Marion Mould

The teenage girl on a pony that conquered the world stage has become the stuff of showjumping legend. Penny Richardson finds out more about Marion Mould and her partnership with the inimitable Stroller

- Penny Richardson

IT is a tale to rival National Velvet: a teenager begs her father to be allowed to keep her pony and they end up becoming world champions and winning an Olympic medal.

This is the unlikely but true story of Marion Mould (née Coakes) and the incomparable Stroller. In 1960s Britain, it struck a chord with every pony-mad girl who had Stroller’s picture on their bedroom wall and dreamed that one day they too would hit the showjumping heights.

The story began in Hampshire in 1950, when three-year-old Marion was taught to ride by her father, farmer Ralph Coakes.

“There were always horses about at home. Dad bred Shires, did ploughing matches and showed them with a wagon at county shows,” remembers Marion. “He even had a stagecoach we used to play in when it was in the barn for the winter. One of my first memories is watching Dad get the Shires ready: cleaning the feathers and doing those special plaits.”

Ralph took Marion hunting on the lead-rein.

“We went out with the New Forest hounds and buckhounds, the Wilton and the Portman hunts. I’m told that I jumped everything and Dad used to say: ‘Follow Marion and you’ll be OK!’” she laughs.

Marion was one of six children and because two older brothers and one sister were already showjumping, it was natural for her to follow them into the sport.

“I started out in gymkhanas. We used to hack to shows or pack our ponies into the lorry and off we’d go,” she remembers. “I absolutely loved the games: apple bobbing, musical chairs, bending, you name it.

“In those days, you went to a show and did everything from games to jumping. We also did hunter trials, so it was an allround education.”