Philip Ward-Burton

Leading in-hand specialist Philip-Ward Burton talks to Alex Robinson about how he runs his one-man band – and doubling for Mel Gibson

- Alex Robinson

It's a brisk Friday morning when I ring producer Philip Ward-Burton on FaceTime to conduct our interview. Philip – who has already tended to his 13 ponies – takes some time out of his morning schedule to chat.

“I generally keep myself to myself,” says Philip, 50, who could easily pass for a decade younger. “I just keep my head down and I’m quite laid-back. I don’t like getting involved in the politics of the horse world and, on the whole, things don’t annoy me.”

Despite maintaining a low personal profile, Philip’s results have forced him to sit in the spotlight as one of the top in-hand producers of the moment, although he’d never admit that. His sympathetic and patient methods alongside his natural flair in the ring mean he’s a popular choice for many breeders looking to send their budding youngsters off to kickstart their careers.

PHILIP hails from non-horsey stock but picked up riding at the age of three, when he joined his sister for lessons at the local riding school in North Yorkshire.

“We moved back down south as a family and I started playing hockey,” says Philip. “My sister got her first horse and I would help her out at the stables. The yard owners, the Thrift family, were into showing and I went to my very first show – the 1983 Bucks County Show – with them and their hack mare, Blenheim Little Madam.”

After completing agricultural college, an 18-year-old Philip got his first job at a friend’s riding school. Here, the budding young horseman developed his feel in the saddle by training stunt horses.