Mollie Summerland
ON the dashboard of Mollie Summerland’s lorry is a stuffed unicorn. This kitsch fantasy toy is somehow symbolic of her fairy-tale summer. Mollie bought “Sprinkles” on her tortuous trip to Luhmühlen, conquering the challenges of Covid, quarantine, Brexit, not to mention the second CCI5* of her life. As in all good fairy stories, there was a happy ending – she steered Charly Van Ter Heiden to victory; the youngest-ever winner at just 23.
“We bought Sprinkles on the ferry, and he was destined for the bonfire if it didn’t go well,” laughs Mollie. “Now he will be with me for life.”
As you walk into the Wiltshire farm where Mollie is based with a handful of other riders, the utopian impression continues. Set against a backdrop of the North Wessex Downs, smart horses are grazing in grassy fields, a clutch of floppy Andrex puppies paw for attention and Mollie’s three Chihuahuas yap delightedly. Mollie is bathing two striking horses – her superstar Charly (Chazzle) and the
