Sharper, smarter, stronger

What can a spell in showjumping teach an eventer? And how might eventing enhance a dressage horse? Bethany Stone talks to the elite riders who have multiple disciplines on their CVs

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FIVE-STAR event rider Louise Harwood had a far from straightforward 2024. A fall from a muck trailer in June left her with multiple fractures and in need of surgery on damaged vertebrae.

She bounced back quickly in August that year, amassing top-10 finishes at Wellington and Cornbury, but sustained a serious fall in the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim the following month, breaking her femur, humerus and pelvis.

Louise knew she had to take a step back from the demands of eventing, particularly the cross-country phase. But she's competitive by nature, so another sport - showjumping - rose to fill the space.

"I love winning," she says. "I've always enjoyed showjumping and have done it in the winter to stay amused and competitive, so from there I got more and more into it."

This entailed a debut appearance at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in October 2025 to contest the NAF Five Star silver league championship. She and her five-star campaigner, Native Spirit, finished fifth.

"He's not built for speed, but he's doing jolly well to get to grade A," she says.

And training in pure showjumping has its physical benefits for horses.

"They get really fit and sharp," Louise explains, adding that fences in these classes "come up on them much quicker" than in eventing.

"It feels as though you are working them anaerobically much of the time," she adds, alluding to the fact that showjumping involves short, intense bursts, which build power and muscle mass.

But the mental dynamism also pays dividends down the line.

"When you first take a young horse jumping and they turn up tight to a line, you can feel them go a bit 'oh my God'. Or they suddenly stop, because they hadn’t even thought they would need to turn that tight to a fence.