Access all areas Robert Walker

He’s a legend in the world of show hunters, but how does the producer achieve such consistent results year after year? Alex Robinson meets him at home to find out

- Alex Robinson

HEADING up the driveway towards Fennywood Farm, it’s not hard to see why Yorkshireman Robert Walker, 48, has decided to settle in Cheshire.

Despite being situated just a stone’s throw from the town of Winsford, the yard is snuggled in a private setting at the head of a long drive and surrounded by luscious countryside. There’s a blanket of calm in the air, which evidently rubs off on the horses, who are either grazing in the field, relaxing in indoor stables or mooching in all-weather turnout pens.

“Each horse will go out in between being worked every day; they like busy routines,” says Robert. “They’ll be worked five or six days a week, with a few days off if they’ve been shown. They’re athletes, so they thrive on a schedule that keeps them active and occupied.”

Robert and his wife Sarah – with their two children, Sam, 19, and Izzy, 10 – moved to Fennywood, which sits in the middle of Cheshire Hunt country, some four years ago. They rent the property, which boasts 35 stables and 21 acres, from Nick and Sarah Brookes, whose daughter, Zara, has enjoyed much success on her horses who are kept with the Walkers.

Robert and Sarah’s house is slap bang in the middle of the two indoor stable blocks, known as the horse and pony barns, and the view from the front door stretches across the school and out over the land. While the yard is now an enviable set-up with an arena, a lunge pen, turnout areas and a horse walker, Robert describes how it was prior to their move.