Gain a little insight
  • Favorite meal? Steak and chips 
  • Favorite film? The Bank of Dave on Netflix
  • Favorite band / singer? Mumford & Sons, Arctic Monkeys 
  • Favorite Place? Barbados and I love a good skiing location 
  • Sofa, disco or pub? Pub 
  • Beach or mountains? Both – but if I have to choose - beach 
  • Cats or dogs? Dogs 
  • Are you messy or tidy? A little bit messy
  • Who is your role model? Absolutely my father
  • Three words to describe yourself… Determined, chilled out, hungry
8

Have you had to part with one of your successful horses because it was sold? How do you mentally deal with this?

Yes, it has happened quite a few times and it is the way our sport works, and it is the only way to stay in the sport. It’s business - and as we all know - horses, breeding and competitions aren’t cheap, so we have to make sacrifices to continue doing what we love. But it is still difficult, and it is a disappointment when you have plans for certain horses, and they have to be sold. But with the income, you can hopefully invest in another two good horses, instead of having the one.

We have a brief outline that goes for all the horses. Either they all go in the walker twice a day, or we send them once in the walker and then they will be doing another activity, so that they are out of their stable at least twice a day, besides being in their paddocks. We jump them twice a week, depending on their age, and then they go to shows as well, often at the weekend. Usually, no more than that. Otherwise, flatwork is the focus. Rarely, if we have some horses that have some issues do we work more on those specific things.

Besides this, they all go in the field every day. I believe it’s the best thing for them to be balanced and calm. Especially, my best horse Valmy, enjoys being in the field and I would never take this away from him. By being outside in the field the horses will stay fit, are able to socialize with other horses and it keeps their bones and tendons stronger when they are able to be active.

Do you have a general training regime for all the horses? Or do you plan individually for every horse?

7
6

Any tricks to keep your horses motivated?

Variety is key, for humans as well as for horses. As riders we will also need variety in our contact with the horses, so we do different things and go to different places. The horses enjoy jumping and therefore it is important to keep it that way. With variety it keeps them sparkier.

What’s the special gift a horse needs to become a world-class-horse?

5

Well, obviously it has to be careful, brave, fast and easy to ride – it’s not like you could make a horse with the computer… In my preference, I like horses with a good head, that are super careful and has the eagerness to jump. 

4

Your family breeds horses as well, how many foals do you have each year?

Last year we had four foals, the year before nine. The yearly average is between five and six. We have bred some amazing horses, but we haven’t bred a champion horse, just yet. We hope this will happen soon! As many people know, breeding isn’t a quick way to get a superstar and it is a long process.

Have you had that once-in-a-lifetime horse that you will never forget?

A couple I think – it’s difficult to say. At the moment, my top horse is Equine America Valmy de la Lande. He has done a lot for dad and then he has done incredible things for me, and I will never be able to forget him. Equine America Elucar started off my 5-star career and horses like Haya Loma are some of the best horses I have ever ridden. As for most riders, there were a lot of ponies who helped make all this possible and started off my equestrian career and it is not possible for me to name only one of them. I am forever grateful for them all.

3

Finding new horses is always very difficult, but also exciting. When I was younger my father always used to have horses for me to ride. Not the top, top, top horses, but good ones. Nowadays it’s much more difficult. Usually, we find the best horses when we are not really looking for them. Occasionally, we see a horse at a show, or someone points out a good horse for us to go look at.

1

How do you find your new horses? Do you go horse-scouting around Europe or are the horses presented at your farm? Do you have “scouts” looking out for good horses?

Our homebreed horses we start by ourselves – me and my dad, but sometimes it depends on what kind of brain and attitude they have whether we decide to send them off for training. There is also the time aspect, as the time we spend on starting young horses is taken from training the older horses. But we mainly try to do it at home. 

2

Do you start the horses by yourself, or do you prefer it when they are on a certain level already?

21 year old athlete, Jack Whitaker. Photo: Equiline

Take your chances when they come up. Keep trying, keep pushing, when you get the chance to ride a good horse, ride it. Always try to do the best you can. As long as you get the support from the right people and ask the right people the right questions you are on the right track. Try to take chances, don’t wait until the chance comes up to you.

We asked Jack a few personal questions about being born into one of the most famous equestrian families in the world, the required discipline, balancing social life and friends, everyday life, sponsorships, mental strength and possible pressure, the future and his advice for other riders.

