Latest / Shut Up and Ride / Gemma Stevens: Getting Burghley Off Her Back!

Transcript

Gemma Stevens: Getting Burghley Off Her Back! · Shut Up and Ride

• 0:00
  Speaker A: Hey, listeners. So today we want to chat to you about Animal Friends pet Insurance.
• 0:04
  Speaker B: Yes, yes, we do, but it's not what you think. We're not here to give you a great long speech about insurance.
• 0:10
  Speaker A: I mean, that is a bit surprising because we know how you love to go on, Simon. Anyway, did you know that Animal Friends Pet Insurance was founded in 1998 on a commitment to create better lives for animals?
• 0:24
  Speaker B: No, Jenny, I didn't know that. I also didn't know they provided horse insurance cover alongside dog and cat cover until recently either.
• 0:31
  Speaker A: Yeah, and over the years they have actually supported more than 830 animal welfare charities here in the UK and around the world. And one of those charities is the Amazing Blue Cross. They have supported sick, injured and homeless pets since 1897 and are very close to our hearts here at Shut up and Ride.
• 0:53
  Speaker B: Yes, they are. Animal Friends directly gives funding to support their Horse Home Direct Scheme, an admission and adoption service that can not only help you find the right home for your horse, but also find the right horse for you if you're looking to adopt.
• 1:05
  Speaker A: Together, Animal Friends and the Blue Cross aim to support both pets and people in need, whilst reinforcing their joint commitment to championing animal welfare. You can visit animalfriends.co.uk BlueCross for more information. And before we forget, I need to be responsible and let the listeners know that this was a paid advert on behalf of Animal Friends Pet Insurance, just in case that wasn't obvious. Thank you for listening. Welcome to another edition and must I say, a very special edition. I'm very excited. I'm always very excited, but I'm very excited today of the Shut up and Write podcast, brought to you by the wonderful Charles Owen, who keep people's heads safe and backs protected. Right, we have a guest. First of all, I'm going to say a quick hi to Sime. How are you, Simi?
• 2:00
  Speaker B: Hello. I'm okay, thank you. How are you?
• 2:02
  Speaker A: I'm all right, I'm all right. I've got a few.
• 2:05
  Speaker B: You're looking very chirpy and very excited.
• 2:07
  Speaker A: That's because of our guest. I'm very excited.
• 2:10
  Speaker B: It is an exciting one.
• 2:11
  Speaker A: It is a really good one. It's a really good one. She's already been on here before. So, guest. I'm going to do an introduction. I've actually planned an introduction. I'm trying to be really professional about my course now. I know. So you can criticize afterwards. All right. You can tell me if I've done a good job. All right? You Can. All right, our guest today. Look at me getting all professional podcast professional. Our guest today has just done something rather bloody brilliant. She's an Olympian, a world championship team gold medalist, a five star winner and a seriously handy show jumper. And as of a few weeks ago, the 2026 defender burly champion. She did it with Jilly Knight, or Alfie as we know him. A horse she has known since he was born, finishing on her dressage score and winning by a whopping 13.4 penalties. And then she went on jumped a and won a meter 40 show jumping class at Ixted because apparently one discipline isn't enough. She can do it all. Watch out dresshouse folks, because she might come for you next. So fresh from what I think I can safely say is the biggest win of her career, Gemma Stevens. Bloody welcome to the shut up and ride podcast again.
• 3:24
  Speaker C: Well, that was quite an introduction. Thanks.
• 3:27
  Speaker A: I've been practicing.
• 3:30
  Speaker C: You are actually mad, you know that, don't you?
• 3:33
  Speaker A: Yeah. That's why you love me and that's why I love you.
• 3:35
  Speaker C: Yeah. I've missed your madness.
• 3:39
  Speaker A: Oh, I even got a balloon and put congratulations on it and sent you a selfie after. I know you did. I love that.
• 3:46
  Speaker C: I loved that. That actually made me giggle when I was like starting to look through all my messages on the way home that came up and I was like,
• 3:55
  Speaker A: I went and got like a little mini helium balloon. Just self eat it.
• 4:00
  Speaker C: That really made me laugh.
• 4:02
  Speaker A: Oh, there are wins and there are wins and this is a funny old world. But there are some wins, aren't there Simi, when you watch and you, Gemma, wear your heart on your sleeve. And you, you're very shit at hiding your emotions.
• 4:19
  Speaker C: Totally.
• 4:20
  Speaker A: Because this meant nothing. Did it? This was terrible. Meant nothing at all?
• 4:25
  Speaker C: No, no, it didn't mean a thing.
• 4:27
  Speaker A: Oh, it's that crap question, but there's no other way of wording it. What does it feel like now, a few weeks gone to having one one of the big B's? These I, I. For anyone who's listening to this that doesn't know much about eventing or is just following. They think Simon's the handsomest man in the world. It is. It, it's it's love how he barely
• 4:50
  Speaker C: breaks into a laugh. Just so used to it.
• 4:55
  Speaker B: Because it's true.
• 4:55
  Speaker A: It's true, it's true. International man of mystery. Why is Burley so important a win for you? What is it? What? Now you can absorb it all in. Why is it so bloody epic that you've won? Burley, My Love,
• 5:13
  Speaker C: I think there is so many things we all, you know, badminton and Burghley, they are. They are the bee's knees. They are the pinnacle of eventing. They are what eventing has been. Has been sort of mapped around for years and years and years, decades and decades. You know, you go back decades and everyone's aim that had a good horse that could do Badminton Valley, that was their aim every single year. Badminton and Burghley. And honestly, what happened in between then just didn't matter. You know, there was the odd event, you know, maybe Gatcombe park leading up to Burghley or something like that, but. But Burley, Badminton and Burghley are what, you know, eventing's history is all about. So they are so sacred, so special, so iconic and therefore so important to. To us, to all of us. To just compete there is awesome. And then to actually win one has been such a dream of mine forever, since I was old enough to understand what it was. You know, I was lucky enough. My mother and father took me to badminton when I was a baby and a young girl, and that's. Honestly, that's just what I've been striving to do. So to finally, after many years of trying to actually win, win one is just. It's a dream come true. And honestly, I sort of thought, you know, at the time, actually, when I was at Burleigh and it was starting to become a potential reality that I could win, win. I was thinking, gosh, I, you know, I hope that this is going to be as good in my mind and in my heart as I have always hoped for. And, yeah, bloody is. Yeah, bloody is, like, just. It's still an amazing feeling and I feel weirdly relaxed about everything else now, which is actually really nice. And, like, I'm really looking forward to going to Buccalow this week. I feel like I've had such a great, you know, year apart from the world. It's been such a great year and the horses have gone so well and I just literally want to go and enjoy it and enjoy riding two lovely horses. And that's definitely off the back of winning Burley, I was going to say,
• 7:41
  Speaker B: do you feel like, because you're so busy, you're probably one of the busiest riders that there is in the world. Do you feel like you actually have had a chance to absorb this properly? Because it sounds like you have, but you can't have time to.
• 8:00
  Speaker C: I have and I haven't. Like, the two weeks after Burley was absolutely mental, literally, we got home From Burley. I rode horses all day Monday, all day Tuesday. We went to Cornbury on Wednesday, Thursday, and then we're at Hixted with six, seven, eight horses on Friday, Saturday, Sunday of that week. And, you know, we had a great week.
• 8:21
  Speaker B: Winning, by the way.
• 8:21
  Speaker C: Winning?
• 8:22
  Speaker A: Yeah, just a week.
• 8:24
  Speaker C: We had a great week and the horses went really, really well. And it was. But it was literally, I felt like my head was like in a washing machine. I was like. And my phone, honestly, absolutely just off the wall. Crazy. Like every time I'd leave my phone for an hour and I'd get back and I'd have 50 WhatsApps. Like, like crazy, crazy, crazy. And then obviously we got back from there and then we went to Blenheim. We had two days at home, went to Blenheim on the Wednesday and you know, Blenheim was. Blenheim was a real experience this year because everyone was just so lovely and everyone would stop me and say, you know, well done. Some women. I was on my way back from prize giving. Someone shouted across to me, gemma, you made me cry while I was doing my ironing. Oh, it's just like, amazing, honestly, amazing. I'm very, just, I don't know, humbling. Like, I just. Yeah, it's just very, very special. And so there was a lot of. A bit more time at Blenheim while I was sort of able to reflect and think a bit and have all those people be so lovely. And then we have had a week at home this week which has been amazing. I haven't actually been. Oh, no, I did go jumping on Thursday, but I haven't actually been to a competition. Proper, really proper, proper competition. Just a nice local show jumping show, getting the jumpers out. Um, but it's been a really nice week at home. We've had a whole weekend of just, you know, catching up a bit and yeah, had a little bit of time to reflect and it's still really amazing.
