The four-time Olympic medallist on being superstitious at competitions, learning respect for his horses and the importance of feeding according to work
Ian Stark and Stanwick Ghost at Chatsworth. I’m incredibly superstitious. At a competition, I always used to put my left boot and right spur on first and I do it most days at home, too. Don’t ask me why – it’s just a ritual.
At Badminton and Burghley, I used to get very nervous and I miss that “Saturday morning stomach” on cross-country day. I always had a cooked breakfast, though, because if I was riding two horses, I didn’t know when my next meal would be. Once I was on the horse, I was 100% focused on the course and riding.
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