H&C caught up with Geoff and Oliver in their lorry at Patchetts, just moments before performing their sixth consecutive night on The Champions Tour.  Find out about their hopes for 2011, Geoff’s top horses and his plans to get back into Team GB.

H&C:  How has the tour been so far? Have you had the attendance numbers you expected?

Geoff: Very good, we had 700 at The Hand EC and other nights between 500 and 600 so really pleased.

H&C: This is your sixth straight night in a row - how exhausted are you?

Geoff: Very!

H&C: How does this compare to competing?

Oliver: It's more profitable! Seriously though it is mentally tiring as you always have to be quick thinking.

Geoff: Oliver are you trying to say that we compete horses because we can’t think?

Oliver: Erm (laughs) No. It’s been very good fun and something we find quite easy to do.

H&C: How much planning and preparation goes into it?

Geoff: It’s different show every night, we know each other quite well which really helps.

H&C: Did you know each other before the first Champions Tour?

Geoff: Oliver was from round my way, and he bought a horse off me.

Oliver: Yeah it was from Markfield and we started to box together.

H&C: So going back to the Tour which horses have you brought along?

Geoff: I have a four year old mare, another that does the opening of jumping fire and a new grade A called Apollo Star.

Horses and Hopes

H&C: Have you done much competing on Apollo Star yet?

Geoff: No he’s been to two shows, but he’s not my best horse. My best horse, that I rode at the European Championships 2009, was injured all of last year but is now fit again and I am taking him to Spain for five weeks, but hopefully Apollo Star will be in my top three.

H&C: Are you hoping to ride for team GB this year and thinking ahead to next year's Olympics?

Geoff: Well we’ll see, there are more potentially good horses than there’s ever been, so it’s a long shot. The Olympics is a goal but it’s still a long way off and you have to keep all the wheels on your horse.

H&C:  Are any of the horses you have at the moment as good as It’s Otto, who took you to your last Olympics in Sydney?

Geoff: Rosinus. He's a good horse and he was good enough to compete at the Europeans. He was in the team competition - 52^nd to go and the first clear, so he’s good enough he just has to hold his form. The Olympics is not life or death but it would be very very nice.

H&C: So Oliver are you aiming for the Olympics?

Oliver: Yes I definitely hope so, my form has been good but it needs to be better this year.

H&C: Do you think about the Olympics or is your concentration on this year and the Grand Slam?

Oliver : Obviously the Grand Slam would be nice, but the Olympics is very important, not just for me but everyone involved, it would be nice to go.

I’m a show jumper, get me out of here...

H&C: Geoff you seem to be doing a lot of touring, commentating and lecturing at the moment do you think that's where your career is heading as a sports personality, and will we be seeing you on A Question of Sport?

Geoff: Well I’m going to have to do something! Maybe I should go in the jungle because everyone calls me a little pig.

H&C: So is there a plan to do another Champions Tour this year?

Geoff: We'll see. It has proven quite popular so there are plans, but it will all depend on demand. 

Oliver: It takes about 20 people, lots of horses and wagons to put on this tour so we would have to see how much interest there was. It’s been very good and the response is that lots of people do want to see us again. The crowd know to always expect something different when Geoff and I get together.

H&C: Would you ever bring anyone else into your partnership, a dressage rider perhaps?

Geoff: No, I’ve done all that, I did Simply the Best with John Whitaker and a tour with Richard Davison, I think that me and Ol get on that well that we don’t have to worry, it just works.

H&C then left the boys to mike up and mount up and took our seats for the main event.  Look out for our review of the Patchetts leg of the tour, which was a night of fun, fire and falls.