• 10:02
  Speaker B: And when I. So when during birdie week, you have. You have like the briefing and then there's a big photograph that they have and we get taken from the stables in vehicles. And I got in, I got. I got in my. In defenders and I got in defender and Gemma was sat in the front and I grabbed you by the shoulders and I said, oh, I think this might be your year and think, I think you could easily win it this year. And you were like, oh, no, no, don't say that, don't say that. But how did you actually feel coming in? Did you feel like there was a really strong. Because, like, you know, I hadn't actually thought about it that much until I got into that car and I saw it and I was like, fucking hells. You know what? She could definitely win this. Like, did you. Did you think that, like, when you were driving there on your. On your way there, did you think, you know what, actually, if I play my cards right, I could do this?
• 10:53
  Speaker C: Yeah. I'm not. I'm not really sure whether I really allowed myself to even think about it, to be really honest with you. Just because I was still, you know, feeling quite vulnerable after the world in every way, and still quite tearful, but trying very hard not to be. You know, obviously skin was a huge boost for morale for all of us, but it was still quite a fragile time. And, you know, I was just trying to sort of get my head down and try and just actually enjoy Burley and enjoy that horse because I. I genuinely really love him and I love riding him and I like having him around. He's just such a great little guy. And I just thought, I just gotta go to Burley and I've gotta just go there and enjoy riding that horse and having the owners there who are great, who, you know, and having everyone there, family there, you know, my dad, my mom, everyone's there, my best mates, and just try and really enjoy Burley and kind of hope that the stars might align for us to get a top five placing. I thought that was a very realistic goal. You know, I thought that there certainly were a few combinations in there that could really, you know, really win. I wasn't sure whether we'd be good enough in the dressage to win. But look, it's Burley, isn't it? Anything can happen at Burghley and even the dressage happened at Burnley. I mean, what the hell? Just like, that was such a massive surprise, honestly.
• 12:37
  Speaker B: Well, because I came to watch. Watch your dressers. And I watched. I watched you warm up and. And it. And it. And it looked like at times you guys weren't quite on the same page. And it was. It just looked. And you didn't look completely at one. And I was like, oh, God. And then you went in there and literally every single mark, like, it was an absolute. I don't want to be like, blanks my up your ass too much because everyone's written it the last couple of weeks, but, like. But it was an absolute masterclass on how to ride a dressage test. Like, you did not leave a single stone unturned. You didn't let Any mark pass you by. It was, it was, it was really good. Like, really like. And to go from what the warm up was to what you did in the arena, I was literally like. I was pretty, like, jaw dropping was really cool.
• 13:24
  Speaker C: Yeah, he's a funny horse. Because actually, if it all goes well in the warm up, he'll often. He'll often be cheeky in the ring and drop off my leg, which is what he did in badminton. I was like, I'm not gonna allow that to happen. I'm actually gonna almost like just be after him a bit in the warm up because he's so cheeky and he's so sure of himself. He thinks that he literally knows the dressage test and he will literally do it by himself without me asking. And that's what he did at badminton. And he kept getting in front of me at badminton, in front of me. As in, he'd throw in a change. Cause he likes doing flying changes. Or he'd drop behind my leg and do cheeky. Like he rested his leg in the hole. He knows not to do that. And he was just a bit of a cheeky monkey. And I was like, I'm not gonna let him be like that. So in the warmup, I was like, come on now. And we had a few little, like little tussles, didn't we? And a few little like, moments. But actually that's what helps, weirdly. And it's being brave enough in your partnership to be able to do that but still be mates and still go in the ring and perform.
• 14:36
  Speaker B: It did make me laugh because, like. Cause you were going around and you were very in the zone. And he was in the zone in the warmup. And it was like doing this and like you say it wasn't like this immaculate relationship at that stage. And then literally you went through the arch into the main arena and then you literally like, ta da.
• 14:53
  Speaker A: Bye, guys. Yeah.
• 14:55
  Speaker C: This is so great.
• 14:56
  Speaker B: He feels amazing. We've had such a great warmup. Can't wait. It was. That's kind of the vibe that you gave.
• 15:02
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 15:03
  Speaker B: And then you just carried that through. It was amazing. It was amazing.
• 15:06
  Speaker C: Yeah. And that's. It is. That's the confidence that I. We have in each other. Like, I've done that quite a few times with him where I've sort of had a bit of a tussle in the warmup. And I never forget William doing it in Rio with Chile himself. And Chris Stone always said to me, he did his best dressage test when he had a crap Warmup. And it's funny because some of his offspring are like that and some of them aren't, But Alfie is 100% like that. If I've swanned around the warmup or we've had a little argument, you know, between us, then a lubber's tiff. Yeah, it literally is. It's just like a little tiff. He's like, but I want to do it this way. And I'm like, no, no, we're going to do it this way. And you're going to listen. And then we go in the ring. And he's like, okay, yeah, we'll do this. Let's do this.
• 15:56
  Speaker B: Mum. I was. I was pretty convinced that you were going to win. I was. I was like. I was really sure you were going to. And. But like, the way that all panned out for me was like, like the perfect storm, as in my head, as it was going along. So, like, when you were. Where were you? Were you second or third after dressage?
• 16:13
  Speaker C: Second.
• 16:14
  Speaker B: Second. Yeah. So I was like, so she's not in the lead. Lead. So actually that. I know it sounds stupid cause it's only one place, but like, if you're in the lead, it does put on that little extra. And I was like, that's perfect. And then obviously you went quite clear inside the time, which I was expecting you to do anyway, but then you're in the lead. And I was like, even that's perfect as well, because that is the thing that you are probably the most confident about is making sure you don't make a mistake in the show jumping. So it was like, for me, it was like the perfect storm. Did it feel like that to you or not really?
• 16:44
  Speaker A: I.
• 16:47
  Speaker C: No, no, it felt terrifying. But the show jumping, I was terrified because, you know, any. And it's still. Anything can happen. Well, first of all, obviously bloody trot up. So, you know, Alfie is 16 years old and he doesn't have perfect feet. And he actually was sore after the cross country and we trussed him up and we were like, oh, God, he doesn't look very good. But it was a really simple problem. One of his shoes had. Basically, he had a tiny bruise underneath one of his shoes. And the farrier was amazing. And he took the shoe off, he ground the shoe out and basically took the pressure off the bruise. And it was literally tiny little bruise, like really small, but it was making him sore. Took the pressure off the bruise, put the shoe back on, totally fine.
• 17:41
  Speaker A: Oh, wow.
• 17:43
  Speaker C: So that was a massive relief. But it was Something that I still worried about all night. Literally did not sleep horrendous. I thought that Georgie, my groom, had got up in the middle of the night at 2am to go and see Alfie because someone had phoned her saying there was a problem. No, this was all happening in my mind, but I actually had to get up and see if she was still in her bed and she was still in her bed. But, yeah, so the sleeping wasn't that good. And then I literally got up at 5, as soon as we were around the stables to go and look at him and he was fine. He trotted up really, really well in the morning and basically the farrier and the vet said, do not walk him, do not do anything with him. Just literally walk him up to the. Trot up and trot him up. Don't trot, don't do anything, don't walk him at all because he looked really good and we obviously didn't want to do anything more with the foot. But anyway, I shouldn't have worried because he was absolutely perfect anyway, so obviously that was done. Trot up was done. Thank God. All good. And then I thought I'd just give him a little ride and just make sure that I had him back together again. I didn't do that at badminton the year before and I've never really done it before. But obviously that year at badminton when he was. What we didn't know was that he had had a problem and he had five show jumps down, which is just not Alfie at all. He's never done that before and he probably won't ever do it again. And I. And he was poorly that day. We didn't know he was. But obviously he was really flat and, you know, that was playing on my mind for sure. So I want to just get on him and make sure he felt good. And we literally. I rode him for five to ten minutes, just trotting around and just doing a little bit of leg yielding and things like that and just making sure he felt good. And then we just put up a little double and I came around the corner to it the first time and he threw his head in the air and dragged me to it. And I was like, yes, that was the best feeling because I was like, he's full of it, he's feeling good, he wants to do this. And we literally jumped this double three times with a couple of poles just to make him look at what he was doing. We literally jumped it three times and he literally landed and did a little head shake and a Little happy thing. And I was like, I'm so pleased to feel that. It was just the best feeling. And then Sam Watson was in there and he just looked at me and said, you're gonna win. And I said, well, that's definitely not a given. I've only got one in hand. And, you know, we've obviously had. Had our problem last year. And he said, you'll ask six runs, six international runs. Either one down or clear. You're gonna win. You're gonna be fine. And it was funny. Like, that was a little moment in my head where I was like, come on, I can do this. We can do this. And then obviously I knew Tim had had one down, so I knew there were two in hand, but I didn't realize I had three in hand. I did not know that. But I just thought, you've got to not knock a jump down, just finish on a dressage score. So, yeah.
