WFP article about his career following his retirement

[reynold]

William Fox-Pitt interview: The day I thought I killed Madonna

In his 40th year of eventing, Fox-Pitt has declared that he is finally retiring aged 55 and he has some incredible stories to tell

www.telegraph.co.uk

Sorry it's behind a paywall but worth a read if you can.

The story re: Madonna from the article....
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If he can point to the most bizarre moment, though, it was in trying to teach Madonna to ride when she was married to Guy Ritchie and living in Wiltshire.

“She Googled me and said she wanted some lessons, but didn’t have a horse,” recalled Fox-Pitt of what he calls the most surreal stage of his life. “I asked her where she lived and she said she didn’t know.

“I told her I’d never heard of anyone not knowing where they lived but she said she had only been driven there and we established it might be somewhere near Salisbury. But she ended up coming to Hinton St Mary for lessons.

“I regularly had to pinch myself. We had a good relationship, she was a good learner but she didn’t always want to learn. There were days when she just wanted to go for a ride. But it was a big risk [because of who she was] not to fall off.





“After she’d built an indoor school at Ashcombe [Ritchie’s home] she got me over to see her new horse. She was brave but not really a jump rider and she fell off. I didn’t know where to look. She was lying on the floor, didn’t move and I was thinking, ‘oh my god, she’s dead’. Then she proceeded to come alive very quickly. And vocally.

‘Deal with me. Get this s--- off of me’
“She then stormed over to me. She was covered in the arena surface. She didn’t want anyone to know she’d fallen off and I said it was a sure giveaway if she was covered head-to-toe.

“As you do in those situations, if someone isn’t dead, your first instinct is to catch the horse. ‘Don’t be getting the horse!’, she bellowed. ‘Deal with me. Get this s--- off of me’. I said, ‘I can’t do that’, but she said, ‘You get it off of me – you got it on me, you get it off of me. Don’t tell a soul!’ I said, ‘I’m just glad you’re alive’.”

The way Fox-Pitt tells the story, his next most pressing concern after the horse was negotiating Madonna’s use of the English language.

“I was gently dusting her down, trying to do it almost without touching her,” he continued. ‘You’re not doing it properly’, she said. ‘Do it properly’. So I ended up having to brush it off her breasts and thighs hoping no one was looking, and thinking, ‘what in god’s name am I doing?’ It was a moment. That was the last lesson I ever gave her. I think when she divorced Guy and went back to America she gave up riding.”

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I just read your post without clicking on the link, and first thought *Which of his horses had/have Madonna as a stable name?* I expected a story involving one of his star horses, but it quickly became clear which Madonna he was talking about. Oh my, what a story! Thank you for sharing that part of the article.

I've heard that e.g. artists can get a bit lost regarding their actual location, but I always thought of it more as in not remembering if you wake up in London or Paris during a tour, not 'I only know my new actual home is somewhere on the British isle, someone drove me here'.
It also feels a bit removed from reality to phone up someone who competes in the highest class of eventing, and by the sound of it, just expect him to also have a horse he can teach complete beginners to ride on.

 

[Caski]

I can recommend his autobiography - it is brilliant and includes the Madonna lessons

 

[Smitty]

I have an earlier autobiography by him that was really interesting.

Other than that, will admit to being starstruck and walking the course at Pontispool as a spectator a couple of years ago, I was peering down an abyss that was the fence before the water and WFP came
along with a lovely lurcher. There was no one else around and he smiled and cheerfully said hello. I have no idea what is wrong with me, but I was completely unable to respond in any form and just sort of blanked him . Sorry William, I was just in awe ...

 

[silv]

I can recommend his autobiography - it is brilliant and includes the Madonna lessons

I agree, I loved the autobiography probably the best eventing one I have read.

 

[Nicnac]

I just remember the hamsters in his drawer story from his autobiography - made me laugh out loud.

 

[Hobo2]

That sounds a great read. He always comes across as the nicest guy and is smiley at everyone be it at an event , local tack shop or my favourite everything shop in our local small town.