Sasha Hargreaves

I started riding at a very young age. We live on the Ridgeway and my parents decided it would be easier to lead a pony than push a pushchair. I got my first pony as a toddler, who we shared with two other local families. I've always been extremely competitive and was very sporty at school, but didn’t really take my riding seriously until I was about 13 or 14. My coach at that time, Caron Roberts, told me I needed to decide wether I wanted to pursue riding competitively or just do it as a hobby, and that is when it really began! I absolutely love dressage, but I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so ultimately that was why I ended up eventing. Once I started to ride seriously, school became less and less interesting to me, with business, economics and english becoming the only A-Levels that might be useful for a riding career.

If I ever get time off from riding I love doing anything that keeps me active – I’m not one to sit still for long. If I could pick a trip for a day off, it would either be a trip to the beach or a long hike. If I need to properly relax, sitting down in front of a film with a couple of friends will always be my ‘go-to’, although I'd never pass up the occasional ‘gin night’ with the girls! With the horses kept at home, it’s very hard to stay away for a whole day and properly relax, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I was selected for the 2017 European Championships at Millstreet, where I competed as an individual and finished on my dressage score and in 21st position. Although that doesn’t sound that impressive it was a huge achievement for me at the time! In 2018, I came fifth at Jardy CCI2*-L and subsequently get selected onto the Junior Team for the Europeans in Fontainebleau. At the 2018 Europeans, I also finished on my dressage score and completed in fifth position, which helped the team to a silver medal.