Ever suddenly realised you're among horsey royalty?

alicesmith

alicesmith

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So ever since I started riding with/for M, I knew that she had dressage lessons with a Grand Prix rider called Jodie. I was never hugely 'up' with dressage - I'm starting to get there now though! - so I didn't really know any of the names of the top riders or what they looked like or anything. So on Friday M says 'Jodie's competing at the weekend where we are, so hopefully she'll be able to come and watch my tests, and we can watch her'. I thought 'this is awesome but I'm almost definitely going to say something stupid to an incredibly good rider'.
So we're at the show, and who does Jodie turn out to be? A local in the pub I worked at! Turns out, I used to serve Jodie Lister in the pub without even realising who she was! I definitely felt a bit stupid for the rest of the day, but at least I didn't need to worry about saying something dumb because I've probably already done that in front of her!!

Anyone else ever suddenly discovered they're around famous horsey people?!
 
Oh yes quite a few times over the years, it's not something I really care about though, really. Mostly I don't know who someone is till later when someone else tells me who I've been chatting with, unless I recognise them off the telly.
 
Capriole said:
Oh yes quite a few times over the years, it's not something I really care about though, really. Mostly I don't know who someone is till later when someone else tells me who I've been chatting with, unless I recognise them off the telly.
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I'm the same. Famous people are no different from anyone else, they just do their job in the public eye, that's all - and they sit on the toilet every morning like the rest of us! There are often big-name actors in my area as its popular for filming and half the time I only recognise their voices and even then a person's "real" voice can be quite different from their more familiar character one. You'd be surprised how many Corrie actors sound really quite posh!
 
Yep my mums ex qualified for the Czech Olympic eventing team twice .. Fantastic with horses .. Shame about the lack of people skills :p
 
Jodie is lovely! She teaches us at Mums Camp. I've met quite a few famous polo players and some event riders and they are just the same as anyone else really. Howard from Take That was at a BBQ I went to and all the girls were fawning over him - I just asked him to please move out the way so I could get to the potato salad ha ha.
 
Billabongchick said:
Jodie is lovely! She teaches us at Mums Camp. I've met quite a few famous polo players and some event riders and they are just the same as anyone else really. Howard from Take That was at a BBQ I went to and all the girls were fawning over him - I just asked him to please move out the way so I could get to the potato salad ha ha.
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I used to live on the same street as one of take that and there were always mobs of girls hanging about outside his house... they were a complete nuisance to the neighbours The lad was a sweetie though. He used to give them hot drinks sometimes when they were there for a long time in cold weather.
 
I was friends with a lovely lady for 18 months before I found out that she was famous, I knew that the horse in her field was an ex racer. It turns out that she is really quite famous and the ex racehorse was her actual own ex racehorse! Still it didn't change anything and I think she kind of appreciated that I was oblivious to her fame!
 
I had my old loan horse be stopped and admired by a family with kids years ago after a show we did at the Norway Grand Prix at Linnesvollen (didn't compete - we had a demo between classes). Turned out to be the Norwegian princess and her family. She used to do showjumping at a decent level before. Technically royalty if not horsey royalty!
 
Yes, I was at Gatcombe horse trials, driving through the show ground to syart breaking down the tradestand when a bunch of people came walking down the middle of the aisle. I hit the brakes and was about to start cursing the fact spectators were still milling about when I realised I had nearly run over princess anne!
 
Oh, margotc reminded me of a show last year. I was plaiting outside my stables and a whole bunch of men were stood watching me balancing on a stool trying to plait (very distracting btw, lol) and admiring my horses one asked if they could have their photos taken with them so they all took turns standing next to the horses to have a photo done, with big cheesy grins on their faces. Turns out they were an Arab sheik and his entourage. Surprised my OH didn't try to sell them a horse tbh :D
 
Not sure this counts but... We were driving the lorry out of a field at a low level event once and a bloke on a big chestnut cantered right out in front of us. I can proudly say I once nearly killed William Fox-Pitt!

ETA- It was just the lorry park, we weren't driving across the cross country course
 
I can remember being at Badminton the year Princess Anne was competing on Doublet (think it was about 1973? '74?? - gosh, showing my age!); me and my mum and dad were wandering around and suddenly looked across and saw the Queen and Prince Phillip!

