ALMOST 10 years to the day that Britain’s Phoebe Peters won her first individual gold medal at the pony Europeans, she found herself back in a high-stakes arena, fulfilling another childhood dream.
Now a rider at the prestigious Van Olst Horses in the Netherlands, it was a major career goal for Phoebe when she made her debut at the World Breeding Championships this summer, riding the Van Olsts’ striking grey stallion Everest. It was an experience that Phoebe says is “hard to put into words”, and it marks a successful transition back into top dressage sport for the 24-year-old.
Always a high achiever, Phoebe made waves as a pony rider, partnering the prolific SL Lucci to become European pony champion in 2013 and 2015, setting new world records along the way and elevating British youth dressage to new standards.
She went on to ride at the 2016 junior Europeans, too, with Denford Surprise. But as for so many successful youth riders, making the leap up to the higher levels proved difficult, especially without the finances available for
