‘What a year – I’m so proud of the horses we’re producing’: meet a rising star doing all the hard work herself

Horse & Hound is always keen to champion the rising stars of the sport and 25-year-old showjumper Charlotte Ash is definitely a rider we want to shine a light on.

Based just north of Newcastle, Charlotte is proof of what can come with hard work and determination, as well as her natural talent and flair in the saddle, as she starts to enjoy some rich rewards from her home-produced and home-bred horses.

Charlotte had previously enjoyed plenty of success on her home-produced ponies, but 2024 has been a real breakthrough year in the senior ranks as she contested her first 1.60m competition and made her international debut at Horse of the Year Show, jumping clear and finishing seventh in the Leading Showjumper of the Year riding her super home-produced mare Irma Riende.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better HOYS, I was over the moon,” she says. “Irma and I know each other inside out and it’s the most amazing feeling when your team-mate wants it even more than you do almost; every time she goes in the ring she says ‘Right, game on’ and she keeps stepping up.

“HOYS was our first 1.60m and I wasn’t really planning on doing the grand prix because I just didn’t know what to expect on a stage like that, even though I knew she was capable. But she just had the last fence down in the first class and I came out of the ring and said ‘Right Mum, we’re jumping the grand prix!’ Then she was clear in it, she just stormed round. She’s my horse of a lifetime.”

Showjumper Charlotte Ash seals a breakthrough 2024 at the London International

Charlotte sealed an exciting 2024 by qualifying for the prestigious under-25 British Championship at the London International Horse Show for the second year running.

“We’ve had a hell of a year actually, with the younger horses and my older horse Irma, so I’ve just taken it as it comes,” says Charlotte. “We’ve been there or thereabouts with Irma, so it’s really lovely to see it all coming together and hopefully promising things for 2025.”

Charlotte has produced Irma Riende from a five-year-old, qualifying the Dutch-bred Baltic VDL x Indoctro mare for the six-year-old world championships at Lanaken.

“We’ve come up through the senior ranks together,” she says. “So it’s probably been a longer process but it’s been so rewarding because her first times are also my first times, so we’ve learnt together.”

“Mum is the genius behind the breeding!”

Charlotte has also been enjoying great success with some of her mother’s home-breds.

“Mum is the genius behind the breeding!” says Charlotte proudly. “We aim to breed two or three a year because it’s only me who rides at home and it could easily get out of hand! But I’m really proud of the string of horses we’re building up, so hopefully there will be big things to come from them. My mum started breeding them when I was on ponies and I remember thinking ‘Why have you bought these two yearlings, I need a 138cm, Mum!’ but that’s what started it all off and it’s a lovely thing. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else – I’m so proud and pleased I can do this with my mum. My parents have supported me so much. Yes, it’s hard doing it this way, but it’s starting to come together now.”

Charlotte, who has received some training along the way from Richard Howley but is largely self-taught, currently has eight horses in work at home, all bar two of whom are home-breds, and around 18 horses in total.

“It’s a lot of hard work but I’m really enjoying it and the reward you get from it,” she says.

Setting future goals towards the Olympics: “I’m living the dream”

Looking to the future, talented young showjumper Charlotte Ash has set her sights high, with the Olympics the ultimate goal.

“I break it down into steps, so next year I’d like to hopefully be picked for a senior Nations Cup team with Irma then go from there,” she says. “For a long time we relied solely on her but now we’ve some really exciting young ones coming through to hopefully go along with her.

“She’s some horse to have done that for so long though; she’s been so consistent and everything I’ve asked of her she’s taken on. It’s been hard at times trying to balance the young horse shows with the big shows, but we’ve picked some good ones this year that have catered for both, so it’s worked well.

“Of course it’s so much more rewarding to do well with a horse you’ve worked hard with than a ready-made one. I’m living the dream at the moment. This year has had so many highlights, it’s lovely that it’s finally all coming together.”

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