Britain’s women ready to take on world as race for Tokyo hots up
A trio of female riders are bidding to end a 44-year wait by earning Olympics selection, writes Ellie Kelly
At the Rio Olympics, the British showjumping team comprised four men, with an average age of 51.75 and 19 Olympic Games appearances between them. Today, at the opening leg of the FEI Nations Cup Series in Wellington, Florida, the British team are made up of three women, average age 26.
Each is bidding for a place in Toyko, and the right to be the first British woman on an Olympic showjumping team since 1976, when Debbie Johnsey just missed out on an individual medal in Montreal. She was just 19.
Amanda Derbyshire, Emily Moffitt and Alexandra Thornton all have their chance today, thanks in part to the woman at the top of the sport. Di Lampard is the first female Chef d’Equipe appointed in British equestrian sport, and she is keen to give young talent their shot at glory.
It has not been without controversy – last year’s selection of an all-female team at the
Nations Cup drew heavy flak.
Lampard, at the helm for four years, says: “I knew I wasn’t going to please everyone, and people think they always can do better. There are some characters in this sport, male and female, but you can only do your best. I give opportunities to the people who are buying in and supporting – I avoid social media too!” Derbyshire, from Leyland, Lancashire, is one of Britain’s strongest contenders. She is barely 5ft 1in and weighs little more than eight stone, but the sport is about so much more than brute strength. Her main partner is the diminutive mare Luibanta, and the pair have had huge success, finishing best of the British at the World Championships and winning team bronze at the European Championships. In the Nations Cup, she will ride the imposing stallion Cornwall BH. The 32-year-old is the daughter of a special needs teacher and an aircraft engineer, and denies her sport is the preserve of the wealthy. Derbyshire says: “My parents did everything they could to support me but we never had the cash to buy fancy horses, so I would ride ones that other people didn’t get along with. It taught me that hard work and determination pay off.” Her Lancashire accent is masked by an American twang because, after three years working with Nick Skelton, who sealed a brilliant career with individual gold at Rio, she went to the United States 10 years ago. There she was employed by David Gochman, heir to an American sporting goods empire, and his wife Becky, to train their daughters in horse showing. But the Gochmans quickly saw talent and tenacity in their young groom and decided to support her showjumping dream. They have travelled the world, sitting alongside Bill
Gates, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Bloomberg, who all have daughters competing at this level.
Derbyshire says: “I have been so lucky because they are such lovely people who are in it for pleasure rather than to make money. So we are not under pressure to sell horses. They are my second family and I live on a beautiful farm in Florida, so I am living the dream.”
The dream, however, is fuelled by hard work and long days. “It looks easy from the outside but it is a lot of graft,” Derbyshire says – seven days a week, 15-hour days and much of the year spent travelling from show to show. A rider might be in Florida one week and Hong Kong the next, the top horses racking up the air miles too.
So what has changed to bring female riders to the fore this year? Lampard, who just missed out on Olympic selection when she was showjumping in the 1980s and ’90s, says: “I don’t think the door has ever been closed to
Alexandra Thornton, Age 27
Born in London, moved to United States at 11, educated in France. Mother is writer Margaret Bradham Thornton. Alexandra made her first appearance for British senior team at 18. female riders, but these girls seem to be more hungry for it than ever. They have seen there are opportunities and they have taken them.”
To ride a horse successfully, empathy and wit usually triumph over strength and force, Lampard says. Horses are highly tuned, bursting with fitness: a Ferrari engine and fight-orflight instinct.
“All horses are different, but many of the more quality and forward-going horses are suited to females. You don’t need to be a big, strong guy to win. Although you do need to be tough.
“You are dealing with two beating hearts here and it is a sport that can be filled with more downs than ups. The owners of these horses are the lifeblood of showjumping, and riders who do well are expected to get out there and find these owners and produce results accordingly.”
A team can have four riders and a reserve, but due to small horse injuries Lampard has been left with just three women, which means all three scores will count. “These girls all handle pressure. They are all very confident and have risen to the challenge already this week, jumping clear rounds in other classes,” Lampard says.
The Nations Cup is the oldest team equestrian competition, dating back to 1909. It follows a similar format to the Olympics and the jumps are the same dimensions, so team selectors will be out in force. For Lampard, this is a chance to put potential team members to the test.
All three riders are dreaming of an Olympic ticket and they know a good performance here will help that mission. For Lampard, the female future looks bright for Tokyo 2020.
“There is all this talk about equality today but I don’t think the door has ever been closed for women in equestrian sport. Maybe the men have been better at promoting themselves to get the owners behind them. There are a number of girls now who have that backing and they have the talent. I would be very disappointed if there wasn’t a woman on our Olympic team.”
Her hopes for Olympic medals are high too. “We have always handled pressure well. I would take a Brit any day to take on the best in the world.”
‘They have the talent. I would be very disappointed if there wasn’t a woman on our Olympic team’