James Wilson
YOU’D be forgiven if you were unfamiliar with the name James Wilson. The 25-year-old only emerged into CSI5* ranks last year, with a comparatively modest pony and young rider career behind him. He has since made a rapid ascent from obscurity to championship contention.
His breakthrough partnership has been with the black mare Imagine De Muze, owned by his partner Heather Larson and her mother Sue. Last June, they were picked for their first five-star Nations Cup squad at La Baule as “fifth man” and then surprised everyone with a brilliant debut at St Gallen a month later, jumping one of only six double clears.
It has, as James puts it, “all happened very quickly”, evolving into “a dream year” when a successful Nations Cup season was reinforced by an even stronger World Cup run, where they jumped consistent clear rounds.
“We were flying,” James recalls. “We were lying 18th in the league and then [the team trainers] said to me, ‘Do you want to carry on with World Cups or do you want to