• 21:01
  Speaker B: I tell you what, though, when I came to watch you, that warm up took forever. It took forever. I was like, oh, God, that must feel. I mean, it was taking forever for me. And, you know, I'm not. I mean, yeah, I, like, we're mates and I'm not totally involved with your stuff, but it felt forever for me. So, I mean, Christ knows what it felt like for you.
• 21:25
  Speaker C: Horrendous.
• 21:27
  Speaker B: Gemma. Gemma, you have, like, you have five. Gemma, you still have five. That kind of feeling, it's like, for God's sake.
• 21:34
  Speaker C: It was taking a really long time, wasn't it?
• 21:36
  Speaker B: Yeah, it really was. It really was.
• 21:38
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 21:38
  Speaker C: That was like hell. I'm not gonna lie. That was like hell. And I just. I don't know, I just kept thinking, come on. He's jumping really good in the warmup. He's feeling great, he's really happy, he's bright, he's good. I just need to go in and it doesn't matter if we have a mistake, but come on, let's just go and jump. Couldn't clear round.
• 21:57
  Speaker B: Come on.
• 21:59
  Speaker A: And you did.
• 22:00
  Speaker C: And we did.
• 22:00
  Speaker A: How?
• 22:02
  Speaker B: Gary looks so chilled as well.
• 22:03
  Speaker A: Yeah, Gary. Gary. He sat next to you, your other half. He was really, like, chilled on the sidelines. No sweat.
• 22:08
  Speaker B: Yeah. So chilled. You did look quite cool. He looked cool. He was cool.
• 22:15
  Speaker C: Yeah. Wasn't that cool when I finished? But that was a great. That was a great celebration.
• 22:22
  Speaker B: That was what was so lovely. Like, the celebration afterwards just was amazing. And then when you came out, you literally surrounded by your crew, and it was so great.
• 22:32
  Speaker A: Simon had already warmed the crowd up and done a Lap of honor in the first half for you. So their crowd were well ready for it.
• 22:40
  Speaker C: Oh, I love that.
• 22:43
  Speaker A: How. What was the last thing someone said to you before you went in? Do you have like a. Like a. I don't want anyone talking to me on my way up to the funnel. Do you like people saying good luck, like, because you are basically going in for the most important moment of your life. Like, what is it you want in that moment? Because I always see my friends riding in like you. I'm always like, should I say good luck? I don't want to distract them. What is that?
• 23:03
  Speaker B: It's a good job you didn't have Jenny there. She'd be like, now you do realize this is the biggest moment of your life.
• 23:07
  Speaker A: Yeah,
• 23:11
  Speaker C: yeah. No, you try not to think about that. You try and just concentrate on the job in hand. Try not to think, oh, this is literally career defining moment at all. And no, Dickie was right there. Gaz had kind of walked in front of me to go. To go and get in position. And Dickie was there and he. And he looked at me and I said, I'm just at Hickset, aren't I? And he said, yep, you're just at Hicksey. Go and jump a fucking clear round. I was like, okay,
• 23:41
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 23:42
  Speaker C: Oh my God, yeah.
• 23:43
  Speaker A: And then, like, I just. I just don't know if I could hold my shit together for that many jumps. I can't fucking like. Do you know what I mean? Like that. And then obviously you've got the, the few to go. Did you give yourself in that moment? I just. I'd love to be like a little person in your guys's heads when these moments happen. But, like, do you give yourself a moment? Like, did you go, right, I've done it, there's three left. Or do you only do that? Sammy doesn't even. He's so used to your weird shit.
• 24:14
  Speaker C: He doesn't even crack his flaw. La la la, Squirrel.
• 24:19
  Speaker A: No, that's not.
• 24:21
  Speaker C: That's not. You absolute idiot.
• 24:31
  Speaker A: Yeah, this is my life. Welcome to my brain. Oh, my God.
• 24:36
  Speaker C: I'm sorry I couldn't gloss over the Lana La.
• 24:38
  Speaker A: Ha ha.
• 24:38
  Speaker C: Squirrel.
• 24:40
  Speaker A: That's like me. If I was show jumping for the win, I'd be like, oh, look, Squirrel, someone in the crowd. Hey. Oh, you've got a corgi.
• 24:47
  Speaker C: Great.
• 24:47
  Speaker A: I couldn't hold my shit together for that many jumps. Did you know, like, did you like, let it go at the last fence or three fences before the end when you were clear?
• 25:00
  Speaker C: Like, what moment did you no, there was no time when you let it go.
• 25:04
  Speaker A: No.
• 25:05
  Speaker B: Apart from as you were going over to finish line. Oh, obviously, I thought you were going to fall off backwards.
• 25:12
  Speaker C: No, but not until then, because he's
• 25:15
  Speaker A: not the biggest horse to have a good celebration on either, is he, like.
• 25:18
  Speaker C: No, but he's a good boy. He quite likes the celebration.
• 25:21
  Speaker B: I think that was one of the best celebrations we've had for years.
• 25:24
  Speaker C: Yeah, well, I'm glad because it meant quite a lot.
• 25:27
  Speaker A: Yeah, it was pretty important.
• 25:30
  Speaker C: Yeah. I landed from the last fence and there was full concentration. Like, I didn't even think about until I jumped. I, like, jumped the last. We were in the air and I didn't hear the fence come down, you know, Landed full celebration. Fucking get in there.
• 25:49
  Speaker A: It was so.
• 25:50
  Speaker B: It was just brilliant.
• 25:51
  Speaker A: And I. Oh, just on a personal note, for me, watching and, like, I love, like, even as someone who's a fan of yours, who doesn't know you, you always are so good and you give loads to the media, so people have got to know you and been on this journey. And you were like the first rider I ever worked with with Horse and Country. Used to write a blog and I would edit it. You were the first yard I ever went to for a rider. You were the first rider I followed at Badminton with King's Gem. Like, I feel like I've been on a media journey with you and, like, I've seen you for so long, but for me as well, it was like you to get, like, soppy. Like, you had arctic soul. And I felt like you always got upset because you never kind of ticked that box with him. For him, it wasn't always about you. It was like. No, he was such a fucking cool horse. And that box just never quite. And there was a few moments of, like, whips being thrown because you had let him down. I think you felt I might be wrong in this. And I felt like you coming over that line, I'm getting emotional. Gem was like. And obviously what had happened at Arkham, but so many highs and lows through this sport. I felt you, watching you go over that line just felt like a fucking relief of just so hard. And you knew this horse had it in him and you've done it for this horse. Do you know what I mean? I am literally welling up because I'm so happy for you.
• 27:14
  Speaker C: No, it's true, though. Like, it has been many years of so near, so near, so close. And yeah, like you say, with dear old Spike, you know, he. He was an incredible creature. He was the most amazing, brilliant, you know, athlete of a horse.
• 27:33
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 27:33
  Speaker C: And we were so close, you know, quite a few times. You know, that time at Burley. I'll never forgive, I never forgive myself really for that, you know, he should have won Burley that year. I was third. But I'd been so poorly, so, so poorly, like I couldn't even walk the course until the Friday. And I, you know, blessed that horse. He took me around the cross country. I just steered. I just remember it was the same way round as this year and I remember jumping the leaf pit and just literally resting myself on his neck and saying to him, you've got, you've got to get us home, mate, because I'm
• 28:15
  Speaker A: all out, I'm done.
• 28:18
  Speaker C: But yes, and the following day, you know, I was weak. I was weak in my body. I was exhausted, exhausted. I couldn't really breathe and, you know, I just wasn't quite strong enough to. To keep him from dropping his shoulder, you know, the way he always did. And we ended up touching a vertical off the second last fence, which cost us, cost us a burly win and that, you know, I never forget it. And it, it's so sad that he didn't win and then stupid Covid obviously got in his way, you know, and okay, at the end of his career, but it was still very much, you know, his sort of good years. His 16, 16 year old year was Covid, 16, 17, you know, where actually the horse was incredible and very well. So, yeah, so no, that was, you know, just. Yeah, like exactly like you say. It was so near, so far. And then it's been like that with Alfie as well, you know, we had the year that I was deemed with the flag. My God, there's been some since then, there's been some seriously dodgy ones that you think, well, my one was nowhere near as bad as that. And they've taken it off. There's been some where the horse's back legs have not even jumped over the fence at all, not even taken off and they've not been given it. And you know, I did feel. Well, we were obviously absolutely gutted because that literally did cost us a badminton win.
• 29:48
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 29:49
  Speaker C: So I do feel like we've been and, you know, so near, so far, so close so many times over the years that, that relief over that finish line was real, I can tell you. Beyond real. Yeah. To finally, finally actually been good enough and, you know, stayed in one piece and managed to jump all the jumps without falling down or losing a shoe or missing a Flag or having five jumps down or, you know. Yeah.
