H&H interview
Gary Widdowson
The owner of two of Britain’s Rio-bound showjumpers talks about playing a waiting game with Big Star and the next generation with Jennifer Donald
SOME people never have one horse that achieves top level, so to have two that are first picks for the Olympic team is the biggest buzz,” says the hugely likeable Gary Widdowson.
It’s a feat never achieved before, and the fact that the Great Britain showjumping team boasts two of the best horses in the world — Big Star and Cassionato, with Nick Skelton and Michael Whitaker in their respective saddles — is testimony to the generosity of two of this country’s most loyal supporters, Gary and his wife Beverley.
Gary, a former showjumper who has made his fortune in the recycling industry, has been friends with Nick since they jumped on the 1972 junior European team together. But the Widdowsons’ venture into ownership began in the early 1990s with Nick’s great horse Major Wager and now leads them towards Rio with not one, but two serious Olympic prospects.
“We’ve been lucky enough to win nearly all the major classes with our horses, so the Olympics means so much more,” says Gary, which, in this era of million pound prize-funds, is very refreshing.
Of course, the couple have already experienced the euphoria of seeing Nick and their exuberant stallion Big Star win team gold at London in 2012. And almost immediately Rio was set as his next target. But when the Widdowsons decided to offer Michael the ride on their exciting young grey stallion Cassionato, they sowed the seeds of a second Olympic partnership.
“Nick rode Cassionato first, but it was at the time he had his bad back, bad hip, bad everything, and Cassionato jumped
in a really big style,” Gary explains. “It was also the year that Nick won Aachen and Rome with Big Star and he said he wanted to concentrate on riding him. Beverley and I said Michael would always be our chosen rider and Nick was happy with that.
“Michael actually nearly rode Carlo [Nick’s other top horse, also owned by the Widdowsons] at the London Olympics when he was without a horse,” he says. “It didn’t quite work out then, but it’s funny how things have worked out now.”
The impeccably bred Cassionato (Cassini I x Quidam De Revel) has been a stalwart of British Nations Cup teams with Michael and in 2015, the pair jumped the pivotal clear in Aachen that helped Great Britain secure Olympic qualification.
“From that day forwards, we said, ‘Let’s just get him ready for the Olympics’,” says Gary. “So we were delighted he was picked.”
‘We’ll all cheer for the team, but we have to decide — Michael or Nick!’
‘Part of the family’
WAITING in the wings, meanwhile, back from injury and looking better than ever, was Big Star.
“What do you say about Big Star — he’s part of the family, no doubt about that,” Gary says with real warmth.
“We have been through the highs and lows with him though.”
Showing huge empathy, the Widdowsons have happily played the waiting game to ensure Big Star came back in the best possible health for a second tilt at Olympic gold.
“He went to La Baule [Nations Cup in May] and jumped a double clear, and I have never seen people welcome back a horse so much,” recalls Gary. “It was just a constant barrage, from Ludger Beerbaum, Marcus Ehning… saying, ‘He’s back! He’s back!’
“It was amazing, because of course you think that way yourself, but I didn’t quite realise how highly he was thought of by the world of showjumping.”
One of Gary’s most memorable moments was when Nick and Big Star won the prestigious Aachen grand prix in 2013. “It’s the equivalent of Wimbledon in showjumping,” he says. “Christian Ahlmann said to us afterwards, ‘The best horse in the world should always win in Aachen, and the best horse in the world has just won it.’ So you can never take the Olympics away, but Aachen is right up there too.”
Team Big Star or Cassionato?
SO it is with enormous pride that Gary and Beverley fly to Rio to watch their two horses representing their country at the greatest sporting event in the world. But with this phenomenal achievement comes a huge dilemma — who do you cheer for?
“We’re all obviously together cheering for the team, but we have to decide what to do — Michael versus Nick!” laughs Gary. “Of course we’re going there hoping for a medal. Three golds and a silver in fact — two golds for the team and the individual gold and the silver.”
Gary tells us that his wife Beverley is threatening to have some “Team
Saga” supporters’ T-shirts made for this “veteran” team.
“It’s something of an indictment of our sport that three members of our team were jumping together in the early 1980s,” says Gary. “If someone had said then that they’d be jumping on the team again in 2016, you’d have thought it wasn’t possible.”
At home in Norfolk, Gary and Beverley have some Big Star offspring preparing to stake their claim on future gold medals. But National Hunt racing is now providing the couple with new thrills and they own several top class horses with Nick’s trainer son Dan Skelton.
“It’s different — you’ve won or you’ve lost very quickly, whereas with jumping you can sit and wait a blooming long time to lose,” he says. “I don’t think we’ll ever get out of showjumping, but we’re erring towards racing. But if I saw a good fiveyear-old jumping somewhere…”
The burning question to the owner of one of the world’s best horses is whether he has been tempted to pop him over an oxer or two, just to find out what the fuss is about.
“Do you know, I haven’t,” Gary says. “And I don’t know how many times I’ve told Nick I’m going to… But soon.”
Gary is used to touching wood when he talks about Big Star, but there is hope the great horse will carry on after Rio.
“He’s 13 now, but he has hardly jumped, so if he stays sound I think Nick’s target would be the Rolex Grand Slam,” says Gary.
“But as Nick says, ‘When Big Star’s finished, I’m finished.’ So wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if they went to Rio and did really well there? I think there will be a film made if they do.” H&H