Sunday, April 17, 2011

Phoebe Buckley: Romany Gypsy at the Olympics? Maybe

Someone sent me this wonderful BBC News article about Phoebe Buckley, the 26-year-old professional event rider who competes in eventing in the U.K., at events as grand as Badminton and Burghley. She grew up a Romany Gypsy and experienced a bit of culture clash coming into the horse world from a small, tightly knit traditional culture. According to an article on Phoebe in the UK Metro  gypsies eschew many modern ideas, starting with things like credit cards. It also  sounds like women are expected to assume a traditional role in the family. Phoebe  defied her background by not marrying young, opting for a career instead. As if this isn't already an "against the odds" sort of story, she competes on Little Tiger, a 14.3 mare owned by Polly Taylor.

Definitely read the article -- but also take a gander at this dicey riding footage, from just one year! I suppose it goes with the territory of working with baby event prospects... There's footage of Phoebe on a horse encoutering water jump and I've simply never seen anything like it...




12 comments:

  1. Now Thats A Trot!April 17, 2011 at 5:03 PM

    Gotta admire her seat... I admit I laughed out loud at that water jump, since they both walked away. I've seen a handful of horses pull a move like that (not usually that high in the air!) and it's just so odd that it cracks me up every time.

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  2. Now Thats A Trot!April 17, 2011 at 5:18 PM

    I have to say, after re-reading the articles and checking out her website, this is definitely the sort of rider I would love to support. Someone who has truly worked her way up from the bottom levels, whose idea of "shoestring budget" isn't "only $250,000 a year," and who obviously still rides plenty of imperfect horses. Thank you for sharing!

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  3. DomApril 17, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    That is pretty awesome footage. Some if it reminds me of the idiot horses I ride at work sometimes. That water jump was unlike anything I've seen in a long time. Incredible seat on that girl!

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  4. BarbaraApril 17, 2011 at 6:18 PM

    I watched some of their other videos - Little Tiger sure lives up to her name, eeegad! Did you watch the interview of why they don't do well in dressage? Very funny.

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  5. JeanApril 17, 2011 at 6:24 PM

    That water jump was pretty impressive.

    On a serious note, I wonder how many of those horses have been treated for ulcers? The only reason I say that is that some of the napping/bucking in place etc. was EXACTLY what my Tucker was doing to me--especially at shows. That attitude changed almost completely after a course of Ulcergard. He's still not an angel, but what a difference!!!

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  6. LauraApril 17, 2011 at 7:31 PM

    she sticks to her saddle like a burr - that much is clear! Every horse she was on in that video seemed a little "hard to handle", shall we say.

    The water jump was wild - can't believe that horse didn't break all of its legs!

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  7. AllieApril 17, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    Wow, velcro butt!

    I confess to doing something similar at my horse's first water jump. I like the way she never loses her cool, just waits it out and keeps the horse as calm as possible.

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  8. JenApril 18, 2011 at 4:53 AM

    Dang... Velcro woman! *grin* I think it's safe to say I would have gone swimming after that splashdown for sure ;o)

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  9. NiamhApril 18, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    She's been my favorite event rider for some time now. I think she has a lovely approach to riding with plenty of humility and humor thrown in too. She keeps a great diary about her horses, but I love the one dedicated to her horse Little Tiger. The banner photos are always hilarious of her falling or things going awry with Tiger's commentary on how Phoebe messed up! She's great! The work she's done with the horse Gordon at her yard is also pretty incredible!

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  10. SamanthaApril 18, 2011 at 12:05 PM

    All I can say is that is a braver woman than I am, what a fabulous rider. I am going to keep an eye out for her.

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  11. JaneApril 19, 2011 at 4:36 PM

    She is IMPRESSIVE. Wow. Now that's a seat and a half!
    I was also impressed by her finesse and tact during and after the bucking/bolting/kicking out/levitating/refusing.
    A quiet rider on many levels.

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  12. NetherfieldmomApril 20, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    I think I am feeling much better about moving on to show dogs instead...getting too old for that stuff. But she does a wonderful job of not retaliating or getting hostile.

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