• 30:23
  Speaker B: And going back to. Going back to the cross country.
• 30:25
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 30:28
  Speaker B: So I am, as we've discussed numerous times. I have with both of you, actually, and Gary as well. I'm really slow and you're always. And you're so.
• 30:39
  Speaker A: I did. Simon, you're awesome.
• 30:41
  Speaker B: Gary reminds me of that quite often.
• 30:42
  Speaker C: It might be slow, but beyond, beyond lovely to watch. And so polished and so beautiful.
• 30:48
  Speaker B: Oh, you're so.
• 30:49
  Speaker A: And also, you've gone clear the last three times you've competed at five star,
• 30:53
  Speaker C: so it's pretty awesome.
• 30:55
  Speaker A: I know, it's cool.
• 30:55
  Speaker C: Just silly. Yeah, it's pretty awesome. And you know, if you want to watch a stylish round and you watch shaime, it's pretty awesome.
• 31:03
  Speaker A: Him through the leaf pit of Burley this year. Gemma, how fucking cool was that?
• 31:07
  Speaker C: Absolute class. We watched it all back and you were class.
• 31:11
  Speaker B: Oh, thank you. That's very kind of you. But my question was. Sorry, my question was. So to be inside the time around that track would take some, like. I didn't think I was hanging around and I got 18. So literally, as you're going round, is it constant, constant, constant. Are you literally just going to flat out the whole time doing as fast as you possibly can, every inch of the way?
• 31:36
  Speaker A: Pretty much. What are you doing? Can you give Simon some tips? This is Gemma's tip corner. So training.
• 31:44
  Speaker B: When we had this discussion about, you know, I said, oh, you're going to win. This is exciting, whatever. And then we were talking about. Because my horse, he gets these little moments where he's like. He's like, do you know what? I'm actually really tired. And Gemma was like, yeah, yeah. You can give him like a little moment where you can like, just give him a breather probably on the downhill and he can keep traveling and he can give him a little breather and then go again. And I was like, okay, cool. So then we got given a map of the course and I was like, right, so I could give him a breather here and then I could give him another breather here. Cause that's on the downhill. And then he's like, no, this. I'm talking one breather, not like four or five throughout the whole track.
• 32:19
  Speaker C: That is really funny. It was funny. That was quite a funny moment, Simi.
• 32:24
  Speaker B: I was like, oh, I thought I'd give with you. No, you can't.
• 32:28
  Speaker C: No, no. So making the time at any five star is really hard graft. Making the time at Burley does take it to a whole New level of half graft.
• 32:42
  Speaker A: That's the hills. Right. Because a lot of people here won't know the difference between any five star. But Burghley is renowned for its. I like this word. Undulations.
• 32:51
  Speaker C: Yeah. And not only that, but actually it surprised me when I wrote it, actually, how twisty it can feel, you know? And I think he was quite clever with that. It felt twistier and slower in some places. And I can feel in my head the seconds ticking away. I'm like, oh, this is so slow. Come on, come on. Like, through that first, very first water, I was like, this is so slow, like. And you're already on minute two. You're like 10 seconds down. I was like, oh, my God, come on. And luckily I made that up by minute four. And I was bang on minute four. And then I was on the second next turn. And then I actually managed to get down at the trout hatchery. I was probably five seconds down there. And then again managed to make it up. And there was actually then five seconds up on my. My ninth minute, at least, which was great. Cause I thought then I could just have a breather for a second going up that hill and just not push for a second.
• 33:59
  Speaker A: Simon, a second.
• 34:01
  Speaker B: Just one. One breather.
• 34:03
  Speaker C: One breather. Yeah, yeah. And then I landed from the leaf pit. Thank God. That was scary.
• 34:10
  Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I gathered. It was a bit exciting.
• 34:13
  Speaker C: Was a little bit. It's a moment. Yeah. Have you seen it or not?
• 34:23
  Speaker B: Did you swear? Because I swore coming out of the
• 34:25
  Speaker C: police pit, I swore. I screamed.
• 34:27
  Speaker B: He got bleeped.
• 34:28
  Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I screamed and I swore. And I then told my pony how much I loved him. So, yeah, no. So normally Alfie will usually down a drop. He's quite careful. He never, ever stop, but he'd be quite careful. And often when we jumped off big drops without a pole on the top or a log on the top, he's put his little foot on the actual back of the drop, if that makes sense. And then, like, jumped off. And he always jumps off very politely and not big. So sort of expecting him to do that. And actually he jumped off really quite bravely and well. And we ended up down in the bottom kind of much quicker than I'd anticipated. And then I was like, don't pull on the reins, don't pull on the reins. Try and just ride forward. So the whole way around I was like, just don't pull on the reins. Don't annoy him. Don't annoy his head. So don't pull on the reins. Just ride forward, ride forward. And Alfie was like, hang on a minute, there's another stride in there. We're not going on that forward stride because there's a corner there, See? He knew. And he put a little one in. And I was like, holy shit balls. We are now seriously far off. Like, we climbed over the hedge. I don't know how he jumped that. He, like, found some sort of eighth leg, jumped that. And then I was like, well, I mean, the gods need to be with us right now. And I just kicked, turned and screamed and he just went and, like, grew Alfie wings, little. His little ginger wings and just flew over the corner to me, screaming at him again to tell him how much I loved him and patting him a lot. And then we landed from there and I galloped away and galloped along and I really got my head down. And then I was just so happy when I came up to the main arena that I was right up on my 10th minute. I was actually past my 10th minute when my watch went off and, oh,
• 36:38
  Speaker B: my God, that must be such a cool feeling.
• 36:40
  Speaker C: I've never had that at that point, at that moment. That was a really cool feeling. So I thought, I can just take my time through the arena. And he pinged through there. I sort of got to the main arena, I thought, oh, God, he feels really tired now, really tired. And I sort of went like that. And he pricked his ears at the jump and I thought, this is gonna be. He's gonna be really low over his fences. But just sit back, hold onto his head, give him support. I needn't have bothered. He just went ping, ping, ping through that like he was on fresh legs. And I landed from that and I said, come on then, boy. And he just. He just absolutely accelerated out of that arena, down the hill and along there. And I got like 10 seconds within my 11th minute, and I looked down and I was like, this is great. I've got. I've got like 40 seconds to get home. And I probably only needed 25. And so I just let him jump the second last fence and I eased up, just bringing him right back onto his hocks to jump the last. Giving me time counted over the last. I knew I was three or four seconds inside. It was a pretty cool feeling.
• 37:52
  Speaker B: Yeah. Thank God you didn't do a bull and more, bless her. I felt so bad for Sarah. That was terrible. She was seriously travelling, wasn't she?
• 38:02
  Speaker C: She was traveling. And that's the trouble, isn't it, when you're chasing the clock On a tired horse. That's what happens.
• 38:08
  Speaker A: Explain to our steering definitely when to love. And Sarah Bullamore, for those who aren't eventing aficionados. What did she do?
• 38:15
  Speaker B: She was really, really going for it. And it was a left handed turn to the final fence and Sarah was, she was in a really good spot. And, and she was, she was up on the time, wasn't she?
• 38:26
  Speaker C: Well, she, yeah, she was, she was slightly down. She wasn't going to make the time, which is why I think she was trying.
• 38:33
  Speaker B: Yeah. And she, and, and basically the horse was like, yay, let's carry on back to the collecting ring. And it's like, no, no, no. We're turning to jump this jump and. And then eventually it's. He, he's. When he realized, he's like, oh, God, sorry. And then he turned. They were completely offline. And then it's just a literally disaster.
• 38:49
  Speaker C: Yeah, hit it, hit it. Obviously very hard on the angle and she tipped out the side door. They were both absolutely fine. But yeah, came off at the last fence.
• 38:59
  Speaker A: But that.
• 38:59
  Speaker B: Her time will come with that horse though. Her time will come down.
• 39:02
  Speaker A: Oh, yeah. But that's going to be one of those horses where everyone's got these expectations. A bit like an arctic soul or something like that. Because it's such an amazing horse and
• 39:11
  Speaker C: you've got to remember the horse is only 10.
• 39:13
  Speaker A: Yeah, it's such a cool horse.
• 39:15
  Speaker C: He's a baby horse.
• 39:16
  Speaker A: But I'm starting to like what you've achieved because winning a five star, obviously, because we have this group of top riders who are at the top and you always think, oh, they're the ones who are always winning the five stars. But Sarah Bullemore's never won a five star. Tina Cook never won a five star. Izzy Taylor never won a five star. We could keep going with a list of like, do you know Simon Green? You have a. Won a five star. Let's, let's. Who else? I want to name more boys that have never done five stars that we know that are always at the top of the game. But do you know what I mean? Like there's all of these, oh, Harry Mead never won a five star. Do you know what I mean? So these are all names that are synonymous with eventing and people could list off, but when you actually break it down, the list is endless of top riders who've never won a five star. And now you've won Burley. I'm not listing that.
