Equestrian Life April 2018 Issue

the Caroline Moore interview
EVERYTHING
is achievable with hard work and
DEDICATION
The rise from first riding a pony on Skegness beach as a small
child to becoming a 4* event rider and now GB Junior team
coach for eventing is pretty meteoric, but this is just what
Leicestershire-based Caroline Moore has achieved. So how
did she do it? In conversation with Sally Butler, herself one of Caroline’s
pupils, all is revealed. The answer soon becomes clear. Quite simply,
it’s hard work and dedication. With, maybe, a few strokes of good luck
thrown in too.
Growing up in Skegness, Caroline was first introduced to horses at
the age of 12. Her next door neighbour had a pony which led to her
joining the local riding school. Here she fell in love with horses right
from the word go – this was the career for her. Straight away she set
about persuading her parents to buy her a pony. “I’m first generation
horsey,” explained Caroline. “My parents have only seen me ride
about twice. Once was at Burghley and when I told them I was going
to compete at Badminton they thought it was a game involving a
shuttlecock – they hadn’t a clue what it was. But they have always
supported me really well.”
After finishing her O levels, Caroline went straight to work at Newark
Equestrian Centre run by Linda and Willie Young. This was where she
started to teach and very quickly managed to achieve her BHS AI. For
the next couple of years Caroline had about five further jobs all at
once to make ends meet, including serving in a chip shop van!
Next came a spell as a working pupil for Mrs Janet Sturrock in Rutland
where she gained her BHSII and then the BHSI. Aged just 19 she
rented a large equestrian centre in Spalding and ran it as her own
business, turning it from a basic riding school into a good BHS exam
centre. Alongside this, she did a fair bit of riding and training young
horses, with the emphasis very much on show jumping, but never any
competing.
At 21 Caroline moved to Melton Mowbray, where she still lives today,
to start work at Brooksby Agricultural College, lecturing and writing
the stud management and HND courses. It was only then that Caroline
was introduced to eventing, as she explains: “I was sat on a bank at
Lowesby Horse trials with my friend Sue Ringrose, and I turned to her
and said ‘We ought to do this, it looks really good fun’ – and that was
12 April 2018 Equestrian Life