“To be honest, I have never had the thought or the wish to do anything else than what we do. I feel very lucky to have what we have, but it is also a lot of hard work, but I would never trade it for anything. I know that some people are pushed into equestrian sports, if this is their parents’ passion, but I was never forced into the showjumping business. I think part of my own motivation and desire for the sport comes with the fact that I had a full choice of what I wanted to do and when I was in school, I did all kinds of sports.

It is no secret that the sport takes up a lot of my time, but I practice not thinking and talking about showjumping in my leisure time. We try to leave the yard as often as we can, we go out to play football or golf, or we go just down the road to the pub. Getting away from the daily business is not that difficult and I think this count for most people and their jobs. As with the training of the horses, it is healthy to have variety in your own life.

As for friends, I still managed to keep some friends from school, who are non-horsy and even though we don’t talk every day, I maintain these friendships by calling and meeting with them when I am not at a horse show. One of the time-consuming, but super essential aspects of running the yard, is the maintaining of our sponsors and owners as well as looking out for new ones. Without them, we cannot keep the sport going. But it is a two-way street – a partnership. As much as they give, we try to give back. We try to make it as worthwhile as possible. Another aspect that is a massive part of the sport, and super time-consuming - as most people can agree to - is social media. I always try to create some content by myself, but I do need a little support on this task. I really think it is something a lot more riders should do. It is a great tool for interacting with sponsors and followers, but also to motivate and to be able to show people the daily life of riders like myself.

This is a family-run business, and it doesn’t function too different from most other family yards. My mother always insisted that I muck out the stables, do the feeding and so on. We all do everything and take care of the barn, so that it always looks nice and tidy – we do the arena, check the fences in the fields and so on.” Besides helping each other with the daily tasks, the family also functions as a support system for each other, as there can be a lot of pressure to deal with whilst attending the big shows. “I don’t have a mental coach. I should probably have someone professional to talk to, but I’m very chilled, so I am not really worried about too much pressure.”

When we asked Jack for advice for other riders, who doesn’t necessarily come from an equestrian family, he wisely spoke;

“When it comes to the future I am very ambitious and I would really like to achieve everything I can. You can always set your goal higher and higher. I would like to be the best rider I can be – and hopefully this will lead me to the European- and World Championships, as well as to the Olympic Games.”

We wish Jack Whitaker and the rest of the family all the best of luck with their business, the competitions and their goals and we are sure this young fella will get as far as his role model, if not further. We hope this brought you a little closer to the young superstar and maybe there are things in his life, that you can recognize in your own, after all - we all just love the horses.

What we didn't know

The horses

Q&A:

Jack Whitaker and Equine America Q Pavaratti N at Longines Global Champions Tour 2022.

Photo: Kamila Tworkowska

competition grounds. Jack is fortunate to have some real legends to train him and his father Michael is mainly responsible for the training and his uncle John is a big support at competitions.

Jack is also an integral part of the “Whitaker family business”. Together with his father he runs a training stable and a breeding facility in Nottingham in Great Britain. Hopefully some of these questions are questions you would have liked to ask him yourself and maybe the answers can bring you a little closer to a top rider like Jack Whitaker.

But being one of the top riders in the world cannot save you from horse prone accidents, which can occur to anyone. In April last year, Jack had to take a few weeks break from the horses after he was kicked by a horse. These incidents can happen anytime to anyone engaging with horses and it is a risk we decide to take as soon as we arrive in the stable, paddock or arena. Jack Whitaker is hardworking and ambitious, always open to new things and stays with both feet on the ground. And this way, he managed to get quickly back into the saddle and was back competing again, after only four weeks away from the

The 21-year-old Jack belongs to a real show jumping dynasty: the Whitakers. As the son of his famous father Michael, he had the best chance to grow into show jumping from an early age. And he has made the most out of it. A few of his best results include individual gold at the European Pony Championships in 2016 and team silver at the Youth Olympics, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Meanwhile, he has arrived in the senior classes and has already achieved great success here as well, including the victory in the 5 stars show jumping competition in s’Hertogenbosch, Holland in 2021.

Photo: Equiline

Earlier this year, Malgré Tout had the chance to talk to the exceptional athlete, Jack Whitaker, and asked him about his life with the horses. Maybe these are questions you would have asked him yourself if you had the chance, and hopefully this article will give you an insight into the everyday life of an equestrian family like the Whitakers. 

