Sarah Cohen

The British event rider has just one horse, but has been long-listed for this year’s European Championships. Catherine Austen finds out how she does it

- Catherine Austen

IT’S every one-horse rider’s dream: to win at the top level, on a horse you have produced from scratch — and maintain a balanced, happy family life outside of horses.

In the modern sport, it is almost impossible, which is why Sarah Cohen really is in a class of her own. She has competed at just three events this year, and has won both a CIC3* — the Event Rider Masters (ERM) class at Wiesbaden in Germany — and a CIC2* at Burnham Market, as well as finishing sixth in the ERM leg at Chatsworth.

Two days after our interview, her name appeared on the long-list for the European Championships in Poland, in August.

“It’s all a bit surreal,” she admits.

We are sitting in the kitchen of the lovely barn conversion near Tilton-on-the-Hill in Leicestershire that she shares with her husband Miles and two children — Alfie, who is eight, and Charley, four. The miniature American barn set-up behind the house comprising four stables, a wash-down area, tack-room and haybarn, has only two occupants: Treason, the big bay horse who is now her only ride, and her daughter’s pony, Blue.

They are part of the family: Miles organised a party after Wiesbaden to celebrate her victory, and Treason grazed happily on the lawn alongside them.

Of course, it hasn’t always been like this. For 17 years until the summer of 2014, Sarah (née Cutteridge) rode for Vin and Liz Jones’ Preci Spark eventing operation, producing horses all the way through to four-star. She enjoyed a great deal of success, and was one of Britain’s most respected riders.