Tom Rowland

The event rider is quietly making a name for himself at five-star, as upping his horsepower, growing his confidence and learning to take risks pays off. He talks to Pippa Roome

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I WAS not some amazing, glistening young rider. I've always thought I'm probably about five years behind. But that's fine - I'll just go on five years longer. I'm quite stubborn about it.”

So says Tom Rowland, who achieved a breakthrough result with seventh at Badminton last season, aged 33, and backed it up with 12th there this year.

These Badminton results are fitting, because it is the event that inspired Tom's career, through attending every year while growing up near Tetbury.

“Both my parents were teachers, but Mum rode and my gran bred Arab horses, so I probably inherited it from her. My younger brother Barney rode briefly, but there was a moment at a Pony Club show where he lay in the grass in horse wee, so that ended his riding career quite early,” says Tom.

But for Tom, there was never any option except a life in eventing.

“I have always been quite pigheaded about it, and I was convinced I was going to be an event rider. I absolutely loved the horse,” he says. “Looking back, I can't believe how naive I was and how horrifying some of my riding probably was.”

During his teenage years, he played hookey from school, biking to Nathalie Rozard's livery yard in Cirencester Park. After A levels, he spent two years as a working pupil with Angela and Mike Tucker.

“Then when I was about 20, I set up a yard in Andoversford, near Cheltenham - I can't quite believe I did that, but I did. I was there for about five years and had six or seven horses and some liveries,” he says.

“Then Samantha Alberto, who I'd met when I did some work experience at Aston-le-Walls, let me know that she and her husband Ross had bought a place in Cirencester. They built a brand new yard and in 2017 I moved in.