Anyone round where I come from can remember competing against a certain Mary Thompson (now King) when we were kids at Pony Club (my schoolfriends were actually in the SAME pony club!)!!! Some of us actually managed to beat her as well!! :)
 
once spent a happy pony club session with Princess Anne and Mark Phillips before they were married so a lot of years ago but was somewhat surprised he remembered me when I met him a few years later with my baby daughter tucked into my coat. She is 37 this year.

Ginny Leng as she was at the time also came out of her dressage tests at Burghley and asked us how she had done with a huge grin on her face. Some of the top riders are very very friendly Piggy French is another human kind person too
 
Not horsey but a great example of saying something stupid to a celebrity because you didn't recognise them.

I once saw a bloke walking past the pool at our gym. After tutting that he was wearing trainers poolside I clocked his hair, it was shaven all bar a strip down the middle, just like they had shown on breakfast tv that morning. So I piped up "look at that idiot, he's copied David Beckham's haircut", and pointed, and laughed..... you guessed it, it was actually David Beckham who was staying at the hotel with the rest of the England team.
 
Price Philip nearly ran me over with his team at Lowther Driving Trials once. He actually spoke to me. He said 'Get out of the bloody way' :o
 
Kat said:
Not horsey but a great example of saying something stupid to a celebrity because you didn't recognise them.

I once saw a bloke walking past the pool at our gym. After tutting that he was wearing trainers poolside I clocked his hair, it was shaven all bar a strip down the middle, just like they had shown on breakfast tv that morning. So I piped up "look at that idiot, he's copied David Beckham's haircut", and pointed, and laughed..... you guessed it, it was actually David Beckham who was staying at the hotel with the rest of the England team.
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Hahaha classic!


I don't really get hung up on celebrities. Dad's met a few with his job over the years but I'm rubbish with names. Horsey 'famous' wise, William Fox Pitt was out hunting once. It's my only claim I'm ever going to get saying I jumped the same fences as WFP haha!
 
We were a little spoilt at some point in Rutland and enjoyed the company of top eventers such as Jeanette Brakewell and then partner Brook Staples at the Cottesmore Hunt balls - very nice folk. Over to you - aka Jack was also kept locally and I was totally star struck then what an awesome British athlete.

Have also seen Princess Anne and Zara a few times at Burghley.
 
Not strictly royalty, but from my ancient grooming days, I have been told by the mighty WFP that I was 'insolent' and a 'bad influence on the grooms!'

I am very proud of that ;)
 
Paisley - love your insolence and bad influence!
Older son once took part in a very enjoyable Pony Club XC training session taken by Lucinda Green. The squad were having some photos taken with her at the end when rather bored younger son, then aged about 8, piped up VERY loudly 'Is she famous then?' Well, yes .......
 
WFP once told me I was short so I pointed out we didn't all want to be seven feet tall!

This was in his semi famous days doing the university competitions, but everyone else seemed to know who he was.
For the record I'm 5ft 5ins, so not absurdly little!
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Anyone round where I come from can remember competing against a certain Mary Thompson (now King) when we were kids at Pony Club (my schoolfriends were actually in the SAME pony club!)!!! Some of us actually managed to beat her as well!! :)
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Which PC were you with? East Devon? Cotley? I was in the Axe Vale at the same time.
 
Enfys said:
Which PC were you with? East Devon? Cotley? I was in the Axe Vale at the same time.
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I was with Taunton Vale and then Cotley. I remember competing against her. Don't think I ever beat her though.
I have also had the honour of meeting Priceless' sire ben Faerie when I worked on the Scotts' farm for a lambing season - although I spent more of my time scabbing rides on the hunters!
 
I was fence judging at a BE event a couple of years ago and a guy in scruffy jeans and a battered pick up came over to see how the fence was holding up. Had a chat about how the course was going and the weather, he helped us squash all the divets in and then drove off and my friend then said jumping with excitement, 'oh my god, that was Captain Mark Phillips!'

I had no idea lol! He was a really nice normal guy! :)
 
I was once explaining to someone at a party about my ambitions to do a BE80 on my pony...

she then told me about one of the eventers she owned...

Who'd won Burghley with Andrew Nicholson.

She was very nice about my dream to BE80 though :D
 
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