British eventer Yasmin Ingham became the new World Champion while the team finished a heart-breaking fraction of a point off the podium
Photos: British Equestrian/Jon Stroud Media, FEI/Richard Juilliart
Britain has a new eventing World Champion and her name is Yasmin Ingham. She grew up on the Isle of Man and nine years ago, at the age of 16, moved to the mainland to pursue a career with horses. She was offered the opportunity of a lifetime riding horses – which included former five-star rides of Mary King such as Imperial Cavalier and Fernhill Urco – for former Isle of Man residents Eddie and Sue Davies, and Janette Chinn at their Pewitt Stud, and hasn’t looked back since.
Years in the making
At just 25 years old, it’s fair to say Yasmin Ingham’s selection to represent Britain as an individual might have felt like a bit of a wildcard. When you consider the strength in depth of the nation’s eventers – with team and individual Olympic and European title holders overlooked for World selection this time – you might have wondered about the selectors’ thought process.
Yet, for those who’ve been paying attention, her selection will come as no surprise at all. She represented her local branch of the Pony Club at the National Championships way back in 2011 and soon started making a serious impact as a young rider. In 2013 she became a double European gold medallist and, having held national U16, U18, U21 and U25 titles in the past, she’s been making waves at senior level for a few years now, too.
It’s been no secret that Yasmin’s current top ride, the 11-year-old Banzai du Loir, was bought in 2019 by owners Janette Chinn and Sue Davies as a potential Paris 2024 horse – and considering the combination’s current form, your judgement would be seriously misplaced to bet against them.
Yasmin and Banzai won the eight-and-nine-year-old championships at Burnham Market in 2020 and their accolades have only grown since then. Their 2021 season ended with a win in Blenheim Palace’s CCI4*-L – after earning top-five placings in Bicton, Burgham and Blair’s four-star offerings, too – and they got 2022 off to a flying start when they stood second to Michael Jung in the Kentucky Horse Trials CCI5*. Now that Yasmin has a World Champion title to her credit, too, her journey to Olympic selection certainly seems to be on track.