International think tanks, 4* trials … Jess Rimmer’s 2026 season start throws her in the deep end, talking sport one week, riding it the next
You probably won’t believe me when I tell you I’m writing this from 4,800m in the air, on board a flight home from Geneva on a random Tuesday evening. And no – I haven’t been skiing!
I’m on my way home from the FEI Sports Forum: I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend as one of 20 youth representatives (and the only Brit!) to contribute ideas to the future of equestrian sport.
I don’t really know how to put into words what an experience the past two days have been – I arrived in Lausanne 48 hours ago, not knowing a soul. I am leaving with new collaborations, fresh ideas and friends for life.
I hate to break it to you, Eventers-on-Tour, but the dressage, showjumping, vaulting and endurance lot actually are good fun!
We covered a diverse range of topics over the two days, involving mentorship approaches, supporting young athletes, marketing strategies and Young Official initiatives just to name a few. I was proud to be surrounded by such an eloquent community of young athletes, and to have an input into the future of equestrian sport was really special. It was a stark reminder, regardless of nationality, background, age or discipline, that we all had one thing in common – the love of the horse. One of my favourite quotes from the two days was actually from the very first session, where Dr George Kohlrieser spoke about psychology and leadership (and also about being held hostage four times … hopefully that one will never apply to the eventing community): ‘I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.’ (from Wind-Wafted Wild Flowers by Muriel Strode).
It starts …
I’m feeling so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the Forum, and to see just a fraction of what goes on behind the scenes on the international stage. Which is even more relevant because – oh yeah – we’ve been eventing! WOOHOO! The season is now well and truly under way, and we’ve had a really super start. It’s been a rare spring in that (touch wood) it’s hardly rained at all, which means we’ve had relatively dry, mud-free runs across the board for the entirety of March!
We kicked off our 2026 season at the beginning of the month at Tweseldown. I felt slightly thrown in at the deep end – spending all winter training (as opposed to galloping at rather large, solid fences at speed), it’s usually nice to ease back into it with, for example, some friendly Novice fences, just to get my eye back in. But no – the universe had other plans.
Basil was the first horse out of the start box for me, competing in the Open Intermediate section in our one-and-only prep run ahead of the 4* U25 trial at Thoresby Park at the beginning of April. Yikes – no pressure! Fortunately, Basil was as consistent as ever, and posted a lovely, steady double clear which (hopefully) sets us in good stead for his next run.
I think I can safely say that Max and Jimmy felt nothing other than pure elation to be back on the main eventing stage at Tweseldown. Overall, they were very well behaved and produced some lovely jumping rounds – though some freshness crept in, and I collected some snail penalties cross country (as per my Start of Season instructions!), so no prizes for them yet. By the time we got to Barbury, we had all settled into our rhythm and collected a scattering of top 10 results. I think it’s important to note that the first few runs are not about trying to win: they’re more about settling back into the flow of things and preparing the horses correctly for the season ahead. It’s so easy to become results-orientated and forget the bigger picture!
Courage and grit
Last but certainly not least, the two girls, Cleo and Blondie, have had a fabulous fortnight too. New girl Blondie has been nothing but a delight, jumping clear around Moreton and Barbury novices for 9th and 11th respectively. It’s always exciting building a new partnership, particularly when it’s with a horse as lovely as she is! Cleo (who I’m not sure I’ve introduced before – her fancy name is MBF Musical Note and she’s owned by Victoria Davison), has also been training incredibly well behind the scenes for the past few months as we aimed towards her eventing debut. Naturally she did it in pure style, jumping a lovely double clear on a 29 dressage in the GO BE90 at Moreton. It’s just the start of a really exciting journey for this young horse – she has an abundance of courage and grit, and although at the moment she’s still learning the ins and outs of eventing life, I have every faith that she is going to absolutely adore her job!
Although I’m not planning on making any more exciting excursions to Lausanne over the next month or so, the calendar is looking far from quiet! We’re off to our first U25 4* trial this week (yikes!) and some of the team are stepping it up a level (that means bigger jumps) next time out. They feel ready, so let’s all cross our fingers and see you on the other side!