• 40:18
  Speaker B: And it's. And it's there forever. It's there forever and ever. Like, you look through the, you look through the list of winners, like, and you look back at like 1985, Ginny Elliott or Jenny Holgate, she was there winning, and it's like, oh, yeah, now it's going to be in 20 years time and you're like, oh, yeah, Gemma Stevens won that a couple of times.
• 40:36
  Speaker C: That would be cool. But yeah, no, I mean, it's. Yeah, it's. The whole Winners Avenue thing is so cool as well. So iconic. I'm so excited about that.
• 40:46
  Speaker A: Do you go when they put your plaque on or have they already done it? Like, when does that happen?
• 40:50
  Speaker C: I don't know. Ah, no idea.
• 40:52
  Speaker A: So for anyone who's never been to Burley, the bit where they gallop like to or from the Cosmore Leap is like a big row of trees. And you always hear it on the commentary. They call it Winners Avenue, but that is because there's a rows of plaques where the. With your name and the name of your horse and the year you want it. And it is amazing to walk up it. I love it and like, see all the names and things. It's really cool.
• 41:12
  Speaker B: It's very cool idea. It's a really cool idea.
• 41:14
  Speaker C: It's very cool. Very iconic. Yeah, A lot of fun.
• 41:18
  Speaker A: Oh, I'm just so happy for you. I'm just like over the moon. I just.
• 41:26
  Speaker C: You're gonna come to the party?
• 41:28
  Speaker A: When are you having your party?
• 41:29
  Speaker C: Well, we don't know yet. Can you maybe 12th of 12th of December, maybe Can you have it in
• 41:34
  Speaker A: January when I'm back anyway for the podcast tour?
• 41:38
  Speaker C: Well, if we can't make it happen in December, it might have to be January.
• 41:42
  Speaker A: Yay. I always miss out on these things. Stupid Canada. Can I ask you probably quite personal questions and we can edit them if you're like, oh, fuck off, Jenny. I don't want to answer these things, but because this podcast does reach so many, like, people and in lots of different ways and it really resonates with people because from the outside it all looks like you guys have got your shit together and it looks easy and like it's not. But you have also over the years, you train so hard, don't you? Like, you really, like, concentrate on your, like, physical outlooks and like. And obviously he's not the biggest of horses. Chile as well. So, Alfie, so you've got to like, as a woman, like, in this sport, it's not easy to remain kind of svelte and like, Simon Greave this tiny Little human like, you work so hard and weight is a constant thing that you worry about, isn't it? And like training.
• 42:38
  Speaker C: Oh, very much.
• 42:39
  Speaker A: And it's not just your riding keeps you fit.
• 42:42
  Speaker C: Yeah. And I don't have a good relationship with food. I definitely. What's the word? I'm an emotional. What's the word?
• 42:53
  Speaker A: Emotional muncher. That's definitely a muncher. If that's not a thing. It is now. That's an amazing Gary. Oh, God. I'm an emotional muncher as well. Oh, my word.
• 43:04
  Speaker C: Oh, you eat your feelings. I was doing really. I was doing quite well up until the world and then I just absolutely lost it. And so, yeah, I definitely eat my feelings all the time. It's really bad. And so when you're so up and down and this sport is so crazy, it's hard to stay on a level and in that way. But yeah, obviously I try and work hard in the gym. Obviously I only have so much time, so especially when we're going away back to back eventing, so I try and work in the gym minimum, absolute minimum of once a week, usually on a Monday or a Tuesday, and then we're off again eventing. So that works really well. And then obviously you end up, you know, you're going cross country at the weekend, you're pretty busy all week riding and stuff. So during the season it works really well. And then obviously off season, you have to work a bit harder.
• 44:03
  Speaker B: How to truly exhaust yourself.
• 44:05
  Speaker C: That's how.
• 44:06
  Speaker B: By Gemma Stevens.
• 44:07
  Speaker C: Yeah, basically, yeah.
• 44:11
  Speaker A: Because you guys have to be so bloody fit. Going round across five star is. I don't think people realize just how fit you have to be. And all of us aren't spring chickens anymore. Have you found that harder as you've got. How old are you now, Jem, if you don't mind me asking?
• 44:27
  Speaker C: 41.
• 44:28
  Speaker A: 41. Oh, she's still a spring chicken. But have you found that harder as you got older? Because we're not meant. Athletes aren't meant to be doing top level sport at this age. Like football is quite my 30. Like your body, I can tell you
• 44:41
  Speaker C: now because I've been sat in this same position. When I get up, I probably won't be able to walk. Yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's hard work. Simon will vouch for me that it's going round a five star is hard graft. It's very physical, it's long, it's tiring, it's mentally tiring and physically tiring. And you have to be fit. You do have to be fit. You've got to do extra. You can't just rely on riding. Now, obviously, I. We do have a lot of horses and I do find that I try and have a couple of days a week of really riding a lot to help with the fitness. So, like, I'll have days where I jump 10, 11 horses.
• 45:31
  Speaker A: Jesus Christ.
• 45:33
  Speaker C: And I do find that does wear me out, but it adds my fitness. And so, yeah, that was.
• 45:42
  Speaker B: But they do. But they do say, like, you speak to personal trainers or, you know, fitness gurus, and they do say that rest is a really important element of. Yeah, of fitness. And you don't get that.
• 45:57
  Speaker C: No, no, it's not that good. Sometimes I am beyond exhausted. Yeah. And some days I think, holy hell, I'm really struggling today. But. But I do try, you know, like this weekend, you know, it's been less busy and I've definitely, you know, had a little bit of downtime, but week on a weekly basis, it is hard. But there are some afternoons where, you know, I'll ride all morning, do quite a bit and then I will go home and try and, you know, try and have a rest. You know, I'll try and have a nap.
• 46:34
  Speaker B: Or the horse is the. I don't mind me going back to this, but when we were at. What was the event in spring that you won?
• 46:44
  Speaker C: Thoresby.
• 46:44
  Speaker B: Thoresby. We're at Thoresby. And. And Gemma had a. Had an amazing event, also a. A bit of a shocker and event.
• 46:51
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 46:52
  Speaker B: And. And we were parked next to each other and Gemma got quite emotional because her second horse didn't go as well as she was in life. In fact, three of them. Simon, but.
• 47:03
  Speaker C: But he was amazing. Simon was amazing. He honestly made me feel like I could do it again.
• 47:08
  Speaker B: Aw, good. That's good. Well, because you can. But my point. My point being that even then you'd had such a busy time, you were exhausted. And when things go wrong, like, I know that when things go wrong, for me, if I'm tired, it's accentuated by like, 75%. It's so much worse. So it's no wonder you get really emotional. So it's something. It's. Yeah, it's. How do you manage that? You know, And I suppose the way of managing that is to have the people around you.
• 47:37
  Speaker C: Yeah, it's. It is hard. It's hard and it's, you know, it is important to try and get your sleep and then it's frustrating when your sleep's not great and things like that. But it. Yeah, it's really important to. Yeah, like you say, have the right people around you helping you.
• 47:52
  Speaker A: Another personal question. This might be too personal. So I'm training with Kate Tarrant for a hyrox.
• 47:59
  Speaker C: Oh, God.
• 48:00
  Speaker A: I know, right? I'm gonna be a hyrox wanker.
• 48:02
  Speaker C: That's crazy. Yeah. Fucking.
• 48:04
  Speaker A: Honestly, I can barely move. I'd really like to wake up one day without muscle soreness. I did a session yesterday and you know, dom's delayed onset muscle soreness. I haven't got doms. I've got actual real time muscle soreness. It's happened now during the event, but I am like, right, it's in November and I'm like, right, I really, really don't want my period when I'm like the week before my period, I feel like fucking shit. And also, I'm completely insane. I am on hrt. I have extra estrogen still. Fucking nuts. Like, even Simon's even said to me in the past, have you changed your patch, daddy? You're a bit nuts today. So for me, that is in the back of my mind, I cannot imagine having like Burley or badminton at that point in a cycle. Like also having to wear white jumpers. Awful. But, like, there are a couple of days of the month.
• 48:54
  Speaker C: It is a real. So this is a massive, massive thing. And I actually have thought about it, funnily enough, quite a lot this year because I've actually had a few women talk to me about it. And yes, it is really personal. Of course it is. And. But at the same time, half of the population are women and we all have our own issues with our cycles and with our hormones and it is a very, very tricky thing. And I, you know, openly have spoken about it to these women that have spoken to me. And I basically have to manage mine with the pill because I absolutely cannot cope with having a period when I'm doing a big event. I tried to not be on the pill and I've suffered hugely with endometriosis, so I 100% cannot cope with it. To the point, you know, to the point where it used to make me sick. So sick. You know, we were going along the M25 to Tweezledam one day and I had to get Gaz to pull over so I could be sick. We were walking across, you know, this is for a B100, a young horse. We were walking the course and I'm being sick in the bush and, you know, I'm trying to ride. I'm trotting round for my dressage and I'm. I can't sit in the saddle. So I'm hovering above the saddle because it hurts so much.
