fills the gap that often exists between trainers, riders and equine-bodywork therapists when it comes to understanding how the dressage horse uses his body in performance. Learn hands-on ways he can help optimise his suppleness, flexibility, balance and movement.

Price: £21.99

Publisher: J.A. Allen

ISBN: 978-1-908809-35-3

Visit: halebooks.com

‘My Way: How I Train For Success’

By Mary King

The blurb: The eventer opens her doors to reveal the formulas she uses on a daily basis and how they apply to every aspiring equestrian — from the working rider enjoying the grassroots levels through to those dreaming of representing their country.

Price: £25

Publisher: Acanthus Press

ISBN: 978-0-9929951-0-2

Visit: www.acanthuspress.co.uk

‘Lunging and Long-Reining’

By Jennie Loriston-Clarke

The blurb: A step-by-step guide to the art of training, exercising and suppling horses from the ground, by one of the world’s leading exponents of the art. Starting with training foals and young horses, Jennie works through to perfecting in-hand piaffe and passage.

Price: £18.95

Publisher: Quiller Publishing

ISBN: 9781872119533

Visit: www.quillerpublishing.com

‘Perfect Mind: Perfect Ride’

By Inga Wolframm

The blurb: Hands-on advice on how to develop relevant attitudes and mental skills, making this an essential companion for riders wanting to get more out of the sport.

Price: £16.95

Publisher: Kenilworth Press

ISBN: 978-1-910016-04-6

Visit: www.quillerpublishing.com

‘Equestrian Pilates’

By Sue Gould-Wright

The blurb: Use Sue’s ‘do-anywhere’ Pilates exercises to improve your riding postion and effecivness in the saddle, eliminate rider faults, improve core stability and perform yard tasks safely and efficiently.

Price: £15.99

Publisher: J.A. Allen

ISBN: 978-1-908809-33-9

Visit: halebooks.com

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

Devon eventer Mary King is “excited” about a new 100km trail ride across Dartmoor.

The Dartmoor Derby, taking place next September, is inspired by the Mongol Derby, but will be less gruelling.

It will take in open moorland, gorse, forests and ancient stone circles.

Riders can take their own horses or ride borrowed mounts on the three- to five-day ride.

“We’ve had guests from all over the world riding with us and the feedback we’ve had is that Dartmoor is fantastic,” Elaine Prior of organisers Liberty Trails told H&H.

“There are vast areas that can only be seen if you are a keen rider.”

While the ride is long-distance — participants will cover at least 100km in total — it is not a race and combinations do not need endurance experience.

A pilot event over 80km will take place later this month (24-28 September) before next year’s full ride, with 15 places open to the public.

There will be additional places for celebrities, including DJ Sara Cox and H&H’s hunting editor Polly Portwin.

British eventers Mary King and Lucy Wiegersma have agreed to be ambassadors for the derby, as has actor and president of the British Horse Society Martin Clunes.

“As someone who has enjoyed exploring Dartmoor for much of my life, I’m delighted it is hosting this innovative ride,” said Mary (pictured, top).

“Dartmoor’s scenery is as beautiful as you will find anywhere in the world, and the terrain provides terrific riding.”

For more information visit: www.dartmoorderby.com

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