IT’S 6.30am on a dank grey morning and Laura Collett is already aboard her first horse of the day. There will be 14 more. This one, a smart bay three-year old, is one of a trio of William Haggas’s Flat horses Laura has in for schooling at Penhill Farm near Cheltenham. Already a winner, he has recently been gelded and is learning how to behave. He’s trotting smartly in circles, on a contact, looking more like a young event horse than a potential star of the Turf.
A thick drizzle has set in, but Laura is on a roll. The bay goes on the walker, and Laura hops aboard another Flat racer, a dark bay with a stripe.
“I like riding the Flat horses, they’re easy to mould as they’re so young – they haven’t had years of going the wrong way,” Laura says.
This one is less amenable. Few birds are hardy enough to brave this wintry dawn, but their sporadic chirrups set off the three-year-old. Any little noise propels him into orbit, but Laura waits for the antics to stop and resumes trot. Once he’s settled, she swaps onto an elegant filly here for rehabbing and heads out for a hack round the hills on the Salperton Park estate, where the yard is based. Next up is Creggan Quality, a novice eventer who needs a jump before a prospective buyer comes to look at him the next day.
This is the reality of life as a five-star event rider. Laura, 33, may look to have the world at her feet with an Olympic gold medal and Badminton trophy in her cabinet, but it’s the daily grind that got her to this point, and she’s not stopping now.
“People ask how my life has changed since winning Badminton, and I find it hard to answer because it hasn’t changed at all,” she says. “I’m still here riding horses all day, just as I was before.”
Denne historien er fra March 30, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra March 30, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Rider Denies Doping After Team Loses Olympic Placing - Tine Magnus and the Belgian team said they do not know the source of the drug that caused the positive test
Olympic eventer Tine Magnus has denied ever doping after her Paris ride Dia Van Het Lichterveld Z gave a positive test at the Games. This means the Belgian team, which came fourth, has been disqualified. On 4 September, the FEI said the 10-year-old mare, owned by Kris van Vaerenbergh, tested positive for trazodone, which is listed as an antidepressant on the FEI's prohibited substances list.
Michael Eilberg
The top dressage rider talks to Polly Bryan about the special horse with the potential to carry him back onto the British team, how to be a better coach and using his talent for teaching to help the sport
Schooling success
Combining school and riding can be tricky, but horses can benefit a child's education. Lottie Morgan uncovers some options for horse-loving pupils
How to get a job in hunting
The British Hound Sports Association's apprentice scheme is providing young people with excellent all-round training in the skills required - and many others besides, as Tessa Waugh discovers
Burke's Affair to remember
A fast round delights one rider who comes away with a coveted grand prix trophy and a rankings class concludes with an unusual tie
Derby winner returns for further Hickstead glory
After watching wife Pippa compete at Burghley, William Funnell returns to the scene of his Derby triumph to win the All England grand prix
Derby winner returns for further Hickstead glory
After watching wife Pippa compete at Burghley, William Funnell returns to the scene of his Derby triumph to win the All England grand prix
'I'm grateful to have such a wonderful partner'
The brilliant duo of Martin Fuchs and Leone Jei seal back-to-back grands prix after a dramatic turn of events
Hamlett takes centre stage
Two horses round off their competitive careers with victories, a championship specialist earns her fourth title and a pair with a combined age of 105 prove invincible
'This is the ultimate five-star test'
Mark Phillips on Burghley's highs, lows, challenges and champions