Mary Low

The former world champion on having an “in-between horse”, and the Olympian who inspired her to take up eventing

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MARY LOW (née Gordon- Watson) won individual gold at the 1969 European and 1970 World Championships on Cornishman V, as well as three team gold medals, including at the 1972 Olympics.

I WENT straight from a 14hh home-bred pony on to Cornishman, who was 17hh. My father fell for him at a farm sale and bought him for £500 to be his hunter. We thought he’d paid too much, as the horse was wild and only four.

It might have been good if I’d had an easier “in-between” horse to gain experience on, had I realised Cornishman was going to be my best event horse. He was very big and aggressive after running in three point-to-points, but also very sensitive, and I had a lot of learning to do to adjust to riding him.

The sport was so different to nowadays, and I just had that one horse to work on. He became my whole life. We had to learn together, making plenty of mistakes on the way.