‘I never had the dream of being an event rider – but now I’m aiming for five-star’

The results Harry Horton pulled in during the 2025 season may not have been super flashy, but he has an enviable record of consistency with his top horse, Cooley With Ambition.

The pair have never had a jumping fault internationally in either the cross-country or showjumping and were in the top 15 at two CCI4*-Ls during 2025, as well as making their Nations Cup debut at Lignières and leading the British team to third place.

Cooley With Ambition (Dash), who will be an 11-year-old for the 2026 season is by Future Trend and owned by Harry and the Ambition Syndicate. He has been with his rider since he was four.

“He’s the most unassuming four-star horse you have ever seen,” says Harry. “He’s not big or flashy, but he’s completely unflappable and always looks for the flags. We trust each other and he’d jump the earth for me. Our form is built on that partnership.

“He saves it for the big days – at home he’s difficult to get fit, lazy, hard work, a bit uninspiring, but as soon as you get him off the lorry at an event, he’s the best horse. He’s the most genuine horse I’ve ever sat on.”

Harry Horton’s influences

Harry, 29, is from a horsey background and has ridden for as long as he can remember. At 16, he went to study at Hartpury.

He says: “I never really had the dream of being an event rider – my parents worked hard to give me opportunities, but the money wasn’t there, so it wasn’t a given that was an opportunity I could act on. After Hartpury, I found myself a job with Helene Braeckman – she taught me a lot and bought me a couple of horses to learn the trade on.

“Helene has been a massive factor and a massive supporter. She was the biggest kickstart in getting me to where I am, an incredible influence on my career. She still supports me and owns a leg of pretty much every horse I have.”

Harry is from Essex originally and these days rents a yard in Ditcheat, Somerset, where he has eight to 10 horses. He rides out for champion trainer Paul Nicholls to help keep money coming in during the winter and even rode in a charity flat race in November. Harry and his wife Helen have two children, three-year-old Hattie and one-year-old Oliver.

He whipped-in as an amateur with the Puckeridge when he lived in Essex and occasionally still uses hunting to educate young horses.

“I did quite a lot of hunting at one stage in life and the biggest thing it gave me was contacts – getting to know different people, ways in with prospective owners,” he says.

Plans for 2026

Harry Horton hopes to make his five-star debut this year at Luhmühlen Horse Trials and then possibly head to Burghley Horse Trials.

“I grew up not a million miles from Burghley and we used to visit as children, so Burghley has been a dream forever, but we will wait and see how Luhmühlen goes,” he says.

Harry is also excited about his five-year-old JTH Rover, who he has had since she was a foal.

“She is a big gangly mare so I left competing her to the end of the season as I wanted her to get strong and do it in her own time,” he says. “She did three events in October and progressed easily, ending up coming fourth in a BE100 at Tetworth.”

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