‘She’d bolt around the arena when I first got her’ – from an unpromising start to gold

Young event rider Jasmine Underwood has experienced great success with Indian Girl G – but it wasn’t a match made in heaven when they first got together.

She explains: “We found her through Caroline Moore as a seven-year-old and it was gut instinct that I wanted her when I first got on her, but it took a while for me to get together with her. She’d bolt around the arena and every time I rode her, Dad would say, ‘Jas, we’re going to have to send her back’ but I was adamant we shouldn’t and I’m very glad we persevered.”

Jasmine says there was no special key to building their relationship, it was just a case of getting to know each other.

“She is quite a sensitive mare and had been with her previous owner, Isabel White, from a three-year-old, so she had only been ridden by her before I rode her and the change of home really threw her off,” she says. “Now we get on so well and are completely on the same page.

“She has taught me loads. She was my first proper horse and I couldn’t have had a better one to teach me the ropes and bring me safely up through levels. She steps up to every challenge so well, she’s so game for it all, her brain is amazing and with everything across country she just tries her heart out and wants to please.”

The pair were junior team gold and silver medallists in 2022 and 2023, but really upped their game in their first year of young riders in 2024, taking the individual gold in Strzegom and leading the Brits to team gold.

“I knew I was capable of winning and went thinking, ‘I want to win’ but on no level did I go expecting to win,” says Jasmine Underwood. “But it was kind of weird – when I got there, I had a feeling, but I didn’t want to say anything.

“She felt the best she’s ever felt and we started the week with an amazing dressage test. I really wanted a sub-30, it felt like we have been on the cusp for so long, so to go in and get our first sub-30 at a Europeans and for it be a 23.6 was something I couldn’t believe.

“The cross-country was a technical track, really twisty and windy, so I did a lot of walking to know exactly where I was going and we knew the time would be tight. I came back with a couple of time-penalties, she was amazing.

“I was second going into the showjumping by point something. I get really nervous for showjumping anyway, let alone being in silver medal position going into it. But I honestly think I rode the best round of my life, which I was really pleased with.

“Previously I have shut down and let nerves take over and impact my riding. I have worked on my nerves with Charlie Unwin since my first Europeans at Hartpury because they let me down there. Now I have got a good system together that works for me and really helps.”

The pair finished the year stepping up to CCI4*-S, going clear at Little Downham, and Jasmine would like to run Indian Girl G at advanced and four-star next season as well as aiming for the young rider Europeans again.

Jasmine Underwood, 19, is based in Worcestershire and has the horses at her parents Nigel and Alison’s home. She combines eventing three horses with doing graphic design and administration work for Nigel’s showjumping manufacturing business, Jump 4 Joy.

Jasmine’s other two rides are both eight-year-olds. Danos Lola was a new ride for her in 2024, who went to the young horse World Championships in 2023 with Ireland’s Alyssa O’Neill.

“We have really worked on her flatwork as that’s her weakest area,” she says. “She is a cool jumper and really exciting for future. I’d like to aim her for young rider trials.”

Her other ride, Lady Sinaa, previously showjumped up to 1.30m level and Jasmine started eventing her last year.

Jasmine says: “She was great – she jumped her first event at novice like she had been doing it whole life. She’s really talented and has got everything it takes to be a really good event horse – an amazing jump, an amazing brain across country. I will probably run her at intermediate and three-star next season to consolidate with her.”

Despite their unpromising start, it’s fair to say that Jasmine is a cheerleader for mares now.

“I definitely prefer mares – I just think I get on better with them than geldings,” she says. “I think when you get a good bond with a mare she will give you everything, as I found with ‘Indi’.”

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