'He set up my career

Every rider holds a place in their heart for their first five-star horse, more so if they've grown from youth teams to the top level. Gemma Redrup looks back on some partnerships that have gone all the way

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MANY equestrian fans will be familiar with the 1978 film International Velvet, where 18-year-old Sarah Brown produces her first horse through the grades to win eventing team gold at the Olympics.

While this storyline remains a dream for most budding event riders, the odd few do find a horse who takes them from youth teams up to five-star.

Laura Collett was 16 years old when she saw the then seven-year-old Rayef for sale in a magazine.

“I was flicking through and liked the look of his picture,” says Laura, who now, some 18 years later, has a Badminton title and Olympic team gold. “For sure, Rayef set up my career.”

When she went to try the gelding, he had done some 90cm showjumping and was being ridden by a 68-year-old man.

“He was quite full of himself and playful, which I really liked. He moved beautifully and had a nice jump,” says Laura. “He was one of my first horses and was advertised as 16.1hh, but he was more like 16.3hh and hadn’t really done much of anything, so Mum was quite anti-buying him because she thought he would be too much horse, but I fell in love with him.”

And the rest is history. The pair won team and individual gold at the junior Europeans in 2007 and the young rider Europeans in 2009. They were eighth on their Badminton debut in 2011, gaining Laura her first senior squad call-up, for the European Championships that year and they were longlisted for the London Olympics.

“He kept on progressing up the levels.