‘I owe him everything – and he still loves jumping at 23’: elite British eventer on her horse of a lifetime

“I’ll be for ever grateful and I owe DHI Lupison everything I do – and he still lives his happy life,” says Holly Woodhead. “If he wants to go jumping, he can. I always say, ‘Luke does what Luke wants’.”

In an interview on this week’s new episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, Holly talks about DHI Lupison – known as Luke – as “her horse of a lifetime”. The pair won the under-25s at Bramham in 2015 and contested the senior European Championships at Blair Castle that year. The pair were also team silver and bronze medallists and individual silver medallists at young rider European Championships and had numerous placings at the now four-star level.

Holly continues: “I think like many people in my shoes who’ve had a horse like that, I go, ‘If only I could have him again now.’ Because then, I didn’t really know a lot. I was extremely young when I went to Blair – 21 – and Luke was green. If I could have him over again now, knowing what I know now, that would be pretty cool.”

“He is 23 now and he is still going out showjumping – he actually won a Foxhunter the other day. He’s on great form. He’s the king of the yard. I still refuse to hack him, because he is as sharp as anything. So I literally get on, have a little jump and enjoy him at a show. He still loves his job and his life and everybody loves him on the yard.”

Reflecting on what Luke taught her and the journey she is on now with her young horses, Holly added: “Every time you get a young horse, you do get a sense of, ‘This one could be my next good one.’ Then it just comes down to being able to hold on to them. Within this sport, everybody knows that you have to sell horses to make money and everything else.

“So it’s finding the ones that can follow in his footsteps, but with everything that he’s taught me over the years – especially how to try stay on, because he’s super sharp – I’ll be for ever grateful.”

Holly will be out competing in both eventing and dressage this year and has ambitions to ride at grand prix in the latter discipline for the first time later in 2025.

Hear more about Holly’s 2025 plans, plus her thoughts on taking part in the epic charity cycle ride Cycle4Caroline last autumn, on episode 161 of The Horse & Hound Podcast.

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