‘She’s grafted all her life’: Olympic rider’s teenage daughter wins championship on mum’s horse

One of the stars of last week’s British Showjumping (BS) Spring Championships at Arena UK, Lincs (21-24 March) was talented teenager Rosie Smith.

The 13-year-old daughter of Olympic showjumper Holly Smith made a winning debut in the children-on-horses classes with her mother’s familiar showjumping rides Azolette and Fruselli, finishing with a one-two in the show’s opener, and repeating the feat to be crowned children-on-horses champion.

Rising star Rosie had only ridden Tania Wareham’s 11-year-old mare Azolette and TJ Hall’s 14-year-old stallion Fruselli once at home before the show, but delivered two out of three first-round clears in Sunday’s 1.25m final.

They were joined in the jump-off by Ted Bastion Mason with Alex Bishop’s lovely stallion RS Chacco Bay and all three left the fences standing, with Rosie pipping her pathfinding round on Fruselli by 0.44sec to take the title on Azolette.

“They are horses I have jumped to a good level and Rosie is incredibly grateful to their owners for the chance to compete on them,” said Holly. “She’s grafted away all her life on a lot of different horses and ponies and I thought I’d give her a shot on some good ones.

“Azolette is very straightforward and a really forward going mare who is good against the clock — it says a lot about her that a 13-year-old can get straight on her and jump these kinds of courses.”

Rosie said: “Mum told me to keep them both forward and in a nice rhythm and that made it quite easy. They are very different horses; Azolette likes herself and is quite opinionated, but Fruselli is quiet, sleepy and friendly.”

Holly, who represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics and 2018 World Equestrian Games, and won team bronze at the 2019 European Championships, recently returned the chestnut Royal Windsor five-star and La Baule Derby winner Fruselli (by Zambesi TN) to the ring after nearly a year off following an injury. The pair rapidly found form with 1.45m wins in Vejer De Frontera at the beginning of March, including in the CSI2* grand prix.

“Rosie hadn’t had a chance to ride the horses as I was away with Fruse, and Azolette was at home with her owners, so we came here as a warm-up for the viewing trials at Pony of the Year Show,” explained Holly.

“At Fruse’s age, it’s nice to keep him out jumping and enjoying it — it’s fun for him and experience for Rosie.”

You can read the full report from the BS Spring Championships in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, in the shops Thursday 28 March.

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