‘Nobody could catch him from the field’: Olli Fletcher on his young rider champion Hello William

A wild child gelding, Hello William, and a teenage Olli Fletcher began their partnership jumping 80cm and have since been placed in their first five-star grand prix – on a comeback from life-threatening colic – and most recently won individual gold at the Young Rider European Showjumping Championships.

Jennifer Donald met the brilliant “Willy Wonka” after his super London Longines Global Champions Tour performance in 2023…

Need to know

Name: Hello William
Age: 11
Breeding: British-bred by Waldo Van Dungen out of Stakkato Rain (by Stakkato)
Owner: Graham Fletcher and Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham
Breeder: New Priory Stud (originally named Willie Wonka LVS Z)
Greatest achievements: 3rd under-25 competition, Royal Windsor 2021 and 2022, team bronze junior European championships 2021, 2nd CSI2* Northcote grand prix 2022, double clear and won CSI3* Nations Cup Gorla Minore, Italy, 2022, team bronze and individual sixth, European young rider championships 2022, 2nd CSI3* grand prix Vilamoura, Portugal, 2023, 5th CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour grand prix of London 2023, individual gold European young rider championships 2024.

Rider: Olli Fletcher

“My Dad fell in love with Hello William after five jumps. He has a very good eye for a horse and he saw something in him that nobody else would or could. William lived in the field for two weeks because nobody could catch him. I was still at school and knew little about him, but one day he trotted over to me. I rang my parents and said, ‘Shall I bring him in?’ I put some tack on, jumped him and took him straight to a show! So his first show wasn’t until the end of his six-year-old year and we did two 80cm before he started stepping up.

“I always believed in him more than any other horse, and even in newcomers he was always the precious one. But he’s so difficult to ride, especially when he was younger, so nobody else rode him because he was so dangerous, unless you knew him. Sometimes he would just run himself blind into danger. He’s pretty much grown out of it, and he’s fine in the ring, but you’d still be wary about who handles him now. So he’s quirky, but he’s the nicest horse in the stable.

“He’s taken time and it’s been quite a journey, but now I can show everyone how good he really is. I believe he’d be a top horse for any rider, but I don’t think he’d try as hard for anyone else. He can jump a 1.60m track without even trying. I’ve never had a feeling like that and I doubt I ever will. I’m enjoying the moment and I hope there’s more to come.”

Co-owner with Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham: Graham Fletcher

“Our stables were full, but sometimes you just see something, feel something, in a horse, so he was going nowhere! He’s such a lovely horse and it’s extra pleasing when you have something to do with them all the way through.

“I’ve enjoyed many decades – a lifetime – in the sport, but I haven’t enjoyed watching a pair more than Olli and Hello William. I’m a big, grown, old man, but I definitely shed a tear the day they finished fifth in London and hopefully they have a great future.”

Groom: Gemma Chapman

“Willy Wonka, as he is often known, is the yard favourite and says hello as soon as you arrive. He likes a set routine and he loves carrots at every opportunity. He’s such a nice horse to look after and he’s so happy at shows – his head is out of the door constantly.

“Since his life-saving colic operation at the start of the year, we have to be so cautious with his feeding, so he has it as a mash a lot of the time, with as much water as possible. That was the worst day of my life. I found him and rang Olli, who came running, and he went straight to the vet, then straight into surgery, it was just awful. It was quite the recovery process – starting with seven weeks of just walking in hand – but we wanted to do the best we could for him.

“I recently had a week off and he was so offended that I’d left him! It took him a couple of days to welcome me back – he was in such a sulk! He’s one horse I always know will go in the ring and try so hard to jump a clear round and put a smile on everyone’s face. London was the proudest moment we could have had, we were all crying.”

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