LAUREN INNES is no ordinary accountant. Amateur riders lining up to compete at Burghley, arguably the biggest and most daunting of the five-stars, are as rare as hen’s teeth. Lauren competes just one (equally extraordinary) horse, Global Fision M, whom she has produced from a five-year-old alongside a full-time job at KPMG. No groom, no flashy facilities, no string of also-rans to complement her top horse and give her experience up the levels.
“The top riders I’m competing against probably do the same number of runs in a weekend that I do in a season,” muses the 32-year-old, who has two Badminton cross-country clears under her five-star belt. “But I’ve said since ‘Flipper’ was a five-year-old that he’s a Burghley horse, because he loves huge jumps, and he loves to gallop – and that is what Burghley is.”
Lauren seems to thrive in elite company. Academically, as an Oxford graduate with a master’s in investment banking, she applied to the “big four” global accountancy firms and was offered places at three of them. As a sportswoman, Badminton and Burghley are her natural goals even if there’s little amateur precedent showing it can be done.
Lauren got a taste for international competition through student riders, when she competed for Britain, and later in the European Cup, winning team silver. She knew she wanted to continue competing seriously – “I work to fund my passion” but also “didn’t want to ride professionally”.
“Mum had drilled it into me that a career in horses is a hard life and encouraged me to consider all my options,” she says. “But I wanted to be competitive so I took my time going into my professional career, doing a lot of teaching and riding over about three gap years.
Denne historien er fra August 31, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra August 31, 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
'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change