By Kerstin Schmidt // Photo: Kamila Tworkowska & Equiline

Jack Whitaker:

I would never trade showjumping for anything
21 year old athlete, Jack Whitaker. Photo: Equiline

Photo: Equiline

Take your chances when they come up. Keep trying, keep pushing, when you get the chance to ride a good horse, ride it. Always try to do the best you can. As long as you get the support from the right people and ask the right people the right questions you are on the right track. Try to take chances, don’t wait until the chance comes up to you.

“To be honest, I have never had the thought or the wish to do anything else than what we do. I feel very lucky to have what we have, but it is also a lot of hard work, but I would never trade it for anything. I know that some people are pushed into equestrian sports, if this is their parents’ passion, but I was never forced into the showjumping business. I think part of my own motivation and desire for the sport comes with the fact that I had a full choice of what I wanted to do and when I was in school, I did all kinds of sports.

It is no secret that the sport takes up a lot of my time, but I practice not thinking and talking about showjumping in my leisure time. We try to leave the yard as often as we can, we go out to play football or golf, or we go just down the road to the pub. Getting away from the daily business is not that difficult and I think this count for most people and their jobs. As with the training of the horses, it is healthy to have variety in your own life.

As for friends, I still managed to keep some friends from school, who are non-horsy and even though we don’t talk every day, I maintain these friendships by calling and meeting with them when I am not at a horse show. One of the time-consuming, but super essential aspects of running the yard, is the maintaining of our sponsors and owners as well as looking out for new ones. Without them, we cannot keep the sport going. But it is a two-way street – a partnership. As much as they give, we try to give back. We try to make it as worthwhile as possible. Another aspect that is a massive part of the sport, and super time-consuming - as most people can agree to - is social media. I always try to create some content by myself, but I do need a little support on this task. I really think it is something a lot more riders should do. It is a great tool for interacting with sponsors and followers, but also to motivate and to be able to show people the daily life of riders like myself.

This is a family-run business, and it doesn’t function too different from most other family yards. My mother always insisted that I muck out the stables, do the feeding and so on. We all do everything and take care of the barn, so that it always looks nice and tidy – we do the arena, check the fences in the fields and so on.” Besides helping each other with the daily tasks, the family also functions as a support system for each other, as there can be a lot of pressure to deal with whilst attending the big shows. “I don’t have a mental coach. I should probably have someone professional to talk to, but I’m very chilled, so I am not really worried about too much pressure.”

When we asked Jack for advice for other riders, who doesn’t necessarily come from an equestrian family, he wisely spoke;

“When it comes to the future I am very ambitious and I would really like to achieve everything I can. You can always set your goal higher and higher. I would like to be the best rider I can be – and hopefully this will lead me to the European- and World Championships, as well as to the Olympic Games.”

We wish Jack Whitaker and the rest of the family all the best of luck with their business, the competitions and their goals and we are sure this young fella will get as far as his role model, if not further. We hope this brought you a little closer to the young superstar and maybe there are things in his life, that you can recognize in your own, after all - we all just love the horses.

We asked Jack a few personal questions about being born into one of the most famous equestrian families in the world, the required discipline, balancing social life and friends, everyday life, sponsorships, mental strength and possible pressure, the future and his advice for other riders.
What we didn't know

Have you had that once-in-a-lifetime horse that you will never forget?

A couple I think – it’s difficult to say. At the moment, my top horse is Equine America Valmy de la Lande. He has done a lot for dad and then he has done incredible things for me, and I will never be able to forget him. Equine America Elucar started off my 5-star career and horses like Haya Loma are some of the best horses I have ever ridden. As for most riders, there were a lot of ponies who helped make all this possible and started off my equestrian career and it is not possible for me to name only one of them. I am forever grateful for them all.

3

Our homebreed horses we start by ourselves – me and my dad, but sometimes it depends on what kind of brain and attitude they have whether we decide to send them off for training. There is also the time aspect, as the time we spend on starting young horses is taken from training the older horses. But we mainly try to do it at home. 

Do you start the horses by yourself, or do you prefer it when they are on a certain level already?

2

Jack Whitaker:

I would never trade showjumping for anything
8

Have you had to part with one of your successful horses because it was sold? How do you mentally deal with this?

Yes, it has happened quite a few times and it is the way our sport works, and it is the only way to stay in the sport. It’s business - and as we all know - horses, breeding and competitions aren’t cheap, so we have to make sacrifices to continue doing what we love. But it is still difficult, and it is a disappointment when you have plans for certain horses, and they have to be sold. But with the income, you can hopefully invest in another two good horses, instead of having the one.

