Keith is a dressage rider and trainer and H&C’s very own expert in the hugely successful 'How to Suceed at Prelim' series. Keith has been fortunate enough to have trained with many of the country's top dressage names, and is currently coached by Emile Faurie. Keith is now based at his own Wild Farm Equestrian Centre in Hertfordshire and has a team of horses competing from Novice to Prix St George.

What would you do if you didn’t ride horses? I would love to think that I would have been able to go into veterinary medicine, but that may well have involved some more time back at school getting some more appropriate A-level subjects like Biology, as opposed to the Art and History I found so interesting at the time.

Why did you decide to go into dressage? More by luck than judgement! I'd always planned on eventing, with the same aim as most in the sport, to complete Badminton Horse Trials on at least one occasion. I thought I'd set myself up brilliantly, buying a (cheap) well-bred youngster to produce through the grades. That was until I enlisted the help of a long-term friend, Anna Ross-Davies, to help with the horse’s flatwork. As I recall within three sessions she had decided he was too good to jump, and would be highly suited to a career in dressage. Within six months he was competing at Elementary and scored 70% at his first affiliated class at that level. So the tide was changed and I was bitten by the dressage bug. 

How often do you muck out? Until fairly recently I would muck out three or four times a week but I'm fortunate to have some excellent staff now that means I only really have to muck out to cover if someone is ill. The wife and I do however always muck out on Christmas Day to make sure all the staff have Christmas off, so hopefully that goes some way towards repaying their hard work.

Who has the best yard you’ve visited? I've been fortunate to see some lovely yards at home and abroad, especially on my travels to find horses for clients. I've always been particularly fond of Stal Korenbloem in Holland. Primarily a sales and training yard, it has everything you could want for producing horses. I'm a great fan of looking at every yard I go to though, however big or small, as someone, somewhere will always have a better solution to a problem than you might have thought of, and that allows me to take ideas and refine them for our yard.

What was the last thing you bought a ticket for? The last thing I bought a ticket for was Brightwells Horse Auction in the summer. Though in all honesty, one of my lovely owners ended up treating me in the end so maybe that doesn't quite count (and I'm now quite embarrassed that even that is horse related).

Why do you think Paul Schockemohle bought Totilas? I think anybody with the sorts of finances available that would've been required would be silly not to have contemplated it. Paul Schockemohle is already one of the most prevalent breeders of horses and is involved with many of the best horses in the world in dressage and jumping, so why wouldn't you want to be involved with probably the most extravagant horse the world has seen.

I would think all of us are intrigued to see what the first crop of foals will be like, even though we have to admit it takes a lot more than just a good stallion to produce good offspring. A great mare and an awful lot of luck are just as important.

When was the last time you went on holiday? I remember something in 1990... No, I think it's been about two and half years from memory as I recall we'd just found out we were expecting our son.

How many times a day do you ride? Depends entirely on the number of horses that are in at any given time and their ages as I tend to now only ride the more mature horses. It's easy to be a bit too much for a newly backed youngster to handle. I'll do all of the ground work with them and my staff are the dedicated cannon fodder, I mean expert young horse riders.

Whose horse would you like to own? I think it would be far too easy to go for Totilas. I was always blown away by Coby Van Baalen's Olympic Ferro, he had one of the most amazing piaffes. There are so many great horses now; I would probably have to go something like Valegro or Uthopia, so if anyone could encourage Carl to consider semi-retirement I might stand a chance.

What was your first job? I would have to say my first proper job out of school was as a working pupil at Su zanne's Riding School. I did my BHS exams and qualified as an instructor so I always had that in case the competing didn't work out, but as it happens the teaching is as big a part of my time now as the competing and training. 

Why do you think dressage is seen as elitist? I think we struggle with the perception that it's an expensive sport to take part in and obviously good horses are never cheap. But that doesn't mean that it's restricted to an elite, you just have to make good decisions, find a great trainer that you trust implicitly and be prepared to put in a hell of a lot of hard work.

If you don't have huge resources you have to plan ahead, buying younger horses and accept that you'll have to train them yourself and appreciate it's going to take time.

When did you last kick yourself? I think the last time was probably when I failed to listen to my helpful caller at a show and halted too late on the centre line. Minus two marks is never good on a test sheet, and even worse when it's your own fault. But proof that it happens to all of us at some point.

Who do you think will be the one to watch this year?  It is definitely the year for the top riders’ and the younger horses. There are horses that we've seen for the last few years since the young horse classes that are now approaching Grand Prix. I would think Uthopia will make an impact this year.

I would love to think that my horses will have a successful year; this is hopefully the first year for them to do all of the premier league shows so my fingers are firmly crossed.

What is your top tip for H&C website visitors?  In terms of horses, it would always be to find a well-respected trainer that works well with you and your horse. That's even more important if you're fortunate enough to have more than one horse to ride as the trainer needs to work well with a variety of temperaments and breeds.

A great trainer can help you plan your season and more importantly your progression if you chose to make it your career and help you avoid some of the many potential pitfalls out there. 

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