“I wanted to give up horses completely,” says Fred Powell, who is competing Grafiba at this year’s Blenheim Horse Trials. “We had a rubbish season last year where we fell a couple of times.”
Fred’s turnaround is nothing short of admirable and, heading into today’s cross-country phase in the CCI4*-L (21 September), Fred and ‘Raffy’ sit in eighth on a 26 dressage score.
“Amy Penny [event rider], my best mate, told me I wasn’t giving up and she’s been my rock. So I’ve kept going and kept grafting,” explains Fred, 27, who is based in Wales.
He left school at 17 to pursue a career in horses and set up a yard at home.
“Mum and I made our own stables and we bought and sold horses to make money and then people started sending horses to me,” states Fred. “Then Covid hit and owners took horses away due to costs so I went and worked for Andrew Williams and Vicky Tuffs at GHF Equestrian.
“I took three horses with me and Andrew and Vicky gave me an amazing opportunity to be second rider to Vicky, and I got to ride some fantastic young horses. Then their business came to an end in 2023 and I went back home and that’s where I am now.”
Fred is frank in explaining what life is like in his quest to make a career out of eventing.
“Running a business as an event rider is really hard to make work financially, and I don’t have any staff, but we’re making it work. I think people are scared to say how tough it is, but I’ve got an amazing support network around me.”
Raffy was purchased by mother and daughter, Jackie and Jo Forrester, six years ago when he was five after Tim Price initially produced him. He was intended to be a horse that Jo could compete at the lower levels.
“Raffy did a light suspensory while competing at BE100 and Jo asked me to ride him while he was being brought back into work. Then she said ‘Fred, I’m not getting back on him’, and I’ve kept the ride from that point,” says Fred, who describes this son of Grafenstolz as a “cheeky” character.
“He can be quite nappy and a bit of a stresser in a weird way and he almost gives a little bit too much, but he doesn’t have a nasty bone in his body and he likes his own space – you can’t namby pamby him as if you spend too much time with him, he gets annoyed.
“His trickiest phase is the showjumping and Kim Belton has been a great help lately and has helped settle him, which has been his biggest issue. He doesn’t like touching a fence, so when he did, he got really worried about it and compounded the issue. But as long as we can keep his brain, he is amazing.”
Fred and Raffy have enjoyed some strong results this season, including finishing third in the competitive CCI3*-L at Hartpury last month and they also jumped clear across country to finish 15th in the CCI4*-S at Blair Castle too.
“Raffy’s owners have been amazing this year about letting me do my own thing with him this season and trusted me, and that’s really helped,” smiles Fred, who was delighted with their dressage performance here.
“He was wicked. He hasn’t been to many big places and he napped all the way up to the warm-up, but he really rose to the occasion in the arena and he did some really cool bits of work. He’s a lovely, big mover.”
Fred’s aim this week is to “come home happy and safe”.
“I really do believe in him,” he says.
- To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
You may also be interested in:
How to watch Blenheim Horse Trials live in 2024
Would you jump this? Take a virtual walk of the 2024 Blenheim cross-country course
‘Being at Blenheim in riding boots, rather than sat in the stands, is surreal’: meet the former PE teacher tackling her first CCI4*-L
Blenheim first-timer impresses the judges to shoot into CCI4*-L dressage lead
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