• 50:26
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 50:27
  Speaker C: And I'm just like, I cannot do this anymore. Like, I can't. I can't cope with this anymore. So when the doctors got it sorted out and I control it with the pill because I just, I can't. I can't do it.
• 50:39
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
• 50:40
  Speaker C: You know, I'd love to not to not be on the pill because it also makes you feel sometimes like a dead person.
• 50:45
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 50:45
  Speaker C: But that is kind of us as women, it's something that we have to cope with. And yeah, it is a personal thing, but at the same time, you know, we should be outspoken because people should understand and other women obviously should be able to talk about it and understand that they're not alone in feeling, you
• 51:05
  Speaker B: know, very hormonal because it does feel very. It does feel like it's only you, doesn't it? It does feel very.
• 51:11
  Speaker C: When you're feeling like that, it's really not. You know, a lot of women suffer, really suffer with it and suffer with their cycles and suffer with their hormones and one minute feeling on top of the world and the next minute feeling literally so emotional, you know, I shouldn't say this word, but sometimes it's like crazy over emotional, suicidal and like, you know, completely, you know, you can't control your crying, which is so awful as well. And a lot of women have that and don't really talk about it. You know, one girl said to me, you know, she said she'd never forget, you know, she got her period and she was in the warmup for show jumping and she thought, you know, she thought, oh, my God, I can feel it. And she went to the loo and she'd had, you know, she'd had a leak and she had to put on a brave face and do her show jumping round because they wouldn't put her time back to go and check with Richard. And she was terrified, absolutely terrified of it coming, you know, showing. Luckily no one saw. She ran back straight up to her show jumping and got herself sorted out. But it is literally an absolute nightmare. But it's totally real. It's a real thing that happens. And, you know, yeah.
• 52:30
  Speaker A: How easy would it be at events to. In the port a loos or in the loos next to warmups or whatever, have sanitary products and have a rule that if someone said, this has happened cause of my period, oh, shit, we'll move your time 10 minutes. Would that really fucking hurt anyone? Do you know what I mean?
• 52:45
  Speaker C: No, it wouldn't. And. But it's being brave enough to actually say that, though. Like, you know, the majority of women just wouldn't. Wouldn't want.
• 52:53
  Speaker B: I was gonna say it's about it being brought up, isn't it? And people and being made aware of that.
• 52:58
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And being able to say the word period without a boy or anyone just flinching a little bit.
• 53:04
  Speaker C: It's like, because at the end of the day, it's half the population and it's also how other humans are made.
• 53:10
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 53:11
  Speaker B: But it doesn't even. Like, it doesn't even compute with some people. Like, some people. Like, I didn't really even think about it until I think it's a couple of years ago now, and I was jumping at Bellevue and a friend of mine, she was like, oop, just bought myself some new britches. And I was like, why have you done that? And she was like, well, I leaked all over the other ones, like, when I did my last round. And she was really funny about it. But, like, I was like, oh, I
• 53:32
  Speaker A: didn't really think that was a thing is as well. Sometimes, like, you want to be funny about it because inside you're dying. So she might have been like.
• 53:39
  Speaker B: She was definitely being funny about it. Yeah, she's a proper comedian.
• 53:43
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 53:44
  Speaker A: But as well, with. With women like 40 plus, your hormones are going to start changing and going all over the place. Will you be quite open, Jem, to being like, right, if I need HRT or if I need to change what I'm doing, like, are you?
• 53:57
  Speaker C: Yeah, I. I hope I would be. You know, try and, you know, try, you know, try and talk about and try and, you know, with the younger girls, women, whatever, you know, if anyone ever wants to talk about it, I'm there. Like, I'm not an expert in any way, shape or form. No one is, because you only know your own body. But it's actually just having someone to talk to sometimes.
• 54:18
  Speaker A: Because horse riders, this is one of the things I struggle with. I didn't realize quite how bad I was until I moved to Canada and stopped riding my horse. I think every day riding him was like a mental release and that I stopped riding him and thought, I'm going fucking nuts. And then realized that I was going through perimenopause. And we focused on this podcast a lot, but I had that suicidal thought was really terrible. But I think as well, horse riders, you are like leg hanging off, your ears falling off. But you get on and ride. And I think that's where it's so nice to hear a rider like you going, no, let's talk about this. Because that's very different to, oh, you've got a hangover and you can't get up and get the fuck on your horse or you've hurt yourself.
• 55:00
  Speaker C: It's not the same thing.
• 55:02
  Speaker A: Yeah. And it's that mental health, isn't it? And there are great charities out there. But I think just hearing someone say that it's all right to talk about it does make a difference.
• 55:10
  Speaker C: Of course it does. And yeah, and it's a real thing and it should be spoken about and you know, you should, you know, women should be able to talk to people about it. And like you say, I agree with that so much. You know, there should be lose, you know, at all warm ups for all three phases. And why shouldn't there be like you say, sanitary products of some sort in there so that if you get stuck, you can deal with it there and then. And you don't, you know, you haven't got to beg for someone to, you know, push you back or whatever it might be.
• 55:45
  Speaker A: Or trying to hide, like tampons and jopers don't have pockets like you can hide stuff in.
• 55:50
  Speaker C: What I do hide them in my bra.
• 55:52
  Speaker A: Do you? But that's the thing. Why is it so embarrassing to walk around with a tampon in your hand? I'm like, give them to gas, give them to gas. Yeah. But it's this ridiculous thing to walk with a sanitary pad in your hand feels embarrassing. Why is that? It's like you want to hide it and run to the loose.
• 56:12
  Speaker C: You know, I'm fairly, you know, I'm fairly open. I'm very happy. Even if someone asks, I'm not going to go and talk about it. But if someone like you have, you've asked me, so, okay, I'll open up and I'll talk about it. But I'm definitely not going to walk around an event with a tampon in my hand. I'm going to stuff it down my bra or stuff it in some pocket.
• 56:30
  Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, it's just. Yeah, it's crazy. Well, it's. And it's so interesting that you plan your like 5 stars and round your like your pill and stuff. Because I was wondering that. Because if I knew I was five days out and I was like, oh shit, I've got burley. And that's the same day as I'm starting my period. Oh my Christ, that would put that would send me into enough anxiety that I wouldn't be performing at my optimum.
• 56:54
  Speaker C: So if I was just on my natural cycle without the pill and without the control, I wouldn't. So it got to the point where I actually couldn't function for 24 to 48 hours. I couldn't function. And he's saying that I was miserable. Well, yeah, I was, because I was in agony and it was horrible. So I had to change something because I thought if this falls on a really important day, that, you know, there is actually going to be a problem. So, yeah.
• 57:32
  Speaker A: Oh, that's so like. So thank you so much for talking about it as well, because, again, like, it's not like I know you well enough that I can bring it out. I'm not sure how many riders I'd be brave enough as well to go.
• 57:42
  Speaker C: And I should be.
• 57:42
  Speaker A: I should be brave enough. And if they don't want to talk about it, they don't have.
• 57:45
  Speaker B: She says that she. She'd ask lots of questions to lots of people. You are very brave, Jenny. You are very brave about that kind of stuff.
• 57:53
  Speaker A: And I do think that is important,
• 57:54
  Speaker B: because it's important and, you know, it's important to talk about that kind of thing. So it's great.
• 57:58
  Speaker A: And I just love the fact all girls on the podium this year at Burleigh. It was a real kind of. Sorry.
• 58:03
  Speaker C: I know.
• 58:04
  Speaker A: It was just. It is tough being at the top as a. As a woman in this sport. And I just was like, yeah, it's amazing. And you've led the way, Jem. You've shown what can be possible. Right. I have a couple of things for you to finish this podcast, first of all. Well, secondly, we're going to do our quick new Quick Fire questions. You've been on here before.
• 58:24
  Speaker C: You.
• 58:24
  Speaker A: God, I hate these. But first of all, someone who was a very dear friend of ours, Laura Collett.
• 58:31
  Speaker C: Oh, God.
• 58:33
  Speaker A: Said to ask you a few questions on her behalf on this podcast. She said, ask her why her nickname is Betty Gary. Nothing to do with me,
• 58:51
  Speaker C: Gary.
• 58:52
  Speaker A: Nothing to do with me. Come on, Jem. Why is your nickname Betty so
• 59:01
  Speaker C: not very politically correct now?
• 59:03
  Speaker A: Oh, okay. We might have to edit this.
• 59:07
  Speaker C: So for some reason, Betty. I don't know where Real Betty came from. He just called me Betty one day, and then when I was really fat, he called, like, you know, when you get fat, he called me, come on, Big Betty. So Big Betty. So we're Big Betty. And then. But when. But when I get a bit thinner, I'm Betty. And then When I manage to get thinner, I'm bet. And it depends on how many T's bet or bet with two T's bet, Betty. Just depends. It's completely ingested. It's really funny. But he does call me Betty all the time.
• 59:45
  Speaker B: I love that.
• 59:46
  Speaker A: And I love the fact, you guys.
• 59:47
  Speaker B: How often does he call you Bet?
• 59:49
  Speaker C: Not very often, sadly. Yeah. I mean, yeah, I'd rather eat cake
• 59:58
  Speaker A: and be called Betty than be thin and called Bet. Like, that's the way I roll.
• 1:00:02
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:00:04
  Speaker A: I love this. Her second question is, and can you ask her if she checks under her bed before she goes to bed? She's such a little wanker. I have no idea what any of this is about.
• 1:00:24
  Speaker C: Oh, my God, that is so funny. Okay, so we were in safari together, her with her best mate Ben and me and Gaz, and we were literally in the middle of nowhere. Simon, you know about this place. What's it called again?
• 1:00:40
  Speaker B: Horizon. Horseback.
• 1:00:41
  Speaker A: Horizon Horseback. Botswana.
• 1:00:44
  Speaker B: It's got the boom around the Hitler.
• 1:00:46
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 1:00:47
  Speaker B: Yeah, that's it.
• 1:00:48
  Speaker C: So literally this place is in the middle of nowhere. Like in literally in the middle of nowhere.
• 1:00:55
  Speaker A: Well, we couldn't stay in the little original things.
• 1:00:58
  Speaker C: Yeah. So it's like in this Burma and there were these amazing little pods, but we couldn't sadly stay in the pods because the whole campsite flooded because we had a storm while we were there. So then there are these tents that are outside the Burma. So you really, when once it's dark, you either have to have a guide get you from the Burma to the Thames or you run like the wind with the torch because you are literally in Africa.
• 1:01:31
  Speaker B: So, you know, and there's everything, there's everything around there.
• 1:01:34
  Speaker C: There's everything. There is everything. So you don't take this for granted. So. So anyway, we've gone. It's like bedtime. They went pitch dark, they've gone to bed. So Gaz and I, we went to brush our teeth and goes to the loo and blah, blah, blah. So we'd done that and we made our way back through the Burma and got our torches and got into the to. To our tents. I'd take. Take my shoes off. I jumped on the bed and Gaz jumped on the bed and then I've come across to the bed to like, I don't know, sort my bag out or whatever I'm doing, you know, we're on top torchlight in this tent and Laura has grabbed my feet, my ankles, because she's hidden under the bed in the dark. And Ben was Under Gaz's bed. Well, I nearly had a heart attack and died.
• 1:02:28
  Speaker A: Oh, my.
• 1:02:29
  Speaker B: That is so cool. I got a right bollocking because she said I was involved in it all.
• 1:02:33
  Speaker C: I yelled at him because I thought he was involved because he didn't even flinch. Like, didn't even flinch. They were hiding in the dark underneath
• 1:02:42
  Speaker A: the bed and he's got fin.
• 1:02:43
  Speaker C: Oh, my God. So I, at this point, nearly had a heart attack and died.
• 1:02:47
  Speaker A: I could not handle that.
• 1:02:49
  Speaker C: Down in the tent in the corner,
• 1:02:51
  Speaker A: literally just sat down. My heart was like.
• 1:02:57
  Speaker C: And, yeah, hurling a lot of abuse.
• 1:03:03
  Speaker A: That would be like what nightmares are made of, you know, like, there's a. With Jamie Gornan, there's like an Irish murder mystery thing he did and he hides under the bed before he kills the women. That would be it. I'd have nightmares forever. I'd like leap into my bed from a distance and still now. I couldn't handle that. That's fucking brilliant.
• 1:03:21
  Speaker C: I love that, honestly.
• 1:03:22
  Speaker A: Oh, I love it. Excellent. Well done. Laura Connet. Right.
• 1:03:25
  Speaker C: She's in trouble.
• 1:03:27
  Speaker A: Questions to finish. She is in trouble. I love it. Gemma, what's the horse that's taught you
• 1:03:33
  Speaker C: the most arctic style?
• 1:03:36
  Speaker A: Spike, which horse would you clone if you could? You've kind of already done that.
• 1:03:41
  Speaker C: Chico Bella.
• 1:03:43
  Speaker A: Oh, interesting. Why?
• 1:03:47
  Speaker C: Because she's the best horse in the world that's ever walked this earth.
• 1:03:49
  Speaker A: Oh, nice. I like that.
• 1:03:51
  Speaker C: But she never did what she should have done because she was plagued with injury. But if I could have her from the beginning, that would be the one,
• 1:04:01
  Speaker A: not yours. Which horse in the world would you steal if nobody ever could find out, dead or alive?
• 1:04:07
  Speaker C: Laura's horse, obviously.
• 1:04:09
  Speaker A: Oh, Dan London, 52. Have you ever sat on him?
• 1:04:13
  Speaker C: No, I actually haven't, but I would steal him now because she sent in those questions. Well, no, obviously, London is amazing. He just. The consistency of him has just been so unbelievable and his soundness and everything, you know, to do seven championships in a row. Unbelievable. That is unbelievable. But I really, really, really did love Sam. Oh, yeah, Sam. Yeah. I mean, he was really, really a favorite.
• 1:04:50
  Speaker A: He was very special. He just seemed to. I swear to God, he came with an inbuilt sat nav and just knew the cross country and just knew what it was. Insane.
• 1:04:58
  Speaker C: I love that blood. I love that, you know, real thoroughbred blood. So, yeah, no, he's probably top of the list. But, yeah, let's face it. We could have a little still there, couldn't we?
• 1:05:08
  Speaker A: Yeah, I love Laura just to piss her off more than Anything. Where's my horse gone? Yeah, under the bed. Under the bed. What makes you happy?
• 1:05:18
  Speaker C: Me winning.
• 1:05:20
  Speaker B: Winning. Burly. Yeah.
• 1:05:23
  Speaker C: My dogs.
• 1:05:24
  Speaker A: Aw, I love your dogs.
• 1:05:27
  Speaker C: Sometimes this one, when he behaves himself.
• 1:05:30
  Speaker A: Oh, look at that face. You could get angry with that.
• 1:05:34
  Speaker C: Oh, it can be done.
• 1:05:36
  Speaker B: I've just sent Simon a video, actually.
• 1:05:39
  Speaker C: Yeah. I think like, my dogs make me happy. I love them. And the beach, a cocktail, the warmth.
• 1:05:46
  Speaker A: Wow. Just listing it all out there, I love it. Those are all things I like as well. Can we go on holiday together, please?
• 1:05:52
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:05:53
  Speaker A: What's something you can't let go of?
• 1:05:57
  Speaker C: That barely win with Spike? Yeah.
• 1:06:04
  Speaker A: Do you think you can? That this win will help you let go of that or is it still going to play again?
• 1:06:08
  Speaker C: No, because I still going to be there. It's always going to be there.
• 1:06:11
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:06:11
  Speaker A: It's a very honest answer.
• 1:06:15
  Speaker C: There's not too many other things that I can really let go of, as in that we've made mistakes, obviously. I mean, the flag at badminton, but you know that Raven, that's like out of your control, really. So not so much that, but yeah, I'd say that's the main one. Obviously we all know and we've spoken about this before, but, you know, the Olympic Games, going there and being such an epic fail is a big deal and I need to try and in my head, at some stage of my career, rectify that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:06:53
  Speaker A: And I think you will.
• 1:06:55
  Speaker C: Hope so.
• 1:06:57
  Speaker A: What do you like most about yourself?
• 1:07:02
  Speaker C: I think my ability to put everything else aside and compete, horse compete is probably my biggest asset.
• 1:07:14
  Speaker B: Your focus?
• 1:07:16
  Speaker C: Yeah, my focus and just my. That competitive edge that I have, I think is hard to emulate. So that's probably what I like.
• 1:07:27
  Speaker A: I like that.
• 1:07:28
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:07:29
  Speaker A: What's the best compliment anyone's ever given you?
• 1:07:32
  Speaker C: Oh, my God, I don't know.
• 1:07:34
  Speaker A: Big Betty.
• 1:07:35
  Speaker C: Big Betty.
• 1:07:39
  Speaker A: And do you have a phrase that makes you smile or cheers you up? I always remember you saying, isn't it like nerves are a privilege? I remember that when I learned from you. Yeah.
• 1:07:48
  Speaker C: I mean, yeah. Sometimes I'm thinking, I'm not sure. These nerves are a privilege, to be honest. They're just making me feel really sick. I don't know. Probably as I've got older, you know, there's always another day. And learn from your mistakes and don't be afraid to fail and try and learn and be better next time.
• 1:08:14
  Speaker A: Last one. If you could choose someone to ride your horse, if you couldn't, who would you pick? You're not allowed to say Simon,
• 1:08:25
  Speaker C: either Piggy.
• 1:08:26
  Speaker A: Ooh.
• 1:08:28
  Speaker C: Or Laura.
• 1:08:30
  Speaker A: Good choices, Good choices. We need to get Piggy on here. We've not had her on. And the last question we've asked a
• 1:08:35
  Speaker C: lot of riders, this is Piggy is. She's amazing. I have so much respect for her and honestly, the voice note she sent me before cross country was the best thing in the world.
• 1:08:47
  Speaker A: What did it say?
• 1:08:50
  Speaker C: Honestly, it was so. I was so piggy. It was so piglet and it was so funny. A lot of it I couldn't even repeat on this podcast. But she was just amazing and just. Just basically just said, get out there and bloody go for it. And we're all behind you and we all love you.
• 1:09:10
  Speaker A: I love it. Finally, what's the difference between a great rider and a great horseman or horsewoman?
• 1:09:21
  Speaker C: I think, honestly, being able to really, truly understand your horse and understand when there's another day and not just pushing for the sake of it, I think it's really important that we are, first of all, horsemen, women and second of all, competitors. And I tried to be that person at Blenheim. I tried to be that horsewoman rather than competitor on a horse called Chili's Jester, because it was his first four star long and I was in a really good position and I probably could have won that, but I didn't think it was appropriate to really keep pushing him. He's had quite a lot of problems in his life and he needed to have a good time and not feel really knackered doing his first long. And so I tried to just ride him with that in mind and not about winning. And I think that's really, for all of us, it's important.
• 1:10:21
  Speaker A: Yeah. The horsemanship head has to win over the competitor ahead every time. Yeah, that, Simon.
• 1:10:27
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:10:28
  Speaker A: Those are great answers. Right. I'm like, you're amazing, Simon. Have you got anything else you want to ask Jen while we've got her here?
• 1:10:38
  Speaker C: I feel like you're. Like your head's gone a bit in the clouds or something.
• 1:10:41
  Speaker A: He's just listening.
• 1:10:43
  Speaker B: This is when you know, mine or Jenny's.
• 1:10:45
  Speaker C: No, Jenny's.
• 1:10:46
  Speaker A: What?
• 1:10:47
  Speaker C: You're like, la, la, la.
• 1:10:51
  Speaker B: She's gonna be smoking those funny cigarettes again.
• 1:10:54
  Speaker A: This is just me being nice to you. All right, let's end with what's annoyed you this week, Jem?
• 1:10:58
  Speaker C: What's annoyed me this week?
• 1:11:00
  Speaker A: Yeah, anything.
• 1:11:03
  Speaker C: Gary getting man flu.
• 1:11:04
  Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
• 1:11:06
  Speaker C: Gemma trying to trim the folds today.
• 1:11:09
  Speaker A: There's a reason women give birth.
• 1:11:13
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:11:14
  Speaker A: Simon, you got any good? What's annoyed you this week?
• 1:11:16
  Speaker B: Oh, I have sympathy for Gary because it's really gross being a man and having man flu. So I understand his pain. You guys just don't understand. You don't realize how bad it is for us.
• 1:11:30
  Speaker A: Gemma's face says it all.
• 1:11:32
  Speaker B: You both look. You're both blank. You both look blank.
• 1:11:34
  Speaker C: He's gone up in my estimation.
• 1:11:35
  Speaker A: You will find sympathy between shit and syphilis in the dictionary, I'm afraid.
• 1:11:41
  Speaker B: That's brilliant. Not much has annoyed me, to be fair. I did my demo at Moulton College and I did another one at Easton College in August, and I did one earlier this year at Bellevue. And all three of them, the sound was shite, as in the microphones didn't work and it was just like, so this one. And my dad has like, dad's really funny. He's like a dog with a bone when he's decided something needs to happen. And he came to the eastern one and the sound wasn't very good. He's like, right, I've bought a sound system for you. So he's like, bought these two whacking great big speakers and, like a little headset, like, not cheap. And. And he was like, so that's there as your backup. And I was like, oh, dad, that's really kind because dad is like, he. He's never done anything like that before, ever. And anyway, so. And then I arrived and I did a sound test on their system and it sounded really, really good. So I was like, ah, I probably don't need to use dad, so that's fine. And then literally, as I stepped out, I was like, evening, everybody. And they're like, your mic's not working. And I was like, oh, it should be working, is it not? And then. And then it just kept on going. And yeah, so that was quite. It's no one's fault. It was unfortunate and it was fine in the end. I just didn't use it. I just shouted a lot. But. But yeah, that was quite annoying.
• 1:12:56
  Speaker C: Yeah, that is really annoying.
• 1:12:58
  Speaker A: That is really annoying. Right, you beautiful people.
• 1:13:02
  Speaker B: Jenny.
• 1:13:02
  Speaker A: What?
• 1:13:03
  Speaker B: Whoa, hang on.
• 1:13:04
  Speaker A: Oh, what's annoyed me?
• 1:13:06
  Speaker B: Fucking cute. Like, warriors. What's wrong with you?
• 1:13:08
  Speaker A: So we did this podcast and I'd love you to listen to it. Gem with Egypt Equine Age, our last podcast, that's just gone out and it's really harrowing what's going on out there. And we're trying to raise awareness and we. I pushed put it on social media and it's been shared so much, people are really jumping on it and being Wonderful. And then some fucking keyboard warriors written. Oh, I really hate the fact you used AI to make your graphic. All right, Karen. Her name's not Karen. But for the sake of. And it's just like, all right, fine, you might not like my graphic. I've used Canva. I've actually designed it, thank you very much. And. But really is this. This is about helping animals in need and that's what you're taking from this, and that's what you can be asked to write.
• 1:13:55
  Speaker C: And, yeah, people are pretty annoying.
• 1:13:57
  Speaker A: And I did, and I was like. My first response was pretty rude and I was like, no, don't you reply. Don't get involved. And then my second response. I did respond because I was feeling facetious. Thank you for your input. But the money I could spend on design course could go to Egypt, Equinade. Wouldn't that be nice? Dig love, or something like that. And I was just like,
• 1:14:25
  Speaker C: that's quite funny.
• 1:14:26
  Speaker A: I think I might be what's annoyed that lady this week. Like, is it really necessary? Anyway, so don't do that, people. If you want to complain, write me a note. I'm happy with that. But when it comes to animal awareness and love and sharing and trying to help animals in need do the right thing. Anyway, that's my little run.
• 1:14:47
  Speaker C: Agreed. You had your little rant, right.
• 1:14:51
  Speaker A: Oh, Gemma's paused. Are you still there, Gem? Oh, no.
• 1:14:56
  Speaker B: Oh, no, she looks drunk. She looks drunk in that.
• 1:14:58
  Speaker A: It's not. It's not. Paused on the greatest thing. Oh, no, she might have gone. This is it. We can't say goodbye. Oh, no.
• 1:15:09
  Speaker B: Oh, well, at least it's happened now.
• 1:15:10
  Speaker A: I know, right? At least it's.
• 1:15:12
  Speaker B: We've got all the. All the good stuff.
• 1:15:14
  Speaker A: Oh, she has gone.
• 1:15:15
  Speaker B: She had properly gone.
• 1:15:17
  Speaker A: Oh, she might sign back in. But wasn't that good? How good was she?
• 1:15:20
  Speaker B: Very good. She was very good.
• 1:15:22
  Speaker A: She was very good.
• 1:15:22
  Speaker B: And very, very open and very. Yeah, really? Yeah, really good.
• 1:15:27
  Speaker A: I better say that.
• 1:15:28
  Speaker B: A real. What's the word? An ambassador for our sport.
• 1:15:32
  Speaker A: She certainly is. Well done.
• 1:15:34
  Speaker B: Well done, Gemma Stevens.
• 1:15:35
  Speaker A: Well done, Gemma Stevens. All right, well, we're going to close off this podcast with. Don't forget, tickets are going to go on sale for the tour soon. Please, like, share share this podcast, Please follow us all of that shebang. Simon Green, you're looking particularly handsome today. I didn't forgot to mention that at the start. Had a haircut.
• 1:15:52
  Speaker B: Honestly, you're so nice. I am not looking very handsome today.
• 1:15:55
  Speaker A: You are. I think you're looking wonderful. That was one of my favorite pods yet. Just. I just love her. We're big fans of Gem, but all that is left to say is Simon, Grieve. Shut up and ride.
• 1:16:08
  Speaker B: Shut up and ride.