We recently caught up with nineteen year old Grace Botterell, who is taking big leaps in the Scottish Eventing world. At Hay up Haylage, we are lucky enough to support Grace on her eventing journey, and really enjoyed hearing all about what she has achieved so far. We can’t wait to see what lies ahead for Grace and her horses!

 

1. When did your riding career begin and were you always set on eventing?

I started riding when I was 5 doing Pony Club rallies and camps. I dipped in and out of it from there. When I was 10 I needed a bigger pony and wanted to start competing on him – I grew up watching my older sister eventing and thought it looked so much fun. From there I got my first horse at 13 called Winston and the aim was to start eventing. He had his quirks but was so much fun to jump and especially to take Cross Country and that’s when I truly fell in love with it. 

We went on to win individually and the team competition at the Pony Club championships in 2018. He also won at Floors in the 100u18 and captained team Scotland in the 100u18 championships at Frickley when I was 14. I had two great years on him but wanted to move up to novice so that’s how I got Diamond Pippin (Pip).

She has taken me from 100 to 3* and is the most fun, she oozes talent and can’t wait for the coming years with her. Some of her best results are wins at 100 and novice, 3rd in the 2*L at the International Youth Championships and double clear in her first Intermediate. I also have Cameron Crawfords Up Up and Away (Russell). I started riding him in the middle of 2022 and I am learning so much from him. Some of our best results together are a win at Forgandenny novice, 6th at Floors 2* short and double clear in both our first intermediate and 3* together. This past winter I have also been riding my Mum’s dressage horse Newton Feronia (Diva) who has just qualified for Nationals.

 

2.Tell us all about your horses. 

Pip is a 16.1h grey Irish Sports horse and has the best attitude of always wanting to please. She’s not a big fan of specifically golden Labradors (we have one) and tends to chase them! But apart from that she’s very sweet and lovely to have around.

Russell is a 17h grey Irish Sports horse – he doesn’t like anyone coming near his food and loves sunbathing in the field. He’s so talented and loves his job.

Diva is a 16.2 chestnut mare. She can often be found sharing her breakfast and dinner with the dogs and is prone to seeing ghosts at competitions as well as at home!

Fanta (my second pony who we now have back since he’s retired) is a 12.2h Dartmoor pony and he’s very cute however he is a bit of an escape artist.

 

3. How do you make sure your horses are always in the best condition possible?

Our horses all get adlib Hay up Haylage and have it at home, at competitions and when travelling. It’s really important to feed good quality tested forage like Hay up Haylage alongside your hard feed so that one compliments the other. All the horses love the haylage ranging from a 24 year old pony to fit event horses – all coats gleaming thanks to all the nutrients in it. We never run out thanks to the reliable and speedy delivery service.

 

4. Who is your biggest inspiration?

There are many people who inspire me and it is hard to choose one as I feel there’s so much to learn from multiple different riders. One is Ingrid Klimke as she’s reached top level across all 3 disciplines.

 

5. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

I am most proud of either coming 3rd in the 2*L at the u18 International Youth Championships or double clear at my first 3*.

 

6. How does the rest of 2024 look for you and what are you most looking forward to in the upcoming season?

Hopefully more runs at intermediate and 3* and go from there, things change all the time with horses so I do have a plan however I also see how they feel throughout the year.

 

To see more of what Grace is up to, follow her on Instagram: @gracebotterell_