My earliest equestrian experiences started when we got our first pony at around two-years-old – a little Section A mare called Diamond, who we still have with us. My mum always liked horses and grew up with her uncle's horses. My dad only liked motorsport with our very talented older brother, until we started jumping at shows, which was a couple of years after we got Diamond. Mum and Dad got us Diamond because I always liked going to feed the horses and ponies apples at the end of our road at home in Surrey.
My first youth team was in my last year of Ponies on my 148cm Kissimmee Chatterbox – known as Claude – when I was 16. We went to the Pony Europeans in Poland in 2021. We were double clear in the Nations Cup as individuals, too, so he was a really great pony for me.
I would say I have many different key milestones with different horses for different reasons. One of my favourites has definitely been competing at the Europeans and Nations Cups every year since I was 16 because I love the championships and being a part of the team. Also, representing Great Britain is a great feeling. I would like to make the Young Rider European Championships this year for 2025 with either Gait or Elmira, to win a team and/or individual medal. And it would be great in the next few years to make some senior 3/4/5* Nations Cups and maybe even a Senior Championships.
Other key moments for me are when my horses have felt and jumped really well in quite a few 2/3* Grand Prixs now, particularly Gait and Elmira, but hopefully my eight-year-old Cuick – who I've had since she was five – can do the same this year, too. Maybe some of my other young horses in a couple of years too. Also, in the next few years, I've love to start having a few good results in some 4/5* Grand Prixs as well. I am still yet to win a Senior Grand Prix, so that’s a goal that must be met. Another milestone would be producing the horses I have had – I love feeling them learn and improve, even though it takes quite a bit of time.
I am currently based at home in Sussex, along with my 13-year-old sister, who is becoming a great rider. I have been training with Tony Newbery for the last year and riding his horses, too – I've learned and improved a lot with Tony and Shane Breen, who I had as a coach for a few years prior.
I have always been very ambitious. Some of my ambitions for the next few years would be to jump on some Senior Nations Cups because I have loved being a part of the youth teams since I was 16 and representing Great Britain is always really cool. I also love the Championships, so a Senior European Championships would be a great goal to accomplish. The feeling of wanting your team members to do their best to jump clear rounds and your team wanting you to do your best is amazing.
My horses and I have had some good results in 2 and 3* Grand Prixs already, although future goals for the next few years would be to get some good results in more classes at this level, but also at 4 and 5* Grand Prixs would be super. Another ambition for the next few years is to continue producing young and inexperienced horses because I really enjoy that part of showjumping, too. Feeling the horses improve, getting better and learning more is nice – whether they become great horses for me or for their next owners I’d be happy.
I think every part of the World Class Programme is going to benefit and help me and my horses. I love learning more, growing and becoming better and better, not just with the riding, also the human and equine sports science and medicine support, performance lifestyle, and competition planning, as well. I love to improve and I learn new things very quickly, so I look forward to all the benefits of the World Class Programme and I am really grateful to be a part of it.