Event Horizons

This year Will Furlong was the second youngest rider to compete at Badminton. It was just the latest landmark in an already illustrious career for the Battle-based equestrian

- Jenny Mark-Bell

In May, 23-year-old Will Furlong was the second youngest competitor to ride at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. It was an extraordinary milestone in a career already marked by considerable achievement. What makes it especially remarkable is the fact that Will didn’t sit on a horse until the age of 10 – and even then he wasn’t overly impressed: “I wouldn’t say I came from a particularly horsey background,” he says, speaking at his home yard in Battle. “My mum competed but just for fun, and my dad has never ridden a horse in his life.”

It wasn’t until he tried riding again months later that he was bitten by the bug. He got his start in eventing through East Sussex Pony Club, competing in his first British Eventing competition in 2008 before rising through the ranks of affiliated competition, winning individual bronze at the 2013 Junior European Championships and then winning double gold at the Young Rider Europeans in Strzegom, Poland in 2015. Last year he won the under-25 National Championship, which came as something of a surprise: “It was the first attempt at that level for both me and my horse. Although I wanted to be competitive I didn’t necessarily think we were in with a chance, so it was a bit of a shock.”

It’s clear that Badminton meant something special: “Although I’m still young it feels like it’s been a long journey. It can take people a whole career to get there so I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to do it sooner, but there have been a lot of ups and downs along the way.”