The quietly confident Richard Jones tells
Catherine Austen why, with classy horse power behind
him, there’s no better time for four-star glory
HOW does a man who has won
only two open intermediates
in 12 years end up in seventh
place at Burghley?
It’s a fair question. Few
people set out to win every class they enter —
eventing isn’t racing; you can give a horse an
educational outing without being done under
the “non-triers” rule — but most, for their
own confidence or ego, their owners or their
sponsors, like to snatch a few red rosettes.
Richard Jones couldn’t be less interested.
“They are irrelevant. You win £100
and a dandy brush, if you’re lucky,” he says.
“Occasionally, if the ground is perfect and it’s
the right time in a horse’s education, I’ll give
them a spin round for the win. But it’s not
about the win, it’s about them knowing what
it’s about when it does count on the big days.
“I’m highly competitive by nature, but
for me, it’s all about the Burghleys and
Badmintons.”
Plenty of people could say that, and not
have a hope of getting near that glittering
bull’s-eye. But this year the 37-year-old, who is
based at South Lufenham in Rutland, finished
seventh at both Bramham and Burghley
on 11-year-old Alfies Clover, and fourth in
Blenheim’s eight- and nine-year-old CIC3*
aboard Kilballyboy Bob. He proved he could be
very competitive with the best in the world —
and he’s sure there’s more to come.
Richard says: “I did an interview with
Rutland Living magazine before Burghley. I
said this year, top 10; next year, winning. For
me it’s a simple progression. OK, maybe next
year, top three.”
It takes a lot of self-belief to make a
statement like that, but he’s halfway there. Not
for a moment is he bombastic and arrogant,
just quietly confident in his own horsemanship,
his horses and his team. And he hasn’t come
from nowhere; he has been eventing and riding
professionally since he was a teenager.
HE grew up locally, attending Stamford
School, where he played endless sport
and “coasted academically”.
“I started riding aged 10 or 12 because my
mother wanted me to — I think my parents
were trying to channel my energy — and I got
hooked,” he says.
He was a member of the Cottesmore branch
of the Pony Club and hunted a lot before going
to work for Stuart Campbell, doing breakers,
racehorses and hunters, when he left school
aged 17.
Stuart recommended that Sandra Martin
— now part-owner of Alfies Clover — send him
a “wayward” young home-bred. It was Incan
Winter, and a few years later he and Richard
went clear round their first Badminton.
But it was really a stint training with Dane
Rawlins a while later that ignited Richard’s
career. While he was there, he met dressage
rider Victoria Simpson — now his wife.
“After three or four months, I came back
here and started my business. Six months later,
Victoria moved up from Sussex and joined me,”
he says with a smile. “A lot of my initial clients
were hunting people who sent me things to
break in. I just got trading away. Then when
Boo [Victoria] moved up, things changed
a little. She brought with her some young
dressage horses that I could break in and we
sold on. She has been instrumental in my being
successful. Without her, I wouldn’t be capable
of doing what I’m doing.”
Richard had talent, “feel” and a natural
horsemanship, but Boo instilled structure and
discipline. Incan Winter — “he wasn’t brave
or genuine but he had talent, and somehow
between us we made it happen” — and others
climbed up through the grades.
“I ended up with four entered at Badminton
and that was a big turning point, because I
realised that I had this incredibly competitive
nature — I was going to all these big shows, but
I had no hope of winning,” explains Richard.
“That was a big problem for me and I knew
things had to change. At that point a horse
called Highland Ford came along, and he was
far and away the best I’d had. I realised he was
the future and that he had the raw ingredients
I needed. He gave me the real drive for a
diferent level of eventing. I lost interest in
those ‘get round’ horses.”
R
RICHARD admits he made a few “sillyCHARD admits he made a few “silly
mistakes” — “I tried to jump across
[angle] the Cottesmore Leap because
I’d seen Andrew Nicholson do it, but my horse
didn’t have as much jump so we landed in
it” — but the results started coming.
“Highland Ford was ninth at Pau, fifth at
Blenheim, 17th at Luhmühlen, which gave me a
taste of being competitive at the top level. Then
the drive for me was Badminton and Burghley,
but he didn’t have the speed for them.”
Following on Highland Ford’s heels was
Alfies Clover, whom Richard bought as a
three-year-old at Goresbridge. He is by
Tajraasi, a thoroughbred who is a full-brother
to Germany, sire of National Hunt megastars
such as Faugheen and Samcro.