The secret ingredient

ASK any top rider what the key to their success is and a response you’ll hear time and time again is their team around them. From owners and sponsors, farriers, vets and physios to grooms and trainers, they all play a fundamental role in getting the best out of the horse and athlete.

Another crucial member of this team is often one closest to them, offering unwavering support from the sidelines. These individuals see the riders at their best, their worst and everything in between. We find out more about these influential people behind the scenes.

BORN to a champion jockey father, the late Josh Gifford, and an international showjumping mother, Althea (née Roger-Smith), Tina Cook says she was “very lucky” having two knowledgeable parents. Althea won the Queen Elizabeth Cup in the 1960s – as well as competing in eventing – before retiring from competition to assist with Josh’s training business.

“My mother’s