The Whitaker family were out in force last weekend, as 69-year-old John Whitaker landed a grand prix at Aintree on the same day his 11-year-old granddaughter Evie Whitaker earned her first 128cm winter qualifier.
Evie, the daughter of showjumpers Robert and Kate Whitaker, was competing at Morris Equestrian Centre’s small pony premier show in Ayrshire, Scotland, on her pony Barleyfields Button. She won the second of the show’s two 128cm winter qualifiers, jumping the faster of two treble clears to win by almost eight seconds.
“We’ve had the pony from a five-year-old and she’s seven now, so Evie has done everything with her from the start and they fit together like hand and glove,” said Kate, who made a 10-hour trip to the show from their base in Sussex.
“We thought it was time to try it, but we weren’t expecting to go three rounds. She jumped her first one on the Saturday and then on the Sunday managed to qualify.
“We had a chat before she went in and I said to her, ‘If the others beat you, they beat you, they are a lot more experienced, just keep it tidy and tight.’ I was dead proud of her.”
The Olympic showjumping legend delivered a masterclass from last draw to snatch his first win of the year with 16-year-old Sharid. This was their first outing since London International Horse Show.
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“It was a good course. It’s not easy to build a 1.40m when you’ve got good riders and good horses and get a good result, but it was good jumping,” he said.
John brought just two horses to the show, also giving Equine America Unick Du Francport, who has been off with an injury since September, his first jump back.
“Sharid is a bit more up to speed than ‘Frank’ because he jumped at London, so I just jumped Frank in some smaller classes,” he said.
Evie’s father, John’s son, Robert Whitaker was also in action that day, competing in the Longines FEI World Cup in Amsterdam with Vermento. Unfortunately four faults picked up in round one meant there was no chance of making it a family hat-trick spanning three generations, but with the Whitaker family in such flying form, it can’t be long before that dream becomes a reality.
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