Gain a little insight
  • Favorite meal? Steak and chips 
  • Favorite film? The Bank of Dave on Netflix
  • Favorite band / singer? Mumford & Sons, Arctic Monkeys 
  • Favorite Place? Barbados and I love a good skiing location 
  • Sofa, disco or pub? Pub 
  • Beach or mountains? Both – but if I have to choose - beach 
  • Cats or dogs? Dogs 
  • Are you messy or tidy? A little bit messy
  • Who is your role model? Absolutely my father
  • Three words to describe yourself… Determined, chilled out, hungry

We have a brief outline that goes for all the horses. Either they all go in the walker twice a day, or we send them once in the walker and then they will be doing another activity, so that they are out of their stable at least twice a day, besides being in their paddocks. We jump them twice a week, depending on their age, and then they go to shows as well, often at the weekend. Usually, no more than that. Otherwise, flatwork is the focus. Rarely, if we have some horses that have some issues do we work more on those specific things.

Besides this, they all go in the field every day. I believe it’s the best thing for them to be balanced and calm. Especially, my best horse Valmy, enjoys being in the field and I would never take this away from him. By being outside in the field the horses will stay fit, are able to socialize with other horses and it keeps their bones and tendons stronger when they are able to be active.

Do you have a general training regime for all the horses? Or do you plan individually for every horse?

7
6

Any tricks to keep your horses motivated?

Variety is key, for humans as well as for horses. As riders we will also need variety in our contact with the horses, so we do different things and go to different places. The horses enjoy jumping and therefore it is important to keep it that way. With variety it keeps them sparkier.

What’s the special gift a horse needs to become a world-class-horse?

5

Well, obviously it has to be careful, brave, fast and easy to ride – it’s not like you could make a horse with the computer… In my preference, I like horses with a good head, that are super careful and has the eagerness to jump. 

4

Your family breeds horses as well, how many foals do you have each year?

Last year we had four foals, the year before nine. The yearly average is between five and six. We have bred some amazing horses, but we haven’t bred a champion horse, just yet. We hope this will happen soon! As many people know, breeding isn’t a quick way to get a superstar and it is a long process.

Finding new horses is always very difficult, but also exciting. When I was younger my father always used to have horses for me to ride. Not the top, top, top horses, but good ones. Nowadays it’s much more difficult. Usually, we find the best horses when we are not really looking for them. Occasionally, we see a horse at a show, or someone points out a good horse for us to go look at.

How do you find your new horses? Do you go horse-scouting around Europe or are the horses presented at your farm? Do you have “scouts” looking out for good horses?

1

The horses

Q&A:

Jack Whitaker and Equine America Q Pavaratti N at Longines Global Champions Tour 2022.

Photo: Kamila Tworkowska

But being one of the top riders in the world cannot save you from horse prone accidents, which can occur to anyone. In April last year, Jack had to take a few weeks break from the horses after he was kicked by a horse. These incidents can happen anytime to anyone engaging with horses and it is a risk we decide to take as soon as we arrive in the stable, paddock or arena. Jack Whitaker is hardworking and ambitious, always open to new things and stays with both feet on the ground. And this way, he managed to get quickly back into the saddle and was back competing again, after only four weeks away from the competition grounds. Jack is fortunate to have some real legends to train him and his father Michael is mainly responsible for the training and his uncle John is a big support at competitions.

Jack is also an integral part of the “Whitaker family business”. Together with his father he runs a training stable and a breeding facility in Nottingham in Great Britain. Hopefully some of these questions are questions you would have liked to ask him yourself and maybe the answers can bring you a little closer to a top rider like Jack Whitaker.

The 21-year-old Jack belongs to a real show jumping dynasty: the Whitakers. As the son of his famous father Michael, he had the best chance to grow into show jumping from an early age. And he has made the most out of it. A few of his best results include individual gold at the European Pony Championships in 2016 and team silver at the Youth Olympics, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Meanwhile, he has arrived in the senior classes and has already achieved great success here as well, including the victory in the 5 stars show jumping competition in s’Hertogenbosch, Holland in 2021.

Earlier this year, Malgré Tout had the chance to talk to the exceptional athlete, Jack Whitaker, and asked him about his life with the horses. Maybe these are questions you would have asked him yourself if you had the chance, and hopefully this article will give you an insight into the everyday life of an equestrian family like the Whitakers. 

By Kerstin Schmidt // Photo: Kamila Tworkowska & Equiline

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