08/09/2026
When people ask me why I do what I do….this is an example of my “why”….
Shortly after starting to work together 6 years ago, she lost her horse of a lifetime - Spike - as they crossed the finishing line cross country.
She lost her friend as well as the dream of being part of another Olympic cycle and Senior Team debut and was faced with the prospect of “starting again” with a gap in her string of horses.
The pain she went through emotionally was palpable.
She picked herself back up, and she made a plan with the youngsters she had and was determined to go again.
The sport of Eventing is one of perseverance - hoping that your strategy, fitness, training and a bit of luck all come together when you need it most.
For this lady, she has endured the very highs and the very lows of the Sport - a journey she has been authentic about and shared on her platforms and why she is so relatable to her audience and supporters.
She is in my eyes the epitome of resilience - when things haven’t gone the way we had hoped, she has somehow found the strength to “put it in a box” and try and move forward.
Her making the long list and then definitive entry for the World Games this year was her total focus from the moment she lost Spike - she made it there, and she wanted to do the best she could for the opportunity she had earned.
It didn’t go to plan. She faced one of the darkest moments of her career to date, felt like she’d let her team and the Country down, received online criticism for “taking a place someone else deserved” - another box was opened to try and shelve this experience to focus on the next big event in just a few weeks time.
We spoke at length, trying to rationalise what had happened, how she was good enough, how this can happen when working with horses - it consumed her thoughts everyday.
At Burghley, I watched her put on a brave face for the Press in the mixed zones, who quite rightly wanted to talk about Aachen, where she was as real about it as she always is.
To see her relief landing after the final fence at Burghley, knowing in her own mind she was good enough, she had sought the redemption she felt she needed to seek for the Country she proudly represents, was a real moment for me.
I knew at that moment, all those boxes she’d used to compartmentalise the lows could now be permanently archived.
I’m fortunate to work with the most hard working and committed roster of riders and it is moments like these where the success feels that bit sweeter knowing just what has gone into that achievement, often years in the making.
Gemma Stevens - enjoy your moment…you’ve well and truly earned it 🫶
𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒕 𝑹𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒚 - 𝑴𝑫 𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝑹𝑷𝑹
📸 Hannah Cole Photography
