H&C

When we asked our 21,600 Facebook fans what they would like to ask Olympic bronze medallist and professional three day event rider Sharon Hunt, we were deluged with interesting and tricky questions. Find out if we managed to ask your question and read Sharon’s replies.

Jade Wildman asks:
How do you manage to balance out the time between all your horses? And what part of eventing is your favourite?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I think invariably some horses take longer than others and I think you have to make sure that the ones that are really worth your time are the ones you’re putting your time into. Each horse has to be treated the same, and I try and be as even as I can.

My favourite phase has to be the jumping. I like dressage, but I prefer cross country and show jumping. It also depends what horse I’m on.

Alice Jupp asks:
Who is your favourite horse?

Sharon Hunt replies:
My favourite all-time horse has to be Tankers Town, but I actually have about five other favourites at the moment. I’ve got a grey horse called Tweedy who’s five, and a chestnut called Harry who is six. They’re probably my favourites, as well as Jasper (Tankers Town) at the moment.

Guy Taylor asks:
How did you get started and what was your inspiration?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I started because my Nan put me on a donkey at the beach, and then I started riding properly when I was seven. I suppose my inspiration really was when I went to Ruth McMullen’s at 18 and I had a couple of horses and she really taught me to ride. It went from there.

Lucy Lu asks:
Which breed of horse do you think is the most agile for eventing?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I still think a Thoroughbred, but a TB cross – a TBxWB, or TBxIrish.

Lucy Woeginger asks:
What do you love most about competing? Except winning!

Sharon Hunt replies:
The sheer enjoyment of competing. You don’t always have to win; you might have a young horse who has gone brilliantly, or that you’ve taken slowly cross country and it has jumped phenomenally and better than expected. You don’t have to have won.

Emily Singer asks:
What’s the best breed of horse to start an eventing career with?

Sharon Hunt replies:
Probably something level headed – a warmblood that’s a good jumper or an Irish Sports horse. I don’t think you can beat Irish horses.

Chloe Batchelor asks:
What’s the highlight of your eventing career so far?

Sharon Hunt replies:
Definitely winning bronze at the Olympics, but also coming ninth at the World Games and fifth and sixth at Badminton.

Kiera Williams asks:
How old were you when you first started eventing? See, I’m 12 and I want to start eventing, but my mom said that I can after college.

Sharon Hunt replies:
I was 16/17, but kids are starting earlier and earlier now. I’d say whenever you feel ready and you have the right horse.

Loretta Irving asks:
What is your favourite ice cream flavour? I bet you get asked horsey questions all the time!

Sharon Hunt replies:
Probably chocolate!

Philippa MacIntosh asks:
Which top riders in the eventing world are the nicest and are there any eventing divas?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I don’t know about any eventing divas! All the people at the top are generally very nice and quite well-grounded people. There are certainly a few characters that are nicer than others, put it that way! I don’t want to single anyone out!

Anne Thomson asks:
What has been a challenging/ scary moment in your career?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I broke my collar bone and got knocked out at the second event I did in 2006. That affected my memory badly for about a month. I then went straight to Badminton and came sixth.

Amy Donaldson asks:
How old were you when you first started riding and what was your worst fall?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I was seven, and I’ve had two bad falls – I broke my collar bone in 2006 and dislocated my shoulder in 2000.

Amy Donaldson asks:
How many horses do you have?

Sharon Hunt replies:
Altogether, there’s 16 owned and of my own.

Rich Brown asks:
Which of your horses do you intend qualifying for 2012? I'm presuming that Tankers Town maybe to old!

Sharon Hunt replies:
Yes he probably will be – he’ll be 18 and he’s done a lot in his life. I’m assuming he might be too old to be picked. I have various different horses: I have Azeb, who’s six and will only be nine but I think he could be ready for it. I have a horse called Red Amber who is a very talented mare – she’s nine - and I have Kenny, he’ll hopefully be there and I’ve bought a horse called Impulsive. He’s a bit quirky, but lovely, so any of those four will be my best chance.

Laura Meadows asks:
When you were younger who was your riding idol and why?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I think probably Andrew Nicholson because he rides so many different horses and has so many good results. A bit like Mark Todd really.

Sally Fitzpatrick asks:
If you could breed your perfect horse, who would the stallion be and what bloodlines would you look at? Is there a type of horse you like? I.e. Irish/TB/WB, etc? Where do you buy your horses?

Sharon Hunt replies:
My perfect horse would have to be something Irish-related. I’ve got four by Clover Hill at the moment, so something to do with him. I generally like Irish horses, but often with a bit of warmblood thrown in.

I buy my horses everywhere; I’ve just bought two from five minutes down the road in a riding school. But I also go to Ireland. Really, they come from everywhere!

Julie Lines asks:
Does Sharon communicate with your horses on an intuitive level and if so how does this make a difference for you and your horses?

Sharon Hunt replies:
Funnily enough, I did have a horse whisperer come along to see a tricky horse and after Jasper had problems at Badminton. I would use one for some horses if they’re quite quirky. I think even if it only gets you to think about the horse slightly differently and understand them more, it’s worth it. I think it’s quite clever and gives you a different way of looking at things. Horses are not machines and anything that helps understand them is worth a shot.

Gemma Solomon asks:
How are you preparing your horses for the Olympics? What is your training regime?

Sharon Hunt replies:
At the moment I’m just trying to improve their dressage and jumping. It’s just training, training, training at the moment. I’m working hard over the winter with the younger ones as when the season starts you don’t have a lot of time for schooling.

Anne Thomson asks:
What was the most challenging horse for you to ride?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I’ve had a few! Believe it or not, Tankers Town wasn’t easy – he could be quite sharp. I have a horse called Good Sport who doesn’t like water and used to send me into orbit, and I have a couple of younger ones who are definitely quite quirky.

Rose Dolly Beanz asks:
Do you believe in horse whispering and communicating and reading body language?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I think body language can make a huge difference, but it’s also how you are with them. If you’re relaxed with them or stressed, they can tell. I would use a horse whisperer if I thought it was necessary – not on all horses, but if I needed to go deeper I would try it.

Killian Youahan asks:
Will you be doing any demonstrations in Ireland? Kildare maybe?

Sharon Hunt replies:
No plans so far, but maybe!

Barbara Ackerman asks:
How do you fund your eventing?

Sharon Hunt replies:
Good question! I obviously have owned horses and would like to have new owners for the new horses I’ve bought. I think it’d be nice for the owners to follow some of the new ones – one is particularly nice. I fund it by selling the horses or part of them and then the owners paying for them. I also do demonstrations and talks and a bit of teaching and clinics. Occasionally there are winnings too, but that doesn’t really fund me.

Lucy Lu asks:
How did you begin your professional career? Did you first own a horse and start competing or did you ride for owners at yards?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I’ve always been very lucky and my parents bought me horses. I had a couple of very ordinary horses when I was 16 or 17, but they started me eventing. When I was 18, my dad had a very nice chestnut horse that he took out to novices, but didn’t want to do intermediates, so I took it out to do some. It used to run off with me all the time! We then bought a horse called Double Edge that set me off and then I bought Jasper as a four-year-old. I’ve been very lucky. I did ride plenty of untalented horses to get more rides and experience.

Lisa McLaughlin asks:
What was your first pony and what was it like?

Sharon Hunt replies:
I had two ponies. The first was far too sharp and I only had it two months. It broke my nose, and I remember doing a foot high show jumping course and then it jumped out a four feet high ring! I landed behind the saddle and I really hurt myself. My second pony was a really sweet Connemara called Mother Reilly, but she was brilliant and I kept her for three years and did everything with her. She taught me everything.

Do you have a question about your riding for Sharon? Email webeditor@horseandcountry